CSI Schools
Pennsylvania created a three-step system for designating Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools that will apply to all schools receiving funds under Title I, Part A. This process gradually narrows the number of eligible schools until the state designates five percent of Title I buildings statewide, consistent with ESSA requirements; for Pennsylvania, this is approximately 100 schools statewide. The steps are as follows:
Step 1. Preliminary designation based on academic achievement and academic growth Pennsylvania will initially categorize schools as eligible for designation based on performance in two domains:
- The percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on state assessments in English language arts and mathematics combined over two or more years; AND
- Academic growth as expressed by PVAAS-reported Average Growth Index, indicating if the school met the PA Standard for Academic Growth over two years.
To determine the subset of schools exhibiting both achievement and growth challenges, Pennsylvania will categorize the performance of schools with low rates of proficiency based on the level of evidence of academic growth for that same school; the lower a school's proficiency rate, the more evidence of academic growth is needed to exempt the school from further evaluation for CSI designation.
Example:
|
Student group's Proficiency rate |
For each Proficiency rate band described in left-hand column, any of the following growth values for the same student group move a school to Step 2: |
| Profile 1 | Less than 50 but greater than or equal to 36.7 | Moderate evidence of not meeting growth standard; or | Significant evidence of not meeting growth standard | | |
| Profile 2 | Less than 36.7 but greater than or equal to 23.3 | Evidence of meeting the growth standard; or | Moderate evidence of not meeting growth standard; or | Significant evidence of not meeting growth standard | |
| Profile 3 | Less than 23.3 but greater than or equal to 10 | Moderate evidence of meeting growth standard; or | Evidence of meeting the growth standard; or | Moderate evidence of not meeting growth standard; or | Significant evidence of not meeting growth standard |
| Profile 4 | Less than 10 |
Any student group, regardless of growth value |
Step 2. Final designation based on additional academic and non-academic indicators. Next, Pennsylvania will examine the performance of schools designated in Step 1 on remaining accountability indicators. Schools designated in Step 1 will be designated for CSI if they:
- Fall below state-designated performance levels on high school graduation rate or English learner proficiency; OR
- Fall below state-designated performance levels on both regular attendance and career readiness indicators. See Appendix C for examples of the interplay among Step 2 indicators for purposes of CSI designation.
Step 3. Designation of additional high schools with low graduation rates. In addition to steps 1 and 2, ESSA requires that states designate "all public high schools in the state failing to graduate one third or more of their students." Pennsylvania will designate any such schools, regardless of Title I status, through evaluation of the four- and five-year adjusted cohort graduation rates.
List of CSI Schools.