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WESTLAKE ACADEMY AGENDA ITEM
Curriculum: PYP/MYP/DP Meeting Date: August 15, 2011
Staff Contact: Ben Nibarger Discussion
Administrative Coordinator
Subject: Leavers Report and Resident Student Growth
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In the April 2011 the Board of Trustees requested additional information regarding the TEA’s annual
Leavers Report and resident growth of the student population. The attached report provides information
from FY 2008-09 through the current fiscal year on the student population’s mobility, resident growth,
and the annual leavers report. This report provides analysis and recommendations to improve the
Academy’s retention rate.
APPLICABLE STRATEGIC PLAN DESIRED OUTCOME
High Student Achievement
Strong Parent & Community Connections
Financial Stewardship & Sustainability
Student Engagement – Extracurricular activities
Effective Educators & Staff
WESTLAKE ACADEMY VALUES
Academic Achievement
PYP, MYP, DP (IB Continuum)
Caring Environment
Fiscal Stewardship
Communication/Transparency
Engaged Stakeholders
Maximizing Each Child’s Potential
FISCAL IMPACT
Funded Not Funded N/A
RECOMMENDATION / ACTION REQUESTED/ OPTIONS
No action required, report and presentation to be discussed during Board workshop.
ATTACHMENTS
Report on Where are our Students Going?
Westlake Academy
Student Turnover Analysis
2011 ‐ 2012
2
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3
Student Residency ............................................................................................................................. 3
Student Retention .............................................................................................................................. 4
TEAs Annual Leaver Report ................................................................................................................ 4
Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 5
Limitations .......................................................................................................................................... 5
Student Population ............................................................................................................................ 6
Analysis by Leaver Code ..................................................................................................................... 7
Analysis by Class ................................................................................................................................. 8
Significant Findings ................................................................................................................................ 9
Recommendations ................................................................................................................................. 9
Tables & Figures
Table 1 – Leaver Reason Codes .............................................................................................................. 5
Table 2 – Student Population (FY 03/04 ‐ 11/12) .................................................................................. 6
Figure 1 – Westlake Academy Secondary Boundary Map ..................................................................... 3
Figure 2 – Comparison of Student Mobility .......................................................................................... 4
Figure 3 ‐ Student Population by Year of Enrollment ............................................................................ 6
Figure 4 ‐ Westlake Residents Attending Westlake Academy ............................................................... 7
Figure 5 – Student Leavers (FY 09/10 – 11/12) ...................................................................................... 7
Figure 6 – Cumulative Student Turnover by Graduating Class .............................................................. 8
Figure 7 ‐ Student Attrition by Grade .................................................................................................... 8
3
Introduction
As an open enrollment charter school, Westlake Academy is required to maintain and submit several
times annually data regarding the student population’s residency, attendance, and retention. The Board
of Trustees requested additional information and analysis to be prepared by the staff on the following
areas of interest:
Student residency
Student retention
The Texas Education Agency’s (TEAs)
annual Leaver Report
Student Residency
As an open enrollment charter school Westlake Academy may not establish any admissions
requirements beyond age, grade level, and proof of residency within the establish boundaries displayed
in Figure 1. Student attendance is monitored daily and residency updates are reported to the TEA
weekly. Because this has a direct impact on the Academy’s long‐term financial sustainability, it is
important that the guidelines established by the TEA are closely followed. Approximately 80% of
Westlake Academy’s operating budget is funded through the State Foundation School Program (FSP)
which is directly tied to the residency requirements and student attendance. Monitoring and reporting
on this is one of the primary duties of the Academy’s on‐campus administrative office.
Figure 1 – Westlake Academy Secondary Boundary Map
4
Student Retention
Student mobility is a measure of how often a child makes non‐promotional school changes. This has
been described as “Churn” or student turnover by a number of parents at Westlake Academy. Concern
has been expressed as to the high level of student mobility occurring at Westlake Academy. The most
recent published data on student mobility compares open‐enrollment charter schools with all other
campuses. Figure 2 shows that the average student turnover at an open enrollment charter school is
approximately double other types of Texas public schools. Westlake Academy’s student turnover is
significantly lower than both open enrollment charter schools and other types of Texas public schools
with an average student turnover rate of approximately 7%.
Figure 2 – Comparison of Student Mobility (source: Texas Center for Educational Research & TxEIS)
Low socio‐economic status is highly correlated with student mobility. Due to the low number of
students served by Westlake Academy that fall into this category, it most likely is a significant factor in
the Academy’s low student turnover when compared with state averages.
TEA’s Annual Leaver Report
The annual Leaver Report is part of the data stored in the State’s Public Education Information
Management System (PEIMS) and is used as part of their accountability system. The data collected is
used to set acceptable ratios and identify schools that fall outside of normal range. Data for this report
is collected on students from G7 thru G12. Students in GK thru G6 are not monitored through the leaver
report.
The report focuses on students who leave a Texas public school district and where they go to receive
their education upon leaving their local education agency (LEA), hence the name “Leavers”. The coding
structure utilized by the PEIMS system and description of each code is contained in Table 1.
54%54%54%51%
25%25%25%26%
3%
9%11%
6%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
200320042005200620072008200920102011
Comparison of Student Mobility
Open Enrollment Charters Texas Public Schools Westlake Academy
Trend Line Trend Line Trend Line
5
Table 1 – Leaver Reason Codes
Code Translation
01 Graduated From A Campus In This District Or Charter
03 Died
16 Return To Home Country
24 College, Pursue Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree
60 Home Schooling
66 Removed-Child Protective Services
78 Expelled For Offense Under TEC §37.007, Cannot Return
81 Enroll In TX Private School
82 Enroll In School Outside Texas
83 Withdrawn By District Because Not Entitled To Enrollment
85 Graduated Outside Texas Before Entering A Texas Public School-Entered A Texas Public School-Left Again
86 GED Outside Texas
87 Enroll In University High School Diploma Program
88 Court-ordered to a GED program, has not earned a GED
89 Incarcerated in state jail or federal penitentiary as an adult
90 Graduated from another state under provisions of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
98 Other
All students who enroll in a public school and then wish to withdraw, must identify their educational
plans for the future and provide documentation prior to withdrawal. While this is the preferred method
practiced, in many cases students leave during the summer and do not return to the Academy in the
following school year. When this occurs we depend heavily upon other Texas public schools to request
student records to determine if they enrolled in another Texas public school. For all other students,
multiple attempts to contact the family are made in order to obtain the necessary information.
Analysis
The purpose of this analysis is to identify whether or not Westlake Academy’s student turnover is
excessive in nature and whether or not there are underlying factors that drive student turnover.
Utilizing the data stored in our student information system, TxEIS, we have access to historical
enrollment and withdrawal data.
Limitations
Due to the Academy’s multiple migrations of student data since the inception of the school (because of
changes in state software systems), we only have access to student data starting in FY 2008‐09. The
student enrollment and withdrawal data that is available for analysis spans FY 08/09 – FY 11/12.
Student leaver data is only available in FY 09/10 – FY 11/12. In addition, the Leaver Report also accounts
for students that are classified as “No Shows” when they do not return to the Academy following the
summer break. The Business Office attempts to contact the families and requests the reason for leaving
the Academy. If no response is received, the reports accuracy may be negatively impacted.
6
Student Population
Westlake Academy started in FY 2003‐04 with students in G1 – G6, adding GK and G7 in FY 2004‐05 and
added an additional grade level each year, graduating their first class in FY 2009‐10. When the Academy
started operations, the class sizes were approximately 15 students. As can be seen in Table 2, the
average number of student in each class has steadily climbed to an average of 20 students per class in FY
2011/12.
Table 2 – Student Population (FY 03/04 ‐ 11/12)
Fiscal Year K G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7 G8 G9 G10 G11 G12 Total
2003‐04 34 33 34 32 33 33 199
2004‐05 26 34 34 34 33 32 37 34 264
2005‐06 35 30 36 40 39 34 37 42 36 329
2006‐07 30 36 37 34 33 38 34 34 37 30 343
2007‐08 26 33 31 37 34 32 37 36 32 35 32 365
2008‐09 30 31 36 35 36 36 36 39 36 33 35 30 0 413
2009‐10 36 39 37 39 44 39 41 41 39 39 35 36 24 489
2010‐11 37 40 40 40 40 60 39 40 40 39 40 31 32 518
2011‐12 38 41 40 44 42 43 60 60 60 61 55 47 30 621
Figure 3 displays the make‐up of the Academy based upon year students first enrolled. In the current
fiscal year close to 60% of the students have entered the Academy in the last three fiscal years and this
number will continue to increase over the next few years. The impact new students have on the culture
at Westlake Academy has been part of an on‐going discussion at both the staff and Board level. Based
upon the positive results received in the most recent parent survey and student surveys, this fairly
dramatic increase in new students does not appear to have negatively impacted student and parent
satisfaction levels.
Figure 3 ‐ Student Population by Year of Enrollment
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
FY 2008‐09FY 2009‐10FY 2010‐11FY 2011‐12
Student Population by Year of Enrollment
2003‐2005 2006‐2008 2009‐2011
7
As a percentage, Westlake Academy students residing within Town limits has declined but the total
number of Westlake residents attending has increased each year. In the most recent Westlake Resident
Direction Finder Survey, 47% of the respondents identified Westlake Academy as an important reason
for moving to Westlake. In addition, Westlake Academy was also identified as one of the top three
reasons they would stay in Westlake over the next five years.
Figure 4 ‐ Westlake Residents Attending Westlake Academy
Analysis by Leaver Code
Figure 5 illustrates the five types of leavers that Westlake Academy has reported over the last three
fiscal years. Beginning in FY 2010‐11, students who graduated in the prior year are reported and a sharp
increase is seen. The number of students leaving due to transitioning into private, home, or out‐of‐state
schools has been fairly consistent. Although the number of students moving or returning to their home
ISD shows a steep decline in FY 2011‐12, it should not be considered a trend because year‐to‐date data
is used and may change as the year progresses.
Figure 5 – Student Leavers (FY 09/10 – 11/12)
417
491
620
128 155 163
0
200
400
600
800
2009‐102010‐112011‐12
# of Westlake Residents in Westlake Academy
Total Population Westlake Residents
0
10
20
30
40
FY 2009‐10FY 2010‐11FY 2011‐12
Student Leavers (FY 09/10 ‐11/12)
Graduated Moved/Home ISD Home School
TX Private School Enroll Outside TX
8
Analysis by Class
When reviewing the cumulative number of student attrition in each graduating class, it appears to be
random across all grades and programmes. The range of student turnover in each graduating class and
degree of variance does not provide a good predictor of student turnover. With the available data, FY
2008‐09 shows the least amount of student turnover, and it appears that student turnover is increasing
at an increasing rate in the subsequent years.
Figure 6 – Cumulative Student Turnover by Graduating Class
Figure 7 shows an increase in student attrition entering into G2 and an even sharper increase in G9. It is
unclear why G2 has an elevated student turnover rate, but as data is collected in the future, the reason
should become apparent. The sharp increase in G9 may be explained by this being the first year of high
school. There are many potential reasons for choosing an alternate school, including a more
competitive athletic program, band, choir, or additional academic course offerings.
Figure 7 ‐ Student Attrition by Grade
0
10
20
30
Class of
2023
Class of
2022
Class of
2021
Class of
2020
Class of
2019
Class of
2018
Class of
2017
Class of
2016
Class of
2015
Class of
2014
Class of
2013
Class of
2012
Class of
2011
Cumulative Student Turnover by Graduating Class (FY
08/09 ‐11/12)
2008‐09 2009‐10 2010‐11 2011‐12
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
GKG1G2G3G4G5G6G7G8G9G10G11G12
Cumulative Student Attrition by Grade
(FY 08/09 ‐11/12)
9
Significant Findings
The level of student mobility observed at Westlake Academy has increased over the last four years with
an average of 7% per year. However, on average Westlake Academy’s student turnover or mobility is
three to seven times lower when compared to the State average for other types of public schools and
open enrollment charter schools.
There is a slight increase in student attrition starting in GK through G8. Student attrition is most likely to
occur in G9 when students are entering high school and slowly declines as students enter into the DP
programme. The annual Student Leaver Report shows that Westlake Academy students are most likely
graduating from Westlake Academy or returning to their home ISD. There are a small number of
students each year who move into private schools, start a home school program, or move outside of
Texas.
Approximately 60% of the students at Westlake Academy have been in attendance for less than four
years. This statistic, when viewed in the context of “changing the Academy culture”, shows (based upon
parent and student surveys) that a large percentage increase in student population in the secondary
programme has impacted the Academy positively.
While Westlake residents attending the Academy have been increasing each year, they are declining as a
total percentage of the student population. From one perspective, this should not come as a surprise
due to the low density’s contained in the Town’s comprehensive plan. This is due to the incremental
increase in students per class and the expansion to three sections in the secondary programme, with a
resulting increase in student population from secondary boundaries.
Recommendations
Based upon the review of data and subsequent analysis, several action items have been indentified and
will be ongoing each school year. The data collected through these initiatives will allow the Academy
administration and Board of Trustees to better monitor the student population and increase student
retention.
1. Continue to collect and monitor data for changes in the student population
2. Conduct a student exit survey with all students who exited the Academy in FY 2010‐11
3. Identify areas of interest for students earlier and try to provide options
4. Work with the Counselors and Coordinators to further develop and enhance the on‐boarding
process to improve parent and student education/retention