IMPACT!
Springboard Schools seeks to transform schools throughout California
into vital places to learn and to teach. We work with education leaders in both schools and districts to develop, assess and use the knowledge needed for schools to engage in a systematic and sustainable improvement process. Springboard Schools aims to help create a future in which all students learn to high levels and where race, class, gender, and culture are no longer the strongest predictors of educational outcomes.
One of the most common questions we are asked about our work is a simple one: what is the impact of your work? The answer is not as simple, but the early news looks good. Our work is helping districts and schools to change, is helping to improve teaching and learning, is helping to raise test scores, and is helping to reduce achievement gaps.
How do we know that? As an organization with a strong commitment to continuous improvement, we use data to assess our progress and to identify gaps and learning opportunities, just as we encourage our partners to do. We use standardized test scores as one measure of impact, not because they tell us everything, but because what they tell us is important.
Take a look at the first chart below. It compares the average cumulative API growth of our Year-1, Year-2, and Year-3 partner districts to the cumulative statewide API growth during the same time periods. Springboard Schools’ Year-1 partner districts slightly outpaced the state’s API growth, Year-2 districts had about 1.2 times the state's growth, and Year-3 districts had about 1.7 times the state's growth. Put another way, on average, students in Springboard Schools' Partner Districts are achieving more than their statewide counterparts and the longer our partner districts are with us, the greater average cumulative growth they achieve.
Although this is early data and not a comprehensive and conclusive evaluation study, we are excited by these results, because we would normally expect gains to grow over time as educators embrace new policies and procedures.
California’s Academic Performance Index (API) is a composite of several measures used by the state to assess schools’ performance. It takes into account school, student, and teacher characteristics that are known to affect student achievement. Averages across Springboard Schools' Partner Districts are weighted by student enrollment.
To learn more about our impact in California schools, read our Annual Report, or contact us by clicking here.
