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Polk County SchoolsMagnet/Choice Enrollment Plan

Carolyn Bridges, Senior Director

Office of Magnet, Choice and Charter SchoolsA Magnet School Assistance Program (MSAP) Project

Historical Perspective

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Historical Perspective 1963 - 1991

• 1963: Mills v. School Board of Polk County, FL• Purpose:

• End operation of dual school system• Desegregate the district’s schools

• Parties to the lawsuit:• Plaintiffs: initially Althea Mills on behalf of son, Herman Henry, Jr.;

recently Legal Defense Fund• Plaintiff - Intervenor: U.S. Department of Justice• Defendant: School Board of Polk County

• 1963-1991: Almost three decades of various student assignment plans and Federal court orders • Extensive school clustering and rezoning of schools• School closures/conversions and new construction

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Desegregation Strategies1960s-1970sFreedom of Choice within school clusters in municipal areas

1980sFixed attendance zones within municipal areas

1990s-PresentExpanded Choice at Magnet and Choice Schools- Large attendance zones- Controlled open enrollment- Waiting lists

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1992 Consent Order/Consent Decree

• Desegregation plans for each community developed by diverse Citizens’ Committees.

• Magnet schools and variety of choice programs established.

• 90+ major changes made in school zones• Students and staff reassigned.• School facilities and resources equalized.• Hiring practices modified.• ESE and student discipline policies altered.

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1992 Consent Order: Magnet Schools

• Eight magnet schools created in four Polk County geographic areas.

• Student admission by choice within larger attendance zone, but controlled to achieve desegregation.

• Admission determined via lottery; no prerequisite admission requirements.

• Limited neighborhood priority practiced to maximize minority student school choices.

• Student transportation provided by school district to support diverse enrollment.

• Kindergarten enrollment preference given to siblings in same school.

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2000 Final Order from District Court

• Order from U.S. District Court withdrawing direct federal oversight

• Granting of Unitary Status to school district• Deferring to Settlement Agreement to address

unresolved issues• Opening new middle and elementary schools in Winter Haven• Completion of permanent arts facilities at Jewett School of the

Arts• Maintaining progress made in student and staff

assignments and facilities

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21st Century Solutions

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2007 Supreme Court RulingsParents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 with Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education

• Preventing racial isolation and obtaining diverse student enrollments are compelling interests.

• School districts may use race-conscious measures to address those interests.• Race-conscious objectives may be acceptable.• Race cannot be the only factor or variable.

• School districts currently using race of students as a factor in individual assignment determinations should carefully examine their student assignment plans in light of the Supreme Court’s various opinions.

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Polk County Schools’ Response

• Temporary solution: Merged the two existing magnet school waiting lists for 12,000 students.• Effective for Short-term:

• Students accepted in pairs: One minority and one non-minority.

• Ineffective for Long-term: • Depleted minority waiting lists leaving only

non-minority students on the waiting lists.

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Polk County Schools’ Action• Developed a long-term solution for

Magnet School enrollment.• Submitted a Magnet School Assistance

Program (MSAP) federal grant proposal.• Received federal grant award for $11.3

million on October 1, 2010.• Submitted student assignment plan to

School Board on December 5, 2011.

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Polk County Schools’ Student Assignment Plan • Builds on existing processes.• Continues existing waiting lists.• Continues current magnet zones.• Parents continue to apply for each

child during Open Enrollment annually.• Parents must continue to submit a

separate application for each child every January until enrolled into a Magnet or Choice school.

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Solution Strategies• Evaluated Berkeley Unified School

District (BUSD) model to craft Polk County student assignment plan.• BUSD plan

• Successfully tested in state courts.• Polk concept plan

• Includes work with BUSD.• Reviewed and approved by the Office for Civil

Rights (part of magnet grant review process).

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Solution Strategies• Revise enrollment strategies based on

2007 Supreme Court rulings.• Assign magnet school applicants using

targeted selection based on both non-race and race indicators.

• Assign an individual student identifier based on geographic residence.

• Identify membership in one of three “pools” based on comparison to overall population of the magnet school zone.

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Effective Solution Strategies

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Solution

• Reviewed and eliminated using existing school zones, divided school zones and zip codes.

• Create Priorities based on county grids.• Findings:

• Grids are numbered using range, township, and section.• Grids are consistent throughout the county.• Grids are fixed – and do not change.• Use of grids can support development of objectively determined

school zones.• Builds on existing processes.

• Maintains existing waiting lists.• Maintains current magnet zones.• Parents apply for each child during Open Enrollment annually.

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Magnet and Choice School Enrollment Plan

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Overview• Move from a multi-year waiting list to an annual

applicant pool.• Use county grids as basis for existing magnet

zones.• Lakeland• Bartow/Mulberry/Frostproof/Ft. Meade/ Lake Wales• Winter Haven/Auburndale• Haines City/Davenport

• Based on AYP demographic factors.• Part of an overall review of attendance and

enrollment through existing requirements for class size, school size, transfers, etc.

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Four Magnet Area Zones for

Polk County

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Magnet Area

Average Lunch % Race % Average

SWD* %Average ELL** %

Lakeland 66 W 53 B 2214 11

H 18 O 7

Winter Haven 74 W 50 B 21

11 16H 22 O 7

Haines City 83 W 27 B 20

10 31H 47 O 6

Bartow 73 W 51 B 1712 17

H 27 O 5

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Existing Magnet Data Based on AYP

Demographic Factors

*SWD: Students with Disabilities **ELL: English Language Learners

W: White B: Black H: Hispanic O: Other

Four Zones Using County Grids• Polk County grids

• Developed using the same method throughout the state of Florida

• United States National Grid (USNG) from the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)

• Do not change• Identified by number that includes

• Range• Township• Section

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Polk County Range,

Township, and Section (RTS) Grids

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Polk County Range,

Township, and Section (RTS) Grid

Map

Each dot represents a house that has student residents.

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Prioritizing Grids

• Prioritize each grid using four demographic categories:• Free or Reduced Lunch Status (FRL)• Race (R)• Students with Disabilities (SWD)• English Language Learners (ELL)

• Determine grid designation.• Based on AYP demographic factors.

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Assigning Grids to Applicant Pools• Assign pool for each grid with students

within Magnet Zone.• Applicant Pool with points in low range

for the grids within this magnet zone.• Applicant Pool with points in middle

range for the grids in this magnet zone.• Applicant Pool with points in the high

range for the grids in this magnet zone.

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Student Assignment to Magnet Applicant Pool• All students residing within a shared grid

are assigned to the same applicant pool. • Individual students in this grid may not

exhibit the same category values as the grid in which they reside.

• Increased likelihood that a student selected from an applicant pool will reflect the demographic categories of the identified grid.

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Magnet Application Process

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Magnet Application Process• Parents continue to apply for each child

during Open Enrollment annually.• Parents must continue to submit a separate

application for each child every January until enrolled into a Magnet or Choice school.

• All applications are placed into one of the three applicant pools based on their residential address within a county grid.

• Applicant pools are established at each grade level.

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Student Assignment Process• As a seat becomes available in a magnet school:

• Review demographic category values for that particular magnet school.

• Determine which applicant pool is needed, based on the student population of the magnet school.

• Students on existing waiting lists will be accepted prior to students in the applicant pool.

• A computer-generated lottery will be conducted to select a student from the appropriate applicant pool.

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Sibling Consideration

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Sibling Priority• While consideration of siblings is a

priority, value at magnet schools is placed on:• Reflecting diversity of the particular

magnet school zone.• Promoting diversity within the community

(magnet school zone) in which the school is located.

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Sibling Priority Requirements• Older sibling

• Is already enrolled in the magnet school at the time the KG student’s application is submitted;

• Will be returning to the magnet school for the following year;

• This does not apply if older sibling is in 5th grade.• KG application must be submitted during

the Open Enrollment period.• A Sibling Survey must be completed and

submitted.

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Sibling Objective

Create a sibling priority for Kindergarten (KG) students with up to 50% of the available KG seats filled by sibling. If students are not selected for a sibling seat, they will become part of the general application pool.

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50% Sibling Priority• Divide each of the KG applicant pools into two

smaller pools:• KG Siblings • Non KG siblings

• When filling the KG seats at a magnet school:• Fill up to 50% of the available KG sibling seats using

random selection from the appropriate applicant pool.• Fill remaining available seats with non KG siblings from

the appropriate applicant pool.• All remaining pool applicants:

• Reapply during the next Open Enrollment period.

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50% Sibling Priority Example

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Initial Acceptance of 90 Seats• KG Applicant Totals• 38 Blue (14 Siblings)• 157 Green (38 Siblings)• 72 Violet (12 Siblings)• Blue: Randomly select 22

students (25% of 90 available seats) Accept 11 Siblings, 11 Non Siblings

• Green: Randomly select 46 students (50% of 90 available seats) Accept 23 Siblings, 23 Non Siblings

• Violet: Randomly select 22 students (25% of 90 available seats) Accept 11 Siblings, 11 Non Siblings

Sibling Non Sibling

Sibling

Sibling

Non Sibling

Non Sibling

14 24

38 119

12 60

Applications Received

50% Sibling Priority ExampleC7

blue

green

violet

16

111

50

Ongoing Acceptances at 50%

• 9 Seats (6 Green and 3 Violet) become available after Initial Acceptance• Students selected randomly

from remaining Non Sibling students in the Green and Violet pools

Questions

Brian Warren, Director of Magnet Schools Assistance Program

Office of Magnet, Choice and Charter Schools

Polk County SchoolsBrian.Warren@polk-fl.net

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Additional Information Open enrollment will be from January 16 to

February 10, 2012 Apply online at www.polk-fl.net There is no advantage/disadvantage to when

you apply Applications must be received by 5:00 pm on

February 10, 2012 Copies of tonight’s presentation and answers

to questions will be found at www.polk-fl.net keyword: School Choice

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