Author Archives: Stan Jester

AP Courses/Exams And College Graduation Rates

Posted on March 4, 2016 | 2 comments

Advanced Placement (AP) courses provide high school students with the opportunity to take college-level courses in high school. DeKalb County School District contends:

  1. Students who successfully complete an AP course are more likely to graduate high school and graduate from college.
  2. The district’s purchase of an AP exam for students will provide greater access and equity for students.

The State of Georgia covers the cost for one AP exam for students who are served by Free & Reduced Lunch (F/R Lunch). The administration is asking the DeKalb School Board to pay for an additional exam for students not on F/R Lunch at $83/exam and students that qualify for F/R Lunch who pay $53/Exam.
1,994 F/R Lunch Exams @ 53.00 each = $105,682
2,275 Regular Lunch Exams @ 83.00 each = $188,825
Total = $294,507
.pdf link icon  AP Exam Cost Estimate Sheet
Related Posts
  Mar 6, 2016 – March 7, 2016 – Board approves Purchase of AP Exam for all students
  Mar 6, 2016 – AP Exams – Tax Dollars
Correlation is not Causality
It is more likely that students who voluntarily choose to take AP courses and exams are the types of students that are already better prepared and highly motivated. Success in college perhaps is not attributed to the AP class and exam themselves, but to the personal characteristics that led them to participate in the class to begin with.
AP Exam Scores
AP exams are graded on a five-point scale where a grade of 3 is considered a C. In 2015 only 16% of the students from Title I schools received a C or higher on their AP Exams while 60% of the non Title 1 students earned a C or higher.  56% of the money this year ($166K of the $294K) is ear marked for the non Title I schools.
.pdf link icon  AP 2011 – 2015 Score Summary
Number of Exams Taken and Percent Scoring 3 or Higher

2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015
R TI # Taken % Passed # % # % # % # %
SYSTEM 8,160 31.7% 8,375 35.3% 7,660 38.0% 7,530 39% 7,451 41%
GEORGIA 106,211 52.2% 116,703 53.9% 142,011 55.4% 136,843 65% 142,587 55%
ARABIA MOUNTAIN 4 1128 7.3% 1003 13.0% 553 20.0% 396 29% 311 28%
CEDAR GROVE 5 Y 233 6.4% 217 7.4% 179 4.0% 181 20% 262 12%
CHAMBLEE 1 982 70.1% 1028 69.3% 1006 74.0% 975 72% 1,062 73%
CLARKSTON 3 Y 92 14.1% 173 11.0% 257 8.0% 252 11% 193 10%
COLUMBIA 5 Y 320 5.0% 308 1.9% 251 6.0% 296 6% 152 19%
CROSS KEYS 1 Y 176 29.5% 161 31.1% 164 36.0% 206 26% 241 23%
DeKalb Early College 3 Y 20 40.0% 16 56% 27 41%
DEK SCHOOL OF ARTS 2 196 54.6% 228 47.4% 260 59.0% 266 71% 252 70%
DRUID HILLS 2 423 50.8% 525 51.2% 505 47.0% 521 53% 552 45%
DUNWOODY 1 888 50.8% 991 49.5% 799 58.0% 874 60% 958 67%
ELIZABETH ANDREWS 2 Y 27 3.7% 29 0.0% 27 0.0% 18 0% 16 0%
LAKESIDE 2 1077 49.8% 1170 58.5% 943 66.0% 968 61% 1,154 57%
LITHONIA 4 Y 189 10.1% 175 11.4% 180 8.0% 186 12% 189 11%
M. L. KING 4 Y 230 12.6% 257 12.8% 253 15.0% 194 3% 213 3%
MCNAIR 5 Y 120 0.8% 123 3.3% 108 2.0% 67 2% 75 0%
MILLER GROVE 4 Y 166 12.0% 178 13.5% 213 9.0% 218 7% 118 14%
REDAN 3 Y 194 9.3% 193 8.3% 197 4.0% 127 12% 98 15%
SOUTHWEST DEKALB 4 Y 450 36.2% 415 40.2% 492 57.0% 438 43% 372 33%
STEPHENSON 3 Y 369 17.6% 341 16.1% 288 14.0% 347 12% 341 13%
STONE MOUNTAIN 3 Y 77 29.9% 114 30.7% 108 35.0% 128 35% 122 21%
TOWERS 5 Y 260 2.3% 164 4.3% 135 1.0% 143 3% 161 2%
TUCKER 2 Y 540 16.3% 582 19.4% 702 15.0% 713 17% 581 20%

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Posted in Budget

Central Office Reorg Phase II

Posted on March 3, 2016 | 10 comments

Jim Collins, author of “Good To Great”, says that, “leaders of companies that go from good to great start not with WHERE but with WHO. They start by getting the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats.”
On every data point, prior to Dr. Green, Central Office administration was bloated and there was no improvement in academic achievement.  Dr. Green is bringing on a new team and restructuring the Central Office as he attempts to bring reform and improvement to DeKalb schools.
ReOrganizations To Date
  Phase I – (DEC 2015)
  Phase II – (MAR 2016)
  Phase III – (APR 2016)
Reorganization – Phase II

Jennifer Hackemeyer Jennifer Hackemeyer  –  (.pdf link icon  resume) (Chief Legal Officer, Office of Legal Affairs) – For the last 10 years Ms. Hackemeyer has been the General Counsel for the Georgia Department of Education.
Eileen Houston-Stewart Eileen Houston-Stewart – (.pdf link icon  resume) (Interim Chief Communications and Community Relations Officer, Communications) – Ms. Houston-Stewart has been in Missouri since 2007.  She worked at Kansas City Public Schools from 2010 – 2015 where she met Superintendent Green.
Oliver Lewis Oliver Lewis – (.pdf link icon  Oliver Lewis resume) (Executive Director of Professional Learning, Leadership Development, and STEM Program, Curriculum & Instruction) – Mr. Lewis has been with the DeKalb County School District since 1993 where he started off as a substitute teacher.  He was a Math & Science teacher and in 2005 was promoted to Principal at Hightower ES.  He was most recently the Director of Professional Learning
Manomay Malathip Manomay Malathip –  (.pdf link icon  resume) (Interim Executive Director of Student Advancement, Student Support & Intervention) – Superintendent Green worked with Manomay Malathip at Kauffman Scholars and Kansas City Public Schools.
Laura Stowell Laura Stowell –  (.pdf link icon  resume) (Director, Charters, School Governance, & Flexibility) – Laura Stowell was the Charter Schools Coordinator at Fulton County Schools for superintendent Robert Avossa from 2008 – 2016.
Focused on accurate financial disclosure and academic achievement of charters.

Reorganization – Phase I
Dec 2015 – DeKalb Schools Central Office Reorganization Part I

Leo Brown Leo Brown – .pdf link icon  Dr. Leo Brown (resume) was the Assistant Director of Human Resources for Emory University from 2005 – 2011. He was also the Chief Human Capital Officer for Kansas City Public Schools from 2011 – 2012 where he met Superintendent Green. Dr. Brown will start as DeKalb Schools’ Chief Human Capital Officer in January 2016.
Vasanne Tinsley Vasanne Tinsley – .pdf link icon  Dr. Vasanne Tinsley (resume) started with DeKalb Schools as a School Counselor in 1994. She was most recently the Director of Support Services and is now being promoted to Deputy Superintendent of Student Support & Intervention.

 

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Posted in DeKalb County School District