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Richards Career Academy

Ellen Kennedy, Principal

State of the

School Address�November 24, 2020

SY20-21

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Core

Commitments

Academic Progress

A high-quality education develops in young people not only strong academic skills, but a love of learning and the ability to work with others, take initiative, solve problems creatively, live healthy lives, and become active citizens in their communities. We will design instruction and learning environments that provide for individual needs and help prepare all of our students for a successful adulthood.

Financial Stability

Fulfilling our promise to provide a high-quality education requires that we remain on sound financial footing and serve as good stewards of public and philanthropic funds. We must also advocate with the wider Chicago community for fair school funding from the state so all of Chicago’s children receive the educational resources they need and deserve.

Integrity

We respect our students and families, and the diverse communities in which they live, and honor them as partners in our shared mission. We will earn their trust by communicating openly and acting on community feedback.

We fulfill our vision through these Commitments:

Speaker Notes (Optional)

This vision builds on our commitments of academic progress, financial stability, and integrity.
The most important aspect of our new Five-Year Vision is a renewed focus on equity. In our district, equity is a driver, not an add-on.
While many of you have started to implement strategies to improve equitable outcomes, we now must address opportunity gaps head on.
If we do not change our practice, the historic gains that our students have achieved will stall and our district’s progress will plateau.
We must create a system where every child, regardless of race, gender, background, zip code, immigration status, or country of origin, has a fair chance to thrive.
This can only happen when those who need the most from us receive it

[HIGHLIGHT your school’s current and future commitments to equity]

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Core

Values

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Equality & Equity

Speaker Notes (Optional)

What does equity look like for CPS? When we see equality (in the image on top), everyone is getting the same tool – generalized practices that do not meet the targeted needs of our student groups

In the bottom image, equity, students get what they need from the particular school and they can move forward – this is how we approach equity in CPS.

If we drill down on equity, we will ultimately achieve stronger student experience and academic outcomes. Each of us has a shared responsibility to address the needs of every learner in our schools. Our students have to have access to excellent experiences to prepare them for success when they graduate from Chicago Public Schools.

The goal is to support students in moving forward, The bicycle is the tool for moving forward

Why is it important to distinguish between equality and equity? If everyone receives equal resources will the supports for all students respond to their need? What does that look like in your work?

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English version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1anMrR8zNPL5trAXRtHQKnlIlXtPcT2bl/view?usp=sharing

Spanish version: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z7pOpfSNfdOJAHQpJsUyDWoF3jhvHXX0/view?usp=sharing

Notes:

CPS Equity Framework p. 14 Equity in CPS

EQUITY MEANS CPS defines equity as championing the individual cultures, identities, talents, abilities, anguages, and interests of each student by ensuring they receive the necessary opportunities and resources to meet their unique needs and aspirations. In an equitable educational system, every student has access to the resources, opportunities, and educational rigor they need at the right moment in their education, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, learning path, accessibility needs, family background, family income, citizenship, or tribal status.

Promoting just and fair inclusion, and creating the conditions in which everyone can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential;

Ensuring that every child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential;

Examining biases, interrupting inequitable practices, and ensuring inclusive school environments for all;

Discovering & cultivating the unique gifts, talents & interests that every human possesses; and

Removing the predictability of success and failure that currently correlates with race, class, gender, gender identity, or any other social or cultural factor.

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Five-Year Goals

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position RCA as a thriving, viable, and sought after neighborhood high school

posición RCA es la secundaria del vecindario como un próspero viable

create a community of shared leadership in order to collectively set the course and path for advancing RCA

Crear una comunidad de liderazgo compartido colectivamente a fin de fijar el rumbo y el camino para avanzar en el RCA

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SY21 SQRP Status

Our school the 2019-2020 school year with a School Quality Rating of Level 2

Due to COVID, all schools are rated as “Inability to rate” this year

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We will continue to focus on what’s important

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Key Metrics

*Note: Unadjusted Attendance - The 2019-2020 academic year was comprised of 25 weeks instead of the normal 39 weeks, rendering both Year-Over-Year attendance rate comparisons and comparisons to Vision Goals less meaningful. Unadjusted attendance

should not be used in like-for-like comparisons to attendance Vision Goals, but should only be used as a reference point.

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Key Metrics

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Freshmen On Track (FOT)

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College Readiness

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Cohort Grad Rates

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Cohort Grad Rates

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College Enrollment

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What’s Next?�Qué es lo seguinte?

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SY21 Remote Learning Attendance

	Week 5 used as baseline for goal setting	Remote Learning Goal �	End of Q1	Current 11-17-20
Grade 9	66%	75%	68%	71%
Grade 10	69%	75%	70%	71%
Grade 11	64%	75%	62%	62%
Grade 12	72%	80%	74%	75%
All	67%	75%	68%	69%

Note: In data for Week 5 and End of Q1 not all At-Promise students were correctly nestled into their assigned grade level team. For Current data, At-Promise students are nestled correctly according to assigned grade level team.

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SY21 % of Students with GPA 3.0+ / �SY21 % de Estudiantes con GPA 3.0+

	Week 5 baseline	Goal	End of Q1
Grade 9	33%	40% (realistic) 50%�(ambitious)	28%
Grade 10	43%		37%
Grade 11	24%		19%
Grade 12	30%		30%

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Freshmen On Track (FOT)

School Year	Goal	Actual
2018-2019	95%	94.3%
2019-2020	90%	81%� internal calculation,�not official
2020-2021	92%	71% �current as of end of Q1

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SY20 Early College & Career Credentials

SY21 Goals:

expand portfolio of Early College & Career Credentials
increase % of students earning at least 1 credential

Focusing on HS and Post-Secondary Success

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2020-2022 CIWP Priorities…

Curriculum�plan de estudio	Supportive & Equitable Approaches To Discipline Enfoques de la disciplina restaurativa�
Instruction�instrucción	Family & Community Engagement Las asociaciones de padres
Assessment�Evaluación equilibrada & Clasificación	link to CIWP strategies here

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Introduction

We are the Change Makers aka the Student Voice Committee.

Student members focus on creating change, being the voice of the school, and expressing ways in which school and community issues can be addressed in a positive way.

We are all working in different groups to help our school in one way or another.

Every week we document 2 videos for a DocuSeries we are working on, which you will be seeing soon!

Activists Groups within the Change Makers include:

LatinX

Staff Support: Ms. Valdivia & Ms. Rendon

Black Lives Matter

Staff Support: Hoping to be Mr. Williams?

Mental Health Support & Awareness

Staff Support: Mrs. Nettles

Get out & Vote

Staff support: Mr. Luis & Ms. Jennings

Mutual Aid Community Group

Staff support: Mr. Luis

Restorative Practices/PBIS points & the Swag Shop

Staff support: Mr. Ramirez

Teacher Professional Development

Staff support: Ms. Jennings & Principal Kennedy

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What have we been focused on so far in SY21?

Quarter 1

Find our way with Remote Learning�
establish learning partnerships with students in a Remote Learning setting

Quarter 2

What’s happening for students as a result of our efforts to find our way with Remote Learning? �
continuing our journey with Leading for Equity, culturally responsive and anti-racist teaching

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Parent Advisory Council (PAC)

Meetings scheduled for 1pm

December 3

January 7

February 4

March 4

April 1

May 6

June 3

Bilingual Advisory Council (BAC)

Diciembre 8: 5-6PM

Febrero 23: 5-6PM

Mayo 4: 5-6PM

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We need you!

Contacto: Mirella Valdivia, mvaldivia11@cps.edu, (312)-931-7018

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THANK YOU!

Questions? email emkennedy@cps.edu or call 773-535-4945

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ADDITIONAL OPTIONAL SLIDES

APPENDIX

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Targeted Universalism

Historical

Equity

Speakers Notes (Optional)

Students in our system are all situated differently. Historically, we have employed a strategy that we hope works for all student groups (providing them with the same tool/support/bicycle). We are shifting practice to address specific needs/supports of/for specific student groups. Universal high, ambitious targets reflect high expectations of all of us paired with the right supports at the right moment.

We have universal goals across student group and differentiated strategy, inclusive of all student groups, to support students in achieving those goals.

Adults have to use different strategies to elevate different students within their school. By beginning with high expectations of all students and providing differentiated supports and strategies we are able to support all students in achieving academic and socioemotional goals.

This concept also informed our vision goals

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Equity Lens:

Engage in conversations that create fairness, liberation no matter background.

Equity Lens:

Prioritize resources based on greatest needs of schools and student groups in schools.

Equity Lens:

Inclusive of least served and underrepresented group(s).

Equity Lens:

Eliminate barriers that inhibit access and opportunity.

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Equity in Design

In an equitable educational system, every student has access to the resources, opportunities, and educational rigor they need at the right moment in their education, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, learning path, accessibility needs, family background, family income, citizenship, or tribal status.