Noun

education: the conditions under which each and every child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential.

In 2020, the Board adopted Policy BAAE - Educational Equity that charged district administration to “design or redesign systemic programs and initiatives to address and reduce educational inequity, providing students and staff with targeted supports and enrichment that increase opportunities to succeed.” Moreover, the Board defined Educational Equity in GCPS as follows:

Providing access to ensure that all students have the knowledge and skills to succeed as contributing members of a global society, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, English proficiency, faith, socioeconomic status, or disability.

To build the practice of equity in GCPS, we will set and measure the goals that follow.

Implement a comprehensive framework to fully operationalize a multi-tiered system of supports to address academic and non-academic student needs and remove barriers to success.

Multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) is a framework that integrates data and instruction within a multi-level prevention system to maximize student achievement and support students’ social, emotional, and behavioral needs from a strengths-based perspective. (Center on MTSS, 2020, www.MTSS4success.org)

Objectives

• Identify academic and non-academic strengths, needs, and interests of each and every student to ensure whole learner, whole child focus.
• Build capacity to support and fully integrate non-academic tier 1 structures and processes such as school-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), SEL curriculum/competencies, attendance campaigns, school counseling programs, etc.
• Increase strategic alignment, accessibility, and impact of integrated student supports for students identified for tiered interventions, including, but not limited to, afterschool enrichment programming, full-service community school models, mentoring programs, family resources/supports, behavior specialists, social workers, counselors, psychologists, clinic workers, etc.
  • Cultivate trauma-informed practices as foundational to the work of student
  • Identify and secure additional community partnerships and external service providers to supplement district resources and expertise.
• Formalize the academic response to intervention (RTI) process to reduce variability and improve the fidelity of implementation across all schools and grade bands, which includes:
  • Universal screening of all children in the general education classroom and identification of students qualified for QBE-funded early intervention program (K–5) and a remedial education program (6-12).
• Evidence-based interventions at increasing levels of intensity corresponding with greater student needs based on identified tier.
• High-quality tier 1 instruction for all students that includes targeted small groups, grade-level curriculum, ongoing formative assessments, and progress monitoring.
• Develop targeted universalism strategies and supports for English language learners and students with
  • Embed supports for English language learners and students with disabilities into grade-level instructional materials with appropriate scaffolding.
  • Increase capacity building for effective co-teaching practices and universal design strategies such as sheltered instruction observation protocols (SIOP).

Expand student opportunities to engage in and access high-quality, rigorous, and culturally relevant curriculum, advanced coursework (e.g., Advanced Placement and dual enrollment), and enrichment activities (e.g., the arts, gifted, STEM, career technical education).

Objectives

• Improve kindergarten readiness through expanding access to early learning experiences from birth to five through district programming and effective community partnerships.
• Increase opportunities to learn through consistently implementing a high-quality curriculum that reflects grade level expectations, focusing on early literacy and the science of reading, and identifying subjects and grades to target for improvement through third-party curriculum audits.
• Increase opportunities and pathways for all students to demonstrate eligibility for gifted/talented.
• Diversify the portfolio of advanced courses offered at every school across the district and evaluate placement criteria/procedures to remove barriers to access.
• Evaluate career and technical education courses of study and availability within clusters to ensure equitable access across all parts of the county; expand transportation options for students to attend choice programs and magnets. 
• Reduce disruptions to learning resulting from exclusionary discipline actions (in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, and alternative placements) by implementing evidence-based strategies (e.g., restorative practices and PBIS) and reimagining the GIVE Center model.
• Upgrade technology access through district-provided student devices (1:1 transformation) and strategies to achieve universal internet access for families.
• Audit extra-curricular activities (i.e., clubs and sports) available at all schools, identify needs and gaps that align with student interests and goals, and implement a plan to address findings.

Overhaul resource allocation systems and processes to ensure that each school’s instructional, social emotional, and behavior supports match the unique student and community needs.

Objectives

• Redesign the school allotment process to consider categorical designations that address student needs and directly consider the impact of poverty in allotment ratios and formulas.
  • Develop a long-term strategy for reducing class sizes in alignment with research that suggests the greatest impact of smaller classes for students in the early grades and those performing below grade level.
• Refine Title I funding allocation to reflect the federal guidelines around supplement, not supplant and define district service eligibility thresholds to ensure that schools that serve students with the highest needs get the necessary resources for student success.
• Improve English learner resources and supports to accelerate language
• Determine exceptional education resources required to offer a full continuum of services at the zoned school and execute a plan to acquire and assign resources accordingly.
• Ensure access to effective instruction for students furthest from opportunity through differentiated and strategic compensation, as well as additional capacity building (i.e., coaching supports and mentors) at hard-to-staff schools and in hard-to-staff subjects.