Aurora eyes pilot schools to boost scores

District first in Colorado to adopt Boston model

Erika Gonzalez, Rocky Mountain News

Published November 5, 2007 at midnight

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Aurora is poised to create a new breed of public schools that are smaller, more independent and more accountable than conventional schools.

Supporters say the experiment, which will start next year, is a bold attempt to climb out from some of the lowest test scores and graduation rates in the metro area.

"These will be good laboratories," said Deputy Superintendent Tony Van Gytenbeek.

Aurora is the first district in the state to approve a plan for so-called "pilot schools," modeling its program after one that's proved particularly effective in Boston.

The hope is to have one pilot school in place by next fall and four by 2010.

"This will provide innovation, creativity and choice for both staff and students," said Brenna Isaacs, president of the Aurora Education Association, which developed and approved the pilot school program with Aurora's school board. "If Boston can be as successful as they have been with this, I can't see why Aurora Public Schools can't be successful as well."

Established more than a decade ago, Boston's pilot schools consistently outperform their more traditional counterparts.

A study by the Boston-based Center for Collaborative Education found that 46 percent of Boston pilot school fourth-graders were rated advanced or proficient in English language arts on standardized tests. That compares to 29 percent of fourth- grade students in traditional Boston schools.

In math, 37 percent of the pilot school fourth- graders scored advanced or proficient vs. 21 percent of their peers in the city's other public schools.

Those results, say researchers, are the result of more flexibility. Pilots have much greater control over their staffing, budget, curriculum and scheduling.

Thanks to that freedom, pilots can decide to specialize in the arts or science. Or they may opt against spending money on a sports team and focus that money elsewhere.

Other characteristics of pilot schools include:

• Smaller size: Under Aurora's plan, enrollment in pilot schools would be capped at 500, allowing for more individualized instruction and more manageable class sizes. In Boston, the average class size is 20 in the elementary pilot schools and 19 in the secondary pilot schools.

• Independence: Rather than operating strictly on district rules and regulations, Aurora's pilot schools would have a governing board that would make decisions about scheduling, length of school day and year, and the amount of professional development required for teachers.

• Increased accountability: In exchange for autonomy, Aurora will expect better results from its pilot schools. Every three years, the pilot schools will be reviewed to determine whether they're exceeding district averages in such benchmarks as attendance, reduction in mobility, discipline concerns and graduation rates. A joint steering committee (made up of the superintendent and union leaders) will oversee how schools perform.

• Staffing freedom: Teachers and other staff members will craft and approve annual agreements about working conditions in pilot schools. Those (including the principal) who don't prove to be the right fit could be required to transfer. Assignment at the schools would be on a year-to- year basis.

"It's a very gutsy move on the association's part and on the part of our school board because everyone gives up long-held traditional powers in an effort to make our institutions more competitive," Van Gytenbeek said.

Both Isaacs and Van Gytenbeek acknowledge that pilot schools share many similarities with charter schools - which are providing plenty of competition in Aurora. Two new charters opened this year, bringing the total in the district to five.

"I think we're taking the best of what we bring from public schools and some of the structure that seems to provide an opportunity for charters to perform well, like the small size and autonomy," said Isaacs.

Van Gytenbeek said he's had discussions with one of the area's more successful charter schools about becoming a pilot school within the district.

Aurora's first pilots will likely be existing schools that convert to a pilot structure because there are no immediate plans to build new facilities. Some schools might also choose to convert only part of the institution into a pilot.

In either case, the school would need the support of the majority of their licensed staff and approval of the school board in order to convert.

Isaacs didn't have estimates on what it might cost to establish a pilot school but noted that the schools wouldn't get any additional funding to get started. The pilots, however, could seek outside funding from foundations and other organizations.

"One of the things we need to be cognizant of is that the funding in Boston is about double what it is in Colorado," said Isaacs. "That will make this a challenge because we don't have as much in the way of resources to support students."

Access also will be key. A recent Boston Globe article questioned the results the city's pilots produce, suggesting that strict admissions requirements lead to the selection of top-performing students.

Because of that article, Aurora officials will require the district's pilot schools to reflect the demographics of the neighborhoods they serve. The schools also will be prohibited from screening students based on prior achievement.

"I'm pretty confident that we'll be able to see pretty significant instructional gains with the kids we want to serve without being exclusionary," said Van Gytenbeek.

Of course, students whose schools convert to pilots aren't obligated to stay, but Van Gytenbeek is optimistic that many students and parents will embrace a new option.

Said Van Gytenbeek: "I hope the pilot schools are so popular that they are filled to the program's capacity."

Aurora Public Schools at a glance

• Enrollment (as of Oct. 1, 2006): 32,495

• Graduation rate: 61.8 percent

2006 CSAP information

• Third-graders rated proficient or advanced in reading: 46 percent

Statewide rate: 70 percent

• Third-graders rated proficient or advanced in math: 51 percent

Statewide rate: 71 percent

• Sixth-graders rated proficient or advanced in reading: 45 percent

Statewide rate: 69 percent

• Sixth-graders rated proficient or advanced in math: 36 percent