I.

Initial Data Collection – Source: WASC 2016 Self Study Report

Reading Reading Reading

2013 2014 2015
Grade
Male Female Male Female Male Female
Level
Grade Two 64% 53% 67% 68%
Grade
63% 57% 53% 56%
Three
Grade Four 69% 61% 69% 69%
Grade Five 66% 76% 71% 76% 68% 63%

Grade Six 56% 50% 60% 61% 56% 59%

Grade
54% 52% 61% 48% 67% 54%
Seven

Math Math Math

2013 2014 2015
Grade
Male Female Male Female Male Female
Level
Grade Two 82% 67% 84% 63%
Grade
67% 65% 69% 69%
Three
Grade Four 71% 68% 64% 77%
Grade Five 70% 72% 73% 70% 72% 67%
Grade Six 61% 64% 63% 72% 62% 70%
Grade
72% 57% 80% 57% 69% 70%
Seven

Figure 1 SAT10 Testing Percentile Results: Reading and Math

Data Graphed by Student Groups - Reading

Male Percentiles as Cohorts Male Percentiles by Grade

80% Level
60% 80%
40% 60%
40%
20% 20%
0% 0%
class of class of class of class of class of class of Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Reading 2013 Reading 2014 Reading 2015 Reading 2013 Reading 2014 Reading 2015

Figure 2 Male percentiles grouped as cohorts Figure 3 Male percentiles grouped by grade level

Female Percentiles as Cohorts Female Percentiles by Grade

80% Level
60% 80%
60%
40%
40%
20% 20%
0% 0%
class of class of class of class of class of class of Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Reading 2013 Reading 2014 Reading 2015 Reading 2013 Reading 2014 Reading 2015

Figure 4 Female percentiles grouped as cohorts Figure 5 Female percentiles grouped by grade level
Data Graphed by Student Groups - Math

Male Percentiles as Cohorts Male Percentiles by Grade

100% Level
80%
100%
60%
40% 50%
20%
0% 0%
class of class of class of class of class of class of Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Math 2013 Math 2014 Math 2015 Math 2013 Math 2014 Math 2015

Figure 6 Male percentiles grouped as cohorts Figure 7Male percentiles grouped by grade level

Female Percentiles as Cohorts Female Percentiles by Grade

100% Level
80% 100%
60%
40% 50%
20%
0% 0%
class of class of class of class of class of class of Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Two Three Four Five Six Seven

Math 2013 Math 2014 Math 2015 Math 2013 Math 2014 Math 2015

Figure 8 Female percentiles grouped as cohorts Figure 9 Female percentiles grouped by grade level
II. Extended Data Collection

Data Sources Qualitative Notes

Mr. Mann, Principal, Interview Things to keep in mind:

In both the girl’s and boy’s departments, the curriculum
from 1st-4th is OCR. 5th grade curriculum is based on
Mosdos Press. When students transition from 5th to 6th
grade it is a difficult adjustment going from a self-
contained classroom to departmentalized classes.

The daily schedule changes in the boy’s department in the

4th grade. During 3rd and 5th grade, the boy’s departments
add an entirely new subject to the Judaic Studies
program.

Regular ebb and flows of teacher retention.

Wendy Meisels, 5th grade We discussed changes in the 5th grade staff during these
teacher, girl’s department years to find a reason for the decline in scores during the
2015 testing.

Parents I asked parents of students in the boy’s department on

difficulties and changes their sons have due to the change
in Judaic Curriculums during the 3rd and 5th grades.
Additionally, I asked how the change in schedule during
the 4th grade affects their sons.
III. Data Summary
1. Describe the specific quantitative data indicators that you included in Section I of the
Data Collection and Summary template. How are these data indicators relevant to
understanding equity issues at the school?

The specific quantitative data indicators that I included in Section I of the Data Collection
and Summary template are the percentile results in reading and math on the SAT10 testing
from 2013-2015 which were published in the WASC 2016 Self Study report at Yeshiva Rav
Isacsohn – Toras Emes Academy. Due to the unique conditions of this private school filling out
the CalAPA form was difficult. The school does not desegregate students by ethnicity,
disabilities or economic status. They only desegregate by gender. Therefore, based on the
general data I have regrouped the information to view the female and male groupings
separately. Additionally, I regrouped the data to analyze cohorts of students. Creating these
additional charts have made the analyzation of the data easier to understand.

Yeshiva Rav Isacsohn – Toras Emes Academy (YRI-TEA) is the investigated school. YRI-
TEA is an Orthodox Jewish day school in Los Angeles. It has a student population of 833
children, 446 females and 387 males. On average each grade has 45 students within each of
the boy’s and girl’s departments. Usually, these students are divided into two classes within
each department. Additionally, grade levels which have an unusually large student body, such
as 59 students, are divided into three classes. Gender is the only form of desegregation used by
the school in academics. However, they do keep in mind the demographics of those students of
Ashkenazic and Sephardic descent. These are two distinct subcultures within Judaism. YRI-
TEA is comprised of 65% Ashkenazic Jews and 35% Sephardic Jews. This desegregation is
used when deciding how to teach Jewish law or understand the home culture or attitudes
towards education. The administration does use economic status, disabilities, and cultural
differences to identify students only when discussing specific cases and how valuable that
information plays a role in the student’s success or difficulties.

2. What student learning and/or well-being focal area have you identified for further
investigation? What equity-related patterns and/or trends did you identify for this
focal area in the quantitative data that you collected and analyzed?

When looking at the general data it seems like the differences in the boy’s and girl’s
departments differ slightly depending on the school year and grade. Therefore, it was important
to look at the data within each department desegregated by cohorts and grade level.
When looking at the reading results for both male and female students there seems to be a
steady increase or maintaining of the scores for most cohorts. However, when looking at the
class of 2017, their scores decline drastically from grade 5 to grade 6. Class of 2016 is unique
because we have three years of data which shows a dip in from 5th to 6th grade in the male
students and a constant decline for the female students in the reading achievements. When
looking at the data by grade level there are significate declining scores in the boy’s 3rd grade
and in the girl’s 5th grade.
When looking at the math results for in the male cohorts there seems to be a lot of
differences. When moving from 2nd to 3rd grades, 3rd to 4th grades, and 5th to 6th grades, there is
a significant decline in scores. On the other hand, there is a significant increase in scores from
the 6th to 7th grade. When looking at the female cohorts there seems to be a steady increase or
maintaining of the scores for most cohorts. However, there is a significant increase in the class
of 2019 and there is a significant decrease in scores for the class of 2015. Again, the
uniqueness of class of 2016 shows the same dip in grades in the male population but an
increase in the female population. When looking at the data by grade level there are significate
declining scores in the boy’s 4th and 7th grades and a steady minimal decline in the girl’s 5th
grade.

3. Identify the three qualitative or other data sources that you included in Section II of
the Data Collection and Summary template. How did these sources provide more
information about the focal area?

The three qualitative sources I included in Section II of the Data Collection and Summary
were interviews with Mr. George Mann, Mrs. Wendy Meisels and parents. The following is the
information they provided towards the investigation.

Mr. George Mann is one of the principals at YRI-TEA. We discussed what he attributes as
the causes for changes in the findings. He reminded me to always keep in mind the different
curriculums and the changes which occur during different school years. For example, in both the
girl’s and boy’s departments, the curriculum in 1st-4th grades is OCR, the 5th grade curriculum is
Mosdos Press, and grades 6th -8th are either textbook oriented or teach created curriculums. He
also stated the schedule change in the boy’s department at the start of the 4th grade. Beginning
in the 4th grade the Judaic studies extends itself by an hour, so school ends an hour and fifteen
minutes later to accommodate this change. In the 7th grade, the day begins an hour and fifteen
minutes earlier to accommodate prayer and breakfast. Another change which occurs in the
boy’s department is the addition of entirely new subjects to the Judaic Studies program. These
additions begin in the 3rd and 5th grade school year.
Mr. Mann gave two other general points to incorporate during my investigation. The first is
the transition students make from 5th to 6th from a self-contained classroom to departmentalized
classes. This change is difficult on the students’ adjustment to their studies. The second is the
usual ebb and flow in teacher retention and employment. There are years at YRI-TEA when
only five staff members leave and there are years where over twenty leave and replacements
are needed.
Mrs. Wendy Meisels is a 5th grade teacher. She has been involved with the 5th grade for the
past 4 years and was mentored by teachers who taught in the 5th grade since 2013. From 2013-
2018 there were three years when there were only 2 parallel class in the girl’s department and
three years when there were 3 parallel classes. This means there is usually at least one new
teacher, sometimes two, teaching the curriculum for the first time. Additionally, she finds the
students in the 5th grade girl’s department go through social and emotional changes which affect
their academic abilities.
After speaking with multiple parents of 3rd and 5th grade male students I was given a lot of
issues to think about when analyzing data. Firstly, although the added subjects in the Judaic
Studies curriculum is a remarkable milestone in their sons’ lives, not every student can
accommodate this addition. Some students find the new subject difficult to comprehend. This
causes them to focus on mastering the necessary skills which take away time from focusing on
their general studies. Additionally, when the school schedule changes, their sons have
difficulties with the length of the day and time needed to focus on their studies. Additionally,
since the general studies classes occur in the afternoon their attention span wanes.

4. What patterns and/or trends related to the equity issues did you find in the qualitative
data? How do they relate to the quantitative data patterns and/or trends?

Analyzing the quantitative data alone does not appear to show any significant trends in
either growth or decline of academic achievements. However, adding the qualitative data to help
understand the climate and culture of the school can give reason to even the slightest changes
in scoring.

The reading and math scores for the class of 2017 show a decline which is probably due to
the departmentalization of their classes. At the start of the 6th grade, most students seem lost
and spend most of the first quarter finding their supplies and classrooms. This has a great effect
on their academic achievements. Moreover, the class of 2016 also shows this dip in scores from
5th to 6th grade.

The changes in the male math scores from 2nd to 3rd grade is probably due to the additional
subject added to the Judaic Studies curriculum, and the change from 3rd to 4th grade is probably
due to the longer school day.

The 5th grade female students decline in reading and math achievement from 2014 to 2015.
Based on the interviews this is probably due to the turnover of teachers which occurred that
year. There were two new teachers and one teacher who had taught the curriculum for only one
previous year. Additionally, the new reading curriculum might be a factor although the reading
scores only differ significantly in the female population even though both populations are using
the same curriculum.

There are over 50 different teachers with different experience levels and teaching methods
which can also be a contributing fact to the growth and decline in reading and math
achievements. In addition, every year there the turnover of teachers in each department
probably contribute to these changes.

The following changes in data do not seem to be explained by any information know at this
point and would require further investigation:
 Male class 2015 increase in math scores during the 7th grade
 Female class of 2016 decline in reading during the 7th grade
 Female class of 2015 decline in math during the 7th grade
 Female class of 2019 increase in math during the 4th grade
 the decline in 3rd grade reading scores from 2014 to 2015