New Small Autonomous Schools Evaluation 
In October 2007 the Oakland Unified School District released a report by an external evaluator that demonstrates that the new small schools supported by BayCES are accelerating student learning.
The evaluation also showed that graduation rates have increased greatly, and that students, parents, and teachers are more satisfied with new small schools than other schools.
Download the Report (without appendices) (note: large PDF file) here: New Small Schools Evaluation.
Download the School Board summary Powerpoint presentation of the report (note: large PDF file) here: New Small Schools Evaluation Powerpoint Presentation.
Summary of Key Evaluation Findings
1. What is the demographic and academic profile of students attending New Small Schools?
Compared to the District overall, New Small Schools currently serve:
• a greater % of Latino students (53% vs. 34% in district)
• a greater % of English Learner students (38% vs. 29%)
• a greater % of students receiving free/reduced lunch (78% vs. 69%)
For the 2006-2007 school year, the New Small Schools had fewer students who performed at "Proficient" or "Advanced" on the CST and CAHSEE exams.
The New Small Schools had significantly higher Use Your Voice ratings from students and teachers than comparisons schools in the categories of Clean Learning Environment, Safety, Caring and Support, and College Readiness.
2. Despite the lower average CST scores of students entering New Small Schools, is there evidence that the New Small Schools are accelerating student achievement?
Based on past performance in standardized tests (CST) of cohorts of students in new small schools and comparison schools with similar demographics, these students' likely performance in 2007 was calculated and compared with actual performance in 2007. If a group of students did better than we'd predict based on past performance, those students' achievement was accelerated. If it was lower than projected, then they were underperforming.
Accelerated CST ELA achievement
New Small School student groups: 22%
Comparison school student groups: 16%
Underperforming CST ELA achievement
New Small School student groups: 7%
Comparison school student groups: 25%
A similar pattern was obtained on the CST math tests.
Both groups of schools tended to perform as projected on the CAHSEE.
3. How do the outcomes achieved by the New Small Schools compare to the outcomes produced by the schools they replaced?
CST: The percentage of students labeled proficient or higher on the CST was compared as students moved from traditional schools to the New Small Schools. Over time, these transitions generally show an increase in the percentage of students performing Proficient or higher on both ELA and Math CST when compared to the larger school that they came from.
Graduation: The percentage of 2005-06 graduates (based on NCES calculations) in small high schools are much higher than in previous large schools, and higher than comparison schools, district, county, and state. The percent of small high school graduates who meet A-G requirements show more variability than Comparison Schools.
Castlemont SR High Graduation rate (2003-04): 46%
Castlemont Small School Graduation Rates (2005-6)
Business and Information Technology: 92%
East Oakland School of the Arts: 92%
Leadership Preparatory High: 55%
4. Have the New Small Schools been successful at implementing the approved design models? Do the New Small Schools function effectively as organizations?
Teachers at the New Small Schools tended to agree that the schools implemented the organizational and instructional elements outlined in the approved design model. Their average model implementation rating was 3.85 out of 5.
Teachers at New Small Schools tended to agree that their schools demonstrated characteristics associated with effective organizational functioning. Their average school functioning rating was 3.71, igher than the functioning rating obtained from teachers at a comparison sample of schools (3.44).
5. How does the number of years a New Small School has been open relate to measures of model implementation and effective school functioning?
The average model implementation ratings were not significantly different based on the number of years a New Small School had been open. The 12 New Small Schools opened in 2006-2007 compared favorably to older New Small Schools.
The average school functioning ratings also were not significantly different based on the number of years a New Small School had been open.
Note: BayCES has found that school staff ratings do not necessarily correspond to expert ratings of school functioning nor do they necessarily correlate to student outcomes. We observe that effective school functioning does typically come after a few start-up years.
