EQUITABLE

ENVIRONMENT &
EQUITABLE PRACTICES
October 24, 2022
MISSION AND VISION STATEMENTS

We foster a community in which students become

effective problem solvers, collaborators, critical thinkers and
communicators.

Our students will grow into confident, adaptable,

compassionate individuals who will become lifelong
learners and contributors to a global society.
 PORTRAIT OF AN EAST PENN GRADUATE
A GRADUATE

SKILLS: ATTRIBUTES:
WHAT SHOULD THEY BE ABLE TO DO? WHAT SHOULD THEY BE?

Inclusive Persistent

Self-aware Introspective
Flexible & Effective Innovative Engaged
Creative Communicator Creators Citizen
Thinkers
Confident Curious

Adaptable Globally Aware

Collaborators Calculated Critical Conscientious
Risk Takers Thinkers Researchers Reflective Resilient

Caring & Physically & Mentally

Compassionate Healthy
Self-Directed Problem
Learners Solvers
in education means that opportunities
are differentiated to ensure ALL
students have access to the resources,
programs, and experiences that they
need.

This differs from EQUALITY in education,

which implies that all students are
offered the same opportunities
regardless of their individual needs.
In East Penn, we use four frames to develop equitable environments:
SOCIO-ECONOMIC
We remove barriers to
educational opportunities
that exist due to students’
economic status by
ensuring they have
advocates on a personal
and systems level.
SOCIETAL CULTURAL PROGRAMMATIC
SOCIETAL
We remove barriers to We remove barriers to We remove barriers to
educational opportunities educational opportunities educational opportunities
that exist due to students’
that exist due to that exist due to
cultural backgrounds by
disadvantages caused by organizational structures or
incorporating the histories,
pre-existing prejudice in practices by ensuring
texts, values, beliefs, and
society, based on both perspectives of people concerted efforts are made
conscious and unconscious from different cultural to provide access for
bias, related to students’ backgrounds in our underrepresented groups
membership in one or materials and resources. to learn alongside their
more underrepresented peers in classrooms with
groups by broadening appropriately designed
access to engaging and rigorous programs that
challenging curriculum meet individual needs.
and instruction backed by
high teacher expectations
for performance.
 ● 2014 - 2018 Professional development on
student centered instructional approaches
(aligned to the portrait) - workshop, student
choice, authentic grammar instruction.
PROFESSIONAL ● 2018 - 2019 Curriculum Revision - developed
DEVELOPMENT & skills based curriculum that allows for a student
centered approach.
CURRICULUM ● 2019 - 2022 Continued professional
REVISION development on workshop model and
authentic use of a whole class text, responding
to student data, and Universal Design for
Learning with a focus on equity and leading
conversations.
What does a student centered classroom look
like?
Explicit, modeled instruction on Example in an 80 minute period:

a skill or topic. 5 minutes - Bell Ringer - Check for understanding or

community building activity.

Guided practice - the student 15 minutes - Collaborative discussion and background

engages in work while the building for new learning.

teacher provides feedback and 20 minutes - Direct instruction with modeling.

coaching. 30 minutes - Workshop - Students work on

project/assignment. The teacher may work one-on-one
Collaboration, inquiry, and with students or pull a small group with a similar need (ex:
need to elevate their synthesis in their writing).
discussion.
10 minutes - Closure - Teacher reinforces major teaching
point or take away from the lesson. Students may share
Student choice their own.
IN THE 21-22 SCHOOL YEAR:

● All EPSD teachers engaged in professional

development around equity at the building
level

● In March of 2022, outline of 27 observable and

research based classroom practices that
promote equity and high quality core
instruction at the secondary level
WELCOMES STUDENTS BY
NAME AS THEY ENTER THE
CLASSROOM

Asks students for correct pronunciation of their

names; correctly pronounces students’ names
ASKS STUDENTS FOR FEEDBACK
ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF
INSTRUCTION

Asks students to indicate the learning activities

that are effective in helping them to learn; Uses
interviews, conferences, surveys, and
questionnaires to gather feedback from students;
Uses exit cards to gather feedback
STUDENTS ARE PROVIDED WITH
OPTIONS TO DEMONSTRATE
THEIR LEARNING

Skill Based Performance, Video, Presentation, etc.

CURRICULUM-BASED STRATEGIES EQUITABLE PRACTICES

Workshop Model
Universal Design for Learning
Math Discourse
Problem Solving Culturally Responsive Teaching
Skill-based Assessment Social Emotional Learning
Student Led Discussions
Inclusive Practices
Collaboration
Inquiry
Project Based Learning
Brain-Based Inclusive Practices SEL Culturally Responsive
Instruction
EQUITY POLICY AND
AUDIT COMMITTEE
Why would EHS propose a reduction in tracks
and removal of the GP track?
In addition to visual data,

● In 2019, Emmaus High School went into Targeted Support and Improvement
based on several indicators, but primarily students with disabilities achieved below
the statewide average. Our economically disadvantaged students and Hispanic
population were also close to falling under the statewide averages.
● The GP track in ELA through grade 10 has underperformed compared to
demographically alike peers before Covid and through Covid based on standardized
test proficiency and PVAAS growth measures.
● Responding to post pandemic screening data by meeting the needs of both
regular education and special education students screening at 40% or below with
additional supports.
● Act 158 requirements
What does the research say?
According to the National Association of School Psychologists:

Considerations on Tracking:
● Lower ability achieves less in lower track classes than in mixed ability classes.
● Higher ability students do not achieve more in tracked classes than in mixed
ability classes.
● Placing students with lower ability in tracked classrooms reduces self-esteem, with
a particularly negative effect on students’ sense of their own academic
competence.
● Reduces the likelihood that students placed in lower track classes will choose
college preparatory courses.
● Reduces opportunities to develop relationships among students from other racial,
ethnic, and socioeconomic groups
● Placement decisions concerning ability grouping is often made very early in a
student’s school career, is often based on questionable data, and is enduring
Considerations on Detracking:
● Gives all students equal access to an enriched curriculum and the
highest quality instruction schools have to offer.
● Avoids labeling and stigmatizing students with lower ability.
● Promotes higher expectations for student achievement.
● Reduces in school segregation based on socioeconomic status,
race, gender or ethnicity, or disability.
● Encourages teachers to accommodate individual differences in
students’ instructional and social needs.
● Enables students to learn from their peers, including students whose
background may be very different from their own.
Do our demographically alike high school peers have 5 tracks in ELA or SS-
Pullout, GP, CP, Honors, AP? No - we are proposing a reduction in GP only
How are we going to support students who
struggle with core curriculum?
● To address both failures and skills deficits, we want to add an ELA lab for identified
regular education and special education students as a Tier 2 support and tackle
students skills work and success in addition to their core English class.

● We already had math lab in place for identified students in Algebra for a few years.
Based on our math data, we need to expand math lab.

● We will focus special education teachers on instructional support for one area of
content with either Math and Reading/ELA as top priority.

● Special education teachers are free to meet and support students on their
caseload during Hornet homeroom this year.
How will teachers be supported through this
transition?
● Self assessment on core instructional strategies with an option for
individual coaching and feedback
● Additional Universal Design for Learning and Differentiation PD
offerings
● Common Assessments - currently have midterms and finals, but the
plan is to develop additional common assessments for
implementation in 23-24 and utilize release and department/PD
time to analyze data and trends and collaborate around core
instruction.
What happened after we stopped offering the
GP level in 9th and/or 10th grade science?
Course demographics & performance - Slide 21
● Student failures decreased
● First time Biology Keystone testers increased in proficiency
67.4% in 2015 to 75.7% in 2019
● Highest advanced percentage of the 3 Keystones at the HS level
● Student growth in inclusion sections is at the highest quartile
● All Biology courses showed positive growth and proficiency on track
with the majority of our demographically alike peers
● Inclusion sections - notable demographics
Why the urgency?
● Addressing major disproportion in course placement/tracking while also addressing
the consistent lack of growth and achievement in that track.
● Supporting all students. We want to further support students screening at the 40% or below. We have
an MTSS process in place and tiered interventions. We want to better support regular education and
special education students post Pandemic. The ELA lab in addition to time in core instruction is a new
approach.

● Systems Change. A systems change that provides more time in addition to core instruction for students
struggling with core standards. A system that encourages more students to challenge themselves with
Honors level or AP coursework. The goal is to increase proficiency, growth, AND advanced achievement.
Increasing advanced achievement and diversity in Honors/AP is part two of this work.

● Act 158 graduation requirements. The most straightforward path for the majority of students and
families is passing the Keystones they already take in order to comply with these new requirements. We
have alternative pathways for students who have reasons to be unlikely to take and/or pass the
Keystone.
In East Penn, we use four frames to develop equitable environments:
SOCIO-ECONOMIC SOCIETAL CULTURAL PROGRAMMATIC
SOCIETAL
We remove barriers to We remove barriers to We remove barriers to We remove barriers to
educational educational educational
educational
opportunities that exist opportunities that exist
opportunities that exist opportunities that exist
due to students’ due to students’ cultural
economic status by due to disadvantages backgrounds by due to organizational
ensuring they have caused by pre-existing incorporating the structures or practices by
advocates on a personal prejudice in society, histories, texts, values, ensuring concerted
and systems level. based on both conscious beliefs, and perspectives efforts are made to
and unconscious bias, of people from different
provide access for
cultural backgrounds in
related to students’ underrepresented
our materials and
membership in one or resources. groups to learn alongside
more underrepresented their peers in classrooms
groups by broadening with appropriately
access to engaging and designed rigorous
challenging curriculum programs that meet
and instruction backed individual needs.
by high teacher
expectations for
performance.