50 Delaware schools on improvement plans to reverse poor performance

The State has updated its list of schools on improvement plans this cycle

In Delaware, 50 of the First State’s 200+ schools are on state-monitored improvement plans due to consistent underachievement.

There are four categories of improvement plans depending on the number of years of poor performance, student demographics, and more.

“I appreciate the intent of the report, but many of the struggles in our schools come from misguided policy at the legislative level, and getting back to a basic approach that includes accountability from both students and parents will have an immediate impact on improving school performance,” said Sen. Eric Buckson, R-Dover and member of the Senate Education Committee.

He says the state owes it to the educators to be honest with what it means to teach in today’s classroom and how those dynamics create challenges with performance outside of their control.

Efforts to reach Governor-Elect Matt Meyer, Colonial School District, Christina School District, Red Clay Consolidated School District and other education officials were unsuccessful in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

This cycle of schools on improvement plans was updated Friday, and districts/charters received letters about their designations earlier last week.

Criteria to exit

The support and improvement plans focus on helping schools sustain positive student achievement.

For CSI schools to exit their status, they must demonstrate improvement in student performance relative to grade-level standards and not show regression in academic performance since their original identification year.

For TSI schools to exit, they must demonstrate improvement in subgroup performance relative to grade-level standards.

TSI schools can present additional evidence of improved performance in the form of a portfolio including Multi Tiered System of Supports data, educator retention data, as well as Opportunity to Learn data such as access to high-quality instructional materials, access to technology, and access to high-speed internet.

“The needs assessment and school improvement planning provide schools a process to engage their staff and communities to prioritize what areas of focus are most important for their students and develop strategies and investments to support them,” said Mark Holodick, Delaware Secretary of Education.

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to school improvement plans, he said.

“Each community’s needs are different, and these plans – and the dollars that come with them to support the work – allow our schools to focus on what matters most for their students,” he said.

Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI)

CSI schools either score in the lowest 5% of all Title I schools’ performance as measured by the statewide accountability system.

Title I schools have at least 40% of students living below the poverty line.

There are 147 Title I schools in Delaware, according to the Delaware Department of Education’s most recent data.

Another way to be added to this category is if the school’s graduation rate is below 67%.

CSI schools are identified every three years, and there are 11 CSI schools, one more than the previous cycle. All but two moved up from TS-1 status last cycle

CSI Schools (11)

P.S. DuPont Middle School – Brandywine (TSI-1 last cycle)
Middle School of Excellence – Capital
Middle School of Excellence – Capital
William Henry Middle School – Capital (TSI-1 last cycle)
Gunning Bedford Middle School – Colonial (TSI-1 last cycle)
Southern Elementary School – Colonial (TSI-1 last cycle)
Great Oaks Charter High School (TSI-1 last cycle)
Millsboro Middle School – Indian River (TSI-1 last cycle)
Milford Central Academy Middle School – Milford (TSI-1 last cycle)
Skyline Middle School – Red Clay (TSI-1 last cycle)
Woodbridge Middle School – Woodbridge (TSI-1 last cycle)

*Bold font indicates a newly added school to the category

Comprehensive Support and Improvement – Reidentified (CSI-R)

CSI-R schools are re-identified for comprehensive support and improvement if they have not exited the initial CSI status within the specified period, usually three years.

These schools receive additional support and interventions to help improve their performance and meet educational standards.

No schools in Delaware were CSI-R last cycle, but there are six this cycle.

CSI-R Schools (6)

The Bayard School – Christina
Maurice Pritchett Sr. Academy (The Bancroft School) – Christina
McCullough Middle School – Colonial
A.I. DuPont Middle School – Red Clay
Shortlidge Elementary School – Red Clay
Stanton Middle School – Red Clay

Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI-1)

TSI-1 schools have at least one subgroup of students underperforming for two consecutive years.

Subgroups include students with disabilities, English language learners or students experiencing homelessness.

TSI-1 schools are also identified every three years, and those that do not improve after three years are identified as needing comprehensive support and improvement, making it a CSI school.

33 schools are TSI-1, seven less than last cycle.

TSI-1 Schools (33)

Redding Middle School – Appoquinimink
Springer Middle School – Brandywine
Talley Middle School – Brandywine
Fifer Middle School – Caesar Rodney
Postlethwait Middle School – Caesar Rodney
Mariner Middle School – Cape Henlopen
Booker T. Washington Elementary School – Capital
East Dover Elementary School – Capital
South Dover Elementary School – Capital (TSI-2 last cycle)
Charter School of New Castle
Gauger-Cobbs Middle School – Christina
Kirk Middle School – Christina
Newark High School – Christina (CSI last cycle)
Shue-Medill Middle School – Christina
Castle Hills Elementary School – Colonial
George Read Middle School – Colonial
Delmar Middle School – Delmar (TSI-2 last cycle)
Early College High School
East Side Charter (CSI last cycle)
Freire Charter High School
Georgetown Middle School – Indian River
Selbyville Middle School – Indian River
Kuumba Charter
Chipman Middle School – Lake Forest
Las Americas ASPIRA Charter
Milford High School – Milford
Mispillion Elementary School – Milford
St. George Tech High School – New Castle County Vo-Tech
John Dickinson Middle/High School – Red Clay
Johnson Elementary School – Red Clay
Cab Calloway High School – Red Clay
Seaford Middle School – Seaford (TSI-2 last cycle)
Sussex Montessori Charter Elementary School

Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI-2)

TSI-2 schools are identified if they have at least one subgroup of students underperforming.

There are no TSI-2 schools this cycle – there were three TSI-2 schools previously.

Creating the plan

A group from the Department of Education works directly with school and district leaders to create the support and improvement plans.

This comes after a needs assessment is conducted, which helps determine where finances should be allocated.

For example, the needs assessment could find that a school needs to hire reading or math specialists, reconfigure their transportation methods to make sure students are getting to school on time in a way that doesn’t burden parents, creating disciplinary plans and more.

The specialists spend a lot of time analyzing data and working with individual teachers to see what’s working and what’s not, and how to tweak instruction as the plan progresses from year to year.

The plans also look at aspects such as school climate, suspensions and chronic absenteeism, which is when a student misses 10% or more school days in a year.

Part of the plan is making sure any programs put into place are sustainable, since the additional funding will run out once a school has exited.

Schools find ways to utilize local funds to keep the positions, or sometimes they’ve built up enough infrastructure that those specialist positions can be eliminated once the school reaches sustained student achievement.

Tanya Hettler, director of the Center for Education Policy at the Caesar Rodney Institute, said it would be helpful to know what kind of improvement plans the DOE is recommending and how they are being implemented.

“I also wonder whether part of the problem is that these schools might not have fully implemented a science of reading curriculum because it is not officially required until the 2027-28 school year,” she said.

The science of reading is defined as cognitive brain research that shows how students learn to read, and legislation has required Delaware schools to adopt its reading curriculum to align with it.

It has six essential components: phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, text comprehension and oral language.

“Speeding up the training of teachers on how to teach explicit phonics would likely improve the outcomes for these schools and specifically for the TSI schools in which a subgroup of students is performing near the bottom of the state,” Hettler said. “The implementation of the science of reading is especially crucial in teaching early literacy to students with special needs and fewer resources.”

The foundation of excellence is rooted in an academically rigorous curriculum, supportive instruction, and high expectations for each learner, said Trish Gerken, public information officer at Milford School District.

“As a data-driven district, we continuously identify areas for growth and implement action plans aligned with our strategic plan to address these needs,” she said.

To better support student outcomes, she said Milford has implemented data protocols during Professional Learning Communities, where teachers collaborate weekly to analyze data and advance student learning.

These efforts are supported by trained reading specialists, and additional personnel have been added to intensify supports for PLCs.

“Reading specialists have transitioned to a coaching model, providing targeted support for both English Language Arts (ELA) and math,” she said. “To further enhance literacy, we have hired paraprofessionals at each elementary school to deliver small group interventions.”

Master schedules across the district have been adjusted to allow for more focused instructional time, she said.

Additionally, she said partnerships with the University of Delaware are helping us identify areas of growth in literacy and math across grades K-12.

“Parents and community members can support our efforts by ensuring regular attendance, which is critical to achievement, fostering academic growth through activities like daily reading at home, and encouraging a growth mindset and a love of learning,” she said.

Schools that exited

The 18 schools no longer on improvement plans that were last cycle are:

Edison Charter
Harlan Elementary – Brandywine
Carrie Elementary – Colonial
Central Middle – Capital
H.B. duPont Middle – Red Clay
Fairview Elementary – Capital
Highlands Elementary – Red Clay
Jennie E. Smith Elementary – Christina
John Bassett Moore School – Smyrna
Lake Forest High – Lake Forest
Laurel Middle – Laurel
May B. Leasure Elementary – Christina
Magnolia Middle – Caesar Rodney
Maple Lane Elementary – Brandywine
Nellie Hughes Stokes Elementary – Caesar Rodney
New Castle Elementary – Colonial
Towne Point Elementary – Capital
Warner Elementary – Red Clay