http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news en alacayo@brookslacayo.com Copyright 2013 2013-01-31T16:10:16+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/superintendent_nikolai_vitti_visits_kipp_and_applauds_the_school http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/superintendent_nikolai_vitti_visits_kipp_and_applauds_the_school#When:16:10:16Z
]]> News, 2013-01-31T16:10:16+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/kipp_impact_receives_b_grade http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/kipp_impact_receives_b_grade#When:20:04:28Z
But wait a second. Weren't these grades mostly based on the despised Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test?

And weren't we warned that a more difficult grading system was going to result in a rash of lower-graded schools?

At the same time, Duval County's overall grade declined from a B to a C. The actual letter grade is simply a reflection of the dual school systems in Duval: one for high poverty children with great needs and an outstanding system of neighborhood and magnet schools for the more fortunate.

Changes coming

Actually, for those complaining that one high-stakes test has too much influence in Florida, just wait a few years.
The FCAT is on the way out, to be replaced by end-of-course exams that are designed to have more national credibility with common standards.
The idea that students must pass tests in class is not revolutionary.
The FCAT was just one step on the road to accountability. Flawed, to be sure, but a necessary step.

It is not a diagnostic test. Students need to be assessed in the first week of school and have instructional plans designed to deal with their weaknesses. In the digital era, this should be easier than ever.

There is a role for computerized instruction to help drill students and give them patient feedback. Through it all, teachers need to be guiding instruction. Grade recovery needs to be placed back in the control of teachers, not an excuse for students to slack off.

Duval County, in contrast to its suburban neighbors, has large proportions of low-income and minority students. There are many needs outside the classroom
in such schools. Good success has been earned in elementary schools and occasional success in difficult middle school years. It's more challenging to
maintain excellence in these schools, however. It's more difficult to replace a charismatic principal in such cases.

The KIPP story

One interesting case is the KIPP Impact School at the former dog track in the McDuff neighborhood. The school began with high promise but took valid criticism last year when it received an F grade. It needs to be emphasized that this represented just one fifth grade of 88 students.

Now as the second year finishes, the school includes 160 students in fifth and sixth grades. The school improved its grade to a C and just missed a B grade.
If you visit the school, it is apparent how hard the students are working. But hard work alone wasn't enough.

"We were a lot smarter this year at using data to plug student gaps in learning," said Tom Majdanics, executive director of the KIPP Jacksonville schools.

They tailored instruction and tutoring to the needs of the individual students.This worked especially well with math with students in the bottom quartile. Math learning gains were No. 1 in Duval County and No. 3 in the state. Reading gains were not so dramatic. While 87 percent of KIPP students showed math gains, 63 percent showed reading gains.

The performance justifies the opening of a second KIPP school, which starts next month, KIPP Voice Elementary. A group of about 100 kindergartners will be entering the school. As with the Impact school, these will be mostly students from the Northwest neighborhood chosen by lottery if necessary.

Majdanics ascribes the improvement to the "natural progression" of students and staff knowing each other better. In fact, it's no different than in other high-poverty schools where hard work doesn't show up in test scores overnight.

Sometimes you have to believe your own eyes. Are the students concentrating in class? Are they carrying books home from school?

Long days, hard work

The KIPP day is longer than normal, nine hours a day, with time spent in late afternoon for tutoring, music and PE.

There also are occasional Saturday sessions.

The KIPP Impact school is using music as an important educational tool. Students are learning the value of discipline. Founded in 2010, KIPP Impact will add a seventh grade in the coming school year. In 2013, it will be a full fifth- through eighth-grade middle school. The school is 99 percent African-American and 89 percent free and reduced lunch.

What KIPP is doing is not unheard of in the Duval County public schools. Using Communities in Schools programs, students gain the extra time and attention they need. And there are similarly dedicated principals who through force of will obtain the extra help their students need.

Clearly, this extra time is needed for high-poverty students to catch up and receive the support they need.
All of this time and attention comes at a cost. What would it cost to provide a nine-hour school day for every high-poverty school in Duval County?

That's a discussion this community should be having.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/editorials/2012-07-18/story/accountability-still-key-schools
By The Times-Union]]> 2012-07-23T20:04:28+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/state_revises_24_school_grades_in_northeast_florida http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/state_revises_24_school_grades_in_northeast_florida#When:19:55:33Z
Two schools, Eugene Butler Middle School and School of Success Academy charter school, both in Jacksonville, saw their grades improved from Fs to Ds.
Thirteen of the Northeast Florida school improvements went from Bs to As, six were revised from Cs to Bs and three went from Ds to Cs.

Most of the revised grades for First Coast schools were in Duval County, another three schools were in Clay County, while Baker and Nassau counties each had one school’s grade improved.

Duval was second among state districts in the number of schools impacted, with 19 school grades revised. Miami-Dade led the state with 31 revisions. The state revealed the error Friday night.

Superintendent Ed Pratt-Dannals said Saturday that he had mixed feelings about the grade changes, which he called significant.

“On the one hand, it shows us doing better than we even had before; on the other hand it does make you wonder whether or not they have all the calculations right,” he told the Times-Union. “To their credit, if you see something’s not right, as opposed to hiding it they came forward and they were honest about it.”

Pratt-Dannals said mistakes like this may hurt the state’s credibility, particularly as it looks to use exams more to evaluate teacher performance.

KIPP Impact Middle School, which under-performed in its first year by earning an F in 2011 and then rebounded this year by earning a C, saw its grade revised to a B.

“I am delighted our KIPP Impact students, parents and staff are being recognized with a B grade. They all worked incredibly hard and we are looking forward to building our progress in the coming year,” said Tom Majdanics, executive director for KIPP Jacksonville.

More than 200 schools in 40 of the state’s 67 school districts saw their grades improved because of the error.

Several district grades also were improved, but Duval County, which saw its district grade drop from a B to a C this year, was not one of those districts.

Pratt-Dannals said he will be looking at why the revised grades weren’t good enough to improve the district’s grade.

The state annually hands out the grades that are used to financially reward top schools and sanction those that get failing marks. Student performance on reading, math, science and writing tests primarily determines the grades, as well as whether students showed learning gains over the previous year.

The Florida Department of Education said the error occurred in the way they weighted students’ learning gains, The Associated Press reported Saturday.

The state passed a rule last year saying that students who scored at levels 1 and 2 on last year’s FCAT and got a third more points than was needed to be considered to have made learning gains on the FCAT this year, would receive a weighted learning gains score, the AP reported.

But the state failed to include students who were at levels 1 or 2 last year, but scored at higher levels this year when calculating the weighted points.

The error put another spotlight on the state’s system of evaluating students and comes as the grading system is under some of the sharpest criticism it has endured in the years since former Gov. Jeb Bush first put it into place, the AP noted.

Overall, more than 100 schools in the state jumped from a B to an A grade, the AP reported. Fifty-five school grades changed from a C to a B. Thirty-five school grades changed from a D to a C, and seven school grades changed from an F to a D.

Commissioner of Education Gerard Robinson said he will look for ways to improve the grade calculation process, the AP reported.

“The strength of our accountability system depends on the partnership between school districts and the department, and these revisions are a direct result of that process,” he said in a statement.

Topher Sanders: (904) 359-4169
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-07-21/story/state-revises-24-school-grades-northeast-florida]]> 2012-07-23T19:55:33+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/Dear_friends_of_kipp_jacksonville http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/Dear_friends_of_kipp_jacksonville#When:13:20:34Z  
http://bit.ly/NlWNFx

I’m pleased to share that KIPP Impact is now the highest rated middle school in Northwest Jacksonville and the highest rated among the 18 Duval County middle and K-8 schools that serve 70% or more students who are eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program. Of course, we still have a lot of hard work ahead as we continue to adjust and refine our model. Our young school (and our young KIPP Jacksonville institution) still has plenty of room for growth and improvement.
 
Lastly, while it never will show up on a school grade report, I wanted to share with you two links to our young musicians in action. The first link is KIPP’s first attempt at a musical note in the fall of 2010 (our baseline). The second link is from our students’ musical assessment this past spring, where they played before judges for the first time. 
 
Fall 2010:


Spring 2012:

 
I hope viewing these put a smile on your face. The sky is the limit for our students.
 
Best regards,
Tom Majdanics,

Executive Director, KIPP Jacksonville Schools
tom@kippjax.org]]> 2012-07-13T13:20:34+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/kipp_impact_middle_school_shows_large_fcat_gains_in_its_second_year http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/kipp_impact_middle_school_shows_large_fcat_gains_in_its_second_year#When:13:04:12Z
KIPP saw increased passing rates in both math and reading this year, especially among its 6th grade students who have had the benefit of two full years at KIPP. 69 percent of its sixth graders passed the FCAT math exam this year, up from 31 percent in 2011. In reading, sixth grade FCAT passing rates increased by 17 percent, from 23 percent in 2011 to 40 percent in 2012. (See chart below.)

KIPP Jacksonville—Sixth grade students passing FCAT



“Our sixth grade students, having spent two years at KIPP, have begun to blossom academically,” said Tom Majdanics, Executive Director of KIPP Jacksonville Schools. “While our KIPP students are making great strides, there is still plenty of room for growth. We will not be satisfied until our students earn acceptances to college prep high schools in 8th grade.”

Founded in 2010, KIPP Impact currently students in grades five and six, and will add a seventh grade in the summer of 2012. It will become a full 5th through 8th grade middle school in 2013. KIPP Impact students attend school for nine hours daily, giving them time to devote to math and reading and participate daily in an instrumental music program where students learn important skills like discipline, teamwork, and grit.

With a student body that is 99 percent African-American and 89 percent qualifying for free or reduced price lunches, KIPP Impact improved its achievement results this year by focusing on giving its students individualized attention and providing students with extra tutoring during the school day and on weekends. Eighty-seven percent of KIPP Impact students showed learning gains in math this year, ranking it 2nd of the 27 middle schools in Duval County and 11th among 584 middle schools statewide. Sixty-three percent of KIPP students showed learning gains in reading.

“These results are a tribute to the hard work and dedication of KIPP Jacksonville’s students, teachers and community,” said John Baker, chair of the KIPP Jacksonville Schools board of directors. “We are on the right track and will continue to work hard to build on this year’s progress to show what’s possible for public education in Jacksonville.”

Starting this fall, KIPP Impact will enroll approximately 270 students in fifth through seventh grade. A second KIPP school, KIPP VOICE Elementary, will be opening its doors to its inaugural class of kindergarteners this August.

About KIPP Jacksonville Schools

KIPP Jacksonville Schools are part of the national network of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools. The mission of KIPP Jacksonville Schools is to prepare its students with the academic and character skills necessary to succeed in high school, college and the competitive world beyond. Through the success of its students, KIPP Jacksonville aims to serve as a model of excellence and to collaborate with others to raise the quality of education in Jacksonville and the state of Florida.

Contact:
Tom Majdanics, Executive Director
tom@kippjax.org
(904) 738-4145
]]> 2012-07-13T13:04:12+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/parent_information_presentation_about_kindergarten_at_kipp_voice_elementary http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/parent_information_presentation_about_kindergarten_at_kipp_voice_elementary#When:17:39:34Z http://bit.ly/JDwQhU]]> News, 2012-04-24T17:39:34+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/how_and_how_not_to_improve_the_schools http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/how_and_how_not_to_improve_the_schools#When:17:51:22Z
Source: The New York Review of Books, Diane Ravitch

For the full article go to: http://bit.ly/wJGZC2]]> 2012-04-02T17:51:22+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/kipp_school_to_open_elementary_this_year http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/kipp_school_to_open_elementary_this_year#When:16:46:20Z
KIPP, which stand for Knowledge is Power Program, is now recruiting for its inaugural class of 96 kindergartners for KIPP Voice Elementary -- the national educator's first elementary school in Florida.

KIPP currently runs 109 college-preparatory schools in 20 states, serving 32,000 students.

KIPP said it believes that the path to college begins in kindergarten and the school will feature a student to teacher ratio of 12:1 -– the lowest ratio of any kindergarten class in the city. In addition, KIPP Voice will have an extended school day and year, resulting in significantly more classroom time for students.

The new elementary school will be led by Ashley Ferguson, an alumna of Teach for America and a former New York City principal who recently completed KIPP’s Fisher Fellowship principal training program.

The school will be housed at its new campus at 1440 McDuff Ave. N. -- the former Jacksonville Kennel Club facility.

KIPP will host parent open houses at the campus at 6 p.m. on March 15 and 27. Additional open houses will be held throughout April.
Student enrollment applications are available and are due by April 30. For more information, please visit kippvoice.org or call Ferguson at 790-0828.

In addition to opening the kindergarten class at KIPP Voice, KIPP Impact Middle School will enroll a new fifth grade class for the upcoming school year.

For more information about its middle school, visit kippimpact.org.

Credits to News4Jax: Copyright 2012 by News4Jax.com.]]> News, 2012-03-14T16:46:20+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/tom_majdanics http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/tom_majdanics#When:22:55:37Z
About the Alliance

As the unified voice of the public charter school movement in Florida, the Florida Charter School Alliance was formed to ensure that every family in the state has access to the high-quality public school of their choice. We are a 501 (c) (3), nonprofit, non-partisan organization.

The Alliance was initially formed in May 2011. And even though we are only a few months old, our work has gotten off to a great beginning. Major legislation was passed this year that supports the growth of high quality charter schools throughout Florida, but, there is still more work that needs to be done with regard to providing increased autonomy, funding equity and accountability for charter schools. The Alliance will be an organization at the forefront in helping to make these legislative changes happen.

http://www.flcharteralliance.org/AboutTheAlliance/BoardOfDirectors.html]]> 2011-12-13T22:55:37+00:00 http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/the_players_announces_record_charitable_dollars http://www.kippjax.org/index.php/news/comments/the_players_announces_record_charitable_dollars#When:21:51:27Z
Today’s record-breaking announcement was made during pre-game festivities at the Jacksonville Jaguars game to kick off THE PLAYERS Giving Back Month.  On hand to unveil the $5.9 million total were Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown; PGA TOUR player, local resident and 2005 PLAYERS Champion Fred Funk; Red Coats and Blue Coats, representing the volunteer leadership of THE PLAYERS; and youth from the PACE Center for Girls and AMI Kids, who unfurled a 40-yard long banner at midfield that read, “THE PLAYERS: $5.9 million to local charities in 2011.”

“We are indeed fortunate to have the Jacksonville Jaguars and THE PLAYERS Championship in our community to help shine a bright spotlight on Northeast Florida,” said Mayor Brown.  “THE PLAYERS Championship is a world-class golf tournament whose impact extends far beyond just one week in May, and all of us who live and work on the First Coast benefit from the tournament’s charitable force. This is yet another example of a public-private partnership that shows the philanthropic spirit of the great people in our area.  I’m proud to be a part of today’s announcement and congratulate everyone involved with THE PLAYERS – including the fans who support the tournament – for this record-setting $5.9 million that will impact the lives of so many of our neighbors in need.”

“Being a part of THE PLAYERS Championship for the past 12 years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and to see that banner rolled out today across the field with ‘$5.9 million’ written on it – I can’t explain how proud I am of every single volunteer, staff member and fan who supported THE PLAYERS this year,” said 2011 Volunteer Chairman Jim Fuller, Duval Clerk of the Circuit Court. “As THE PLAYERS continues to reach new heights, we are able to make even more significant and lasting changes in the community through a variety of worthwhile charities.  And while this year’s record-setting total of $5.9 million is an impressive number, it’s really the lives of those impacted – many of whom are our community’s children – that should make us all be proud that Northeast Florida is home to THE PLAYERS.”

More than $4.2 million, or approximately 71 percent, of money generated from THE PLAYERS 2011 benefits children’s charities along the First Coast, which falls in line with the event’s committed goal, announced in April, to generate $50 million for youth-related charities over the next 10 years.  Through this shift in focus, the event is well on its way to making a significant financial impact on area non-profits that promote education, character development, and health and fitness for young people.

The PACE Center for Girls and AMI Kids are participants in THE PLAYERS Birdies for Charity program, and the PACE Center for Girls is a major grant recipient of THE PLAYERS.  Youth from both organizations were at the Jaguars game as guests in the “Honor Rows,” a unique, nationally recognized program of the Jaguars Foundation that uses seats at Jaguars home games as incentives to encourage youth to set and achieve their goals.  They, along with representatives from The Boselli Foundation, Gateway Community Services and Hubbard House, earned their seat to Sunday’s game for achieving goals in academics, physical fitness and volunteer service; all of those organizations benefit from dollars generated through THE PLAYERS.

“We are so proud of the impact THE PLAYERS Championship has had on many charities – and lives – in Northeast Florida over the years, and today is a great day for the 2,000-plus men, women and children who volunteer their time to THE PLAYERS to ensure that the event is a charitable leader in the community,” said 2012 Volunteer Chairman Curtis Hazel.  “The $5.9 million generated through the 2011 tournament will go a long way toward our new focus on helping the youth of Northeast Florida, a critical need in our community.”

While much of the $5.9 million is generated during tournament week, THE PLAYERS and TPC Sawgrass are partnering with local charities throughout the year to help raise additional, significant dollars for the community, and those funds are included in today’s announcement.  Events like THE PLAYERS Benefit for the Arts in June, Chip In For Youth program and Birdies for Charity commitments made by the fans are all part of the significant impact THE PLAYERS is able to make on the First Coast.

Following today’s event at the Jaguars game, Giving Back Month continues with an announcement at Wolfson Children’s Hospital on October 17 with PGA TOUR player Jim Furyk (details to follow) and a variety of media appearances and interviews by the tournament’s current and past volunteer leadership.

THE PLAYERS will take place May 7-13, 2012. Each year, youth 18 and younger are admitted free of charge to the tournament when accompanied by a ticketed adult.  There is no limit to the number of youth 18 and younger who can attend with a ticketed adult. More information about THE PLAYERS is available at PGATOUR.COM/theplayers.

By PGA TOUR Staff, October 9, 2011
http://together.pgatour.com/stories/the-players-announces-record.html]]> 2011-10-09T21:51:27+00:00