This page is the Accessible Alternative Version (AAV) of the Pioneer Union Elementary Charter School Annual Report from the SBE February 2017 Information Memoranda. The scanned Pioneer Union Elementary Charter School Annual Report (PDF) version is considered to be the official version of the document.
TO: State Board of Education
FROM: Kings County Office of Education Donna Rix, Director of Curriculum
DATE: December 14, 2016
RE: Information Memo for Pioneer Union Elementary School District
- Charter contact person – Paul van Loon
- Charter district CAASPP Data - District/County Comparison attached
- Charter district response - District report on academic performance attached
- LCAP has been completed and is available**
- Site visit was completed on October 21, 2016; the county office has no concerns.
Donna Rix, Director of Curriculum
Kings County Office of Education
559-589-7068, drix@kingscoe.org
** Note: the hyperlink to the available LCAP document is no longer available.
Pioneer Union Elementary Charter School District
Charter Annual Report, November 2016
California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress
Percentage of Students Meeting or Exceeding Standard
| ELA | Pioneer UESD | Hanford ESD | Lemoore ESD | Island UESD | King River Hardwick | Lakeside UESD | Kit Carson ESD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 56% | 43% | 48% | 53% | 77% | 32% | 35% |
| Grade 3 | 55% | 38% | 35% | 63% | 81% | 35% | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 57% | 38% | 46% | 47% | 80% | 20% | 27% |
| Grade 5 | 69% | 43% | 49% | 41% | 75% | 19% | 28% |
| Grade 6 | 50% | 46% | 52% | 54% | 73% | 51% | 24% |
| Grade 7 | 58% | 42% | 50% | 64% | 74% | 33% | 61% |
| Grade 8 | 48% | 47% | 56% | 53% | 73% | 39% | 54% |
| Overall Rank | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| MATH | Pioneer UESD | Hanford ESD | Lemoore UESD | Island UESD | King River Hardwick | Lakeside UESD | Kit Carson ESD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 47% | 29% | 33% | 45% | 62% | 20% | 20% |
| Grade 3 | 60% | 32% | 34% | 59% | 79% | 28% | 27% |
| Grade 4 | 56% | 29% | 33% | 41% | 69% | 30% | 14% |
| Grade 5 | 39% | 23% | 25% | 39% | 67% | 30% | 70% |
| Grade 6 | 46% | 29% | 36% | 33% | 56% | 22% | 25% |
| Grade 7 | 34% | 26% | 36% | 47% | 51% | 29% | 20% |
| Grade 8 | 47% | 33% | 31% | 54% | 52% | 35% | 26% |
| Overall Rank | 2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
The information in the above chart compares the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standard on the CAASPP when compared to other elementary school districts in Kings County. Overall, Pioneer ranks 2nd in ELA and mathematics among comparable county school districts when analyzing the performance of all students.
Subgroup CAASPP Performance
| Subgroup | Achievement Level | English Language Arts/Literacy (County) | English Language Arts/Literacy (District) | Mathematics (County) | Mathematics (District) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All Students | Standard Exceeded | 14% | 23% | 9% | 17% |
| All Students | Standard Met | 28% | 33% | 19% | 30% |
| All Students | Standard Nearly Met | 26% | 27% | 30% | 31% |
| All Students | Standard Not Met | 32% | 17% | 43% | 22% |
| All Students | Students with Scores | 14,726 | 1,060 | 14,704 | 1,060 |
| Black African American | Standard Exceeded | 10% | 18% | 5% | 8% |
| Black African American | Standard Met | 25% | 21% | 14% | 18% |
| Black African American | Standard Nearly Met | 27% | 25% | 29% | 33% |
| Black African American | Standard Not Met | 38% | 36% | 53% | 41% |
| Black African American | Students with Scores | 623 | 60 | 618 | 61 |
| Asian | Standard Exceeded | 28% | 33% | 25% | 30% |
| Asian | Standard Met | 33% | 35% | 24% | 33% |
| Asian | Standard Nearly Met | 15% | 13% | 20% | 15% |
| Asian | Standard Not Met | 23% | 20% | 32% | 22% |
| Asian | Students with Scores | 172 | 46 | 173 | 46 |
| Filipino | Standard Exceeded | 34% | 23% | 24% | 21% |
| Filipino | Standard Met | 39% | 38% | 35% | 38% |
| Filipino | Standard Nearly Met | 19% | 23% | 24% | 31% |
| Filipino | Standard Not Met | 8% | 0% | 17% | 10% |
| Filipino | Students with Scores | 267 | 39 | 266 | 39 |
| Hispanic | Standard Exceeded | 10% | 18% | 6% | 11% |
| Hispanic | Standard Met | 26% | 24% | 16% | 29% |
| Hispanic | Standard Nearly Met | 27% | 28% | 30% | 32% |
| Hispanic | Standard Not Met | 37% | 20% | 48% | 28% |
| Hispanic | Students with Scores | 9,972 | 443 | 9,968 | 442 |
| White | Standard Exceeded | 24% | 27% | 17% | 31% |
| White | Standard Met | 34% | 32% | 25% | 32% |
| White | Standard Nearly Met | 23% | 29% | 30% | 33% |
| White | Standard Not Met | 19% | 13% | 28% | 14% |
| White | Students with Scores | 3,143 | 430 | 3,131 | 431 |
| EL | Standard Exceeded | 2% | 0% | 1% | 2% |
| EL | Standard Met | 10% | 16% | 7% | 14% |
| EL | Standard Nearly Met | 24% | 16% | 23% | 23% |
| EL | Standard Not Met | 63% | 68% | 69% | 61% |
| EL | Students with Scores | 2,922 | 44 | 2,937 | 44 |
| Low Income | Standard Exceeded | 9% | 15% | 6% | 9% |
| Low Income | Standard Met | 25% | 30% | 15% | 26% |
| Low Income | Standard Nearly Met | 27% | 28% | 30% | 32% |
| Low Income | Standard Not Met | 39% | 26% | 50% | 33% |
| Low Income | Students with Scores | 10 515 | 432 | 10 499 | 433 |
| SWD | Standard Exceeded | 2% | 8% | 2% | 8% |
| SWD | Standard Met | 8% | 14% | 5% | 18% |
| SWD | Standard Nearly Met | 17% | 29% | 14% | 25% |
| SWD | Standard Not Met | 73% | 49% | 80% | 49% |
| SWD | Students with Scores | 1,477 | 79 | 1,457 | 78 |
The above table shows the percentage of subgroups that met or exceeded standard. Subgroup comparison to Kings County performance on the CAASPP shows the following:
- All but one significant subgroup performed higher in ELA and Mathematics when compared to county-wide performance.
- The Filipino subgroup performed lower than the County in ELA with 61% of Filipino Students in Pioneer meeting and exceeding standard as compared to 73% of Filipino students in the County meeting or exceeding standard. The percentage of Filipino students meeting or exceeding standard in mathematics was the same as county-wide performance.
- The district's subgroups perform well when compared to county-wide performance. However, when compared to the performance of all students in Pioneer School District, some student groups within the Pioneer School District demonstrate an achievement gap:
ELA
- Black African American - 17% gap from the performance of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
- Hispanic - 14% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
- English Learner - 40% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
- Economically Disadvantaged -11% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
- Students with Disabilities - 34% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
MATH
- Black African American - 21% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
- Hispanic - 7% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
- English Learner - 31% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
- Economically Disadvantaged -12% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
- Students with Disabilities - 21% gap from the percentage of all students meeting or exceeding standard.
Each of the subgroups experiencing an achievement gap from the performance of all students meeting or exceeding standard did have higher percentages meeting or exceeding standard in both ELA and math when compared to the 2015 administration of the CAASPP.
Benchmark Performance:
The 2015-16 school year was the first year the Pioneer UESD administered its newly developed local benchmark assessments through Illuminate using test items from Key Data aligned to State Standards with appropriate depth of knowledge. These benchmark assessments are administered at the end of each trimester and are designed to assess learning in each trimester based on the instructional "Standard Schedule" or pacing guide. The third and final benchmark assessment is a comprehensive assessment measuring performance on standards taught throughout the year.
Performance
- 22% of students grades 3-8 met or exceeded standard in ELA on the end of year benchmark assessment.
- 14% of students grades 3-8 met or exceeded standard in Math on the end of year benchmark.
Challenges in the first year of the benchmark administration may have caused the performance on the end of year benchmark to be lower than the performance on the CAASPP. The standard schedule pacing guide presented some challenges for the pacing of lessons. Teachers determined more time was needed on some standards and, consequently, did not cover all the standards that were measured on each specific benchmark assessments prior to administration. However, the standards were covered by the end of the year and prior to the administration of the CMSPP. This is evidenced by the results which demonstrate student progress in student achievement and level of standard proficiency. However, the rigor of the benchmark was high and the assessments were administered on-line. As a result, they prepared the students for the rigor of the CAASPP.
To address the issues mentioned, in the summer of 2016, the district provided compensated time for teachers to revise their grade level standard schedule pacing guides. The revised standard schedule pacing guides prioritized instruction for major, supporting and additional standards. This is to ensure enough instructional time is allocated to the standards based on their priority ranking. The benchmarks were adjusted to reflect the revised standard schedule pacing guides in order to assess the standards being taught in each trimester.
Responding to Data and the Cycle of Continuous Improvement
In order to respond to student achievement data, both locally and at the state level, Pioneer district employs the cycle of inquiry and continuous improvement model. The following actions and or initiatives have or will be conducted:
- Continue professional development on researched based practices and standards based instruction including researched based instructional strategies, questioning techniques, depth of knowledge, student engagement, etc.
- Continue to provide additional support for students who are in need of it. This includes support classes, differentiated instruction during the instructional day, after-school programs, and intervention in reading.
- Dedicated time after administration of benchmark tests to review and respond instructionally to the data.
- Analyze the data both locally and state level to identify areas of focus to make the greatest impact on student achievement.
- Continue to work through the LCAP process with stakeholder input to identify areas that will impact performance of those groups which demonstrate an achievement gap.
As this is the second year of CAASPP administration, longitudinal data is just beginning to develop. However, trends are not established. While performance gaps exist for some subgroups, the results of the 2016 administration indicate that the gap has been reduced. Furthermore, the Pioneer School District will continue work with Illuminate to develop a correlation of the local assessments to the CMSPP assessment, increasing the district's ability to use the local benchmark as a predictor of student performance on the CAASPP and allowing the district to respond to the data in a timely manner.
Successes of the Charter
The Pioneer District Charter emphasizes the well-rounded education of our students. Through the Local Control Accountability Plan {LCAP) and consistent with its charter, the Pioneer Union Elementary School District has identified and implemented actions to provide the highest quality education for its students. The LCAP development process involved significant stakeholder input which led to the following areas of emphasis: quality instructional delivery through professional development and coaching focused on researched based practices; revision of pacing calendars to ensure appropriate scope and sequence of lessons addressing state standards; refinement of benchmark assessments with appropriate depth of knowledge to measure what students know and are able to do; provide interventions through a well defined Response to Intervention model; and expand enrichment opportunities for students in the areas of visual and performing arts, leadership, and STEM. Students have many opportunities to explore and develop personal strengths and skills, particularly in the arts. The performance on the 2016 SBAC shows the district outperforming the comparable schools and the County in the vast majority of indicators measured by the CAASPP. Subgroup performance is also higher than County averages. This indicates that the education and experiences the Pioneer Charter provides is having a positive impact on achievement for student groups and demographics that are typically underperforming.
The Pioneer Union Elementary Charter School District has been recognized for the exceptional education and experiences it provides to students. The District schools have been honored with the following recognitions and awards:
| Year | School | Award |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Pioneer Middle School | California Distinguished School |
| 2012 | Frontier Elementary School | California Distinguished School |
| 2013 | Pioneer Middle School | Honor Roll School by the Campaign for Business and Educational Excellence |
| 2014 | Pioneer Elementary School | California Distinguished School |
| 2014 | Pioneer Elementary | Honor Roll School by the Campaign for Business and Educational Excellence |
| 2014 | Frontier Elementary School | Honor Roll School by the Campaign for Business and Educational Excellence |
| 2015 | Pioneer Middle School | California Gold Ribbon School with additional award for its exemplary Arts program |
| 2015 | Frontier Elementary School | 2015 California Honor Roll presented by Educational Results Partnership {ERP) and the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence {CBEE). |
| 2015 | Pioneer Elementary School | 2015 California Honor Roll presented by Educational Results Partnership (ERP) and the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence {CBEE). |
| 2016 | Pioneer Elementary School | Award for Character and Civic Education from the Bonner center, Kreman School of Education and Human Development, California State University Fresno. |
| 2016 | Pioneer Elementary School | California Gold Ribbon School |
| 2016 | Frontier Elementary School | California Gold Ribbon School |
| 2016 | Pioneer Elementary School | Title I Academic Achievement Award School |
| 2016 | Frontier Elementary School | Title I Academic Achievement Award School |