Secondary School Achievement and Attendance, 2020-2021

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Item 8.4

Regular Meeting of the Board - June 16, 2021

Secondary School Achievement and Attendance, 2020-2021

Strategic Alignment: Directive 9: Annual Equity Accountability Report Card Decision(s) Required: Receipt

Prepared by: Kim Bennett, Research Officer

Vanessa Bonsu, Research Officer

Jeena Mathai, Team Leader, SIS Development

Laura Naismith, Chief Research Officer (Acting)

Lynn Strangway, Associate Director, School Improvement and Equity

Emmanuel Tabi, Research Officer (Acting)

Submitted by: Colleen Russell-Rawlins, Director of Education

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Content

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to present preliminary data trends related to secondary school attendance and achievement during the first half of the 2020-2021 school year (i.e., quadmesters 1 and 2). In line with the focus of the Ministry Review on the experiences of Black and other historically marginalized students, observed trends are interpreted using critical race theory (CRT). The role of the COVID-19 pandemic as a contributing factor is also considered. Context: The consideration of achievement and attendance through a critical race framework requires a shift in focus from a deficit perspective that inequities are the fault of students or families, to a focus on how to enact system practices to equitably support the success of all students. Evidence-based practices from the literature include the implementation of culturally responsive curriculum and assessment practices, acknowledging and addressing experiences of racism, and building trusting relationships with students and families. Critical race theory (CRT) has been integrated into educational research and scholarship for nearly thirty years (Bell, 1995; Ladson-Billings, 1998). CRT challenges traditional dominant narratives around race, racism and the experiences of racialized people and communities (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002) and enables new and different questions to be asked about race and racism in public education (Howard, 2008). Understanding that the social construction of different identity factors can intersect and overlap (Collins, 1990; Crenshaw, 1991), intersectional analyses for racial background and gender identity are also featured in this report. Summary of Results:

While preliminary, the findings of this report affirm the strong relationship between attendance and achievement in secondary school, even in the context of a global pandemic. In line with the findings of the Ministry Review and previous academic literature, it continues to be Black, Latin American, and Indigenous students who receive lower grades and are absent from school at rates higher than other groups. The groups particularly at risk include Black male, Latin American male students, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit female students. From a critical race stance, these results are not likely solely reflective of system practices in a single year; many students currently in secondary school have experienced, to some degree, a culture of low expectations, inequitable assessment practices, and lack of culturally relevant curricula since they were in kindergarten.

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Impact Analysis

Equity & Human Rights Review This report affirms the need for continued system change and transformation to ensure that Black, Indigenous, and other students who have been marginalized and underserved because of systemic inequities have access to the high-quality education and experience they are entitled to under Human Rights and the Education Act. Board or Ministry Policy Alignment This report identifies that Black, Latin American, and Indigenous students continue to face systemic inequities in achievement as summarized in the Ministry Review of the Peel District School Board. The data presented is aligned with the requirements of Ministry Directive 9 to: i) report on clearly defined student-centered outcomes including eliminating disparities in achievement of students from the Board’s various communities (Chadha et el., 2020). Resource Implications The trends presented about the attendance and academic achievement of Black, Latin American, and Indigenous students, are unsettling and require continued attention. Continued inquiry into the intersecting relationships between achievement, race, and gender is necessary to inform future efforts towards system transformation. Risk Assessment The Peel District School Board has been provided a strong mandate in the Ministry Review to address disproportionate outcomes for Black, Indigenous and other students who have been historically marginalized. As stated on page 36 of The Ministry Review, “The task for those leaders is to bend best efforts of our education systems into effective service for all.” As an organization we must remain steadfastly focused on ensuring that all PDSB students can realize their full potential in classrooms and schools where they are supported, respected, valued, and welcomed (Chadha et al., 2020, pg. 2). The students and families in Peel have a right to a high-quality education, as a Board we have a moral and ethical obligation to address and eliminate disproportionate outcomes for Black, Indigenous and other students who have been historically marginalized.

Next Steps Action Required: The Attendance and Achievement data from Quadmesters 3 and 4 for the 2020-21 school year will be analyzed. Analysis of Student Attendance and Achievement data from 2018-19, which is the last full in-person year that students attended school, will also be completed in order to

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examine any similarities or differences in the trends in Achievement and Attendance noted in this current school year. The results of this report will be used to guide further qualitative inquiries to understand the impact of current system actions and reforms on Black, Latin American, and Indigenous student and family experiences as they relate to achievement and attendance. These data will also be used to inform the Equity and Accountability Report Card and Equity Action Plan. Success Measures: Overall system progress towards equity can be measured by continuing to examine quantitative trends in achievement and attendance, as well as qualitative changes in student and family experiences. Also, as system actions to eliminate disproportionate student outcomes in attendance and achievement for Black, Indigenous and other racialized students continue, the disproportionalities outlined in this report, the Ministry Review of the Peel DSB and other research reports should be lessened and eventually eliminated. References: Bell, D. (1995). Who’s Afraid of Critical Race Theory? University of Illinois Law Review, 1995, 893-910.

Chadha, E., Herbert, S., & Richard, S. (2020). Review of the Peel District School Board. Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/new/review-peel-district-school-board-report-en.pdf

Collins, P. H. (1990). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness, and the politics of empowerment. Boston: Unwin Hyman.

Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 46, 1241–1299.

Howard, T. C. (2008). Who really cares? The disenfranchisement of African American males in PreK-12 schools: A critical race theory perspective. Teachers College Record, 110(5), 954-985.

Ladson-Billings, G. (1998) Just what is critical race theory and what's it doing in a nice field like education? International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 11:1, 7-24.

Solórzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23-44.

Appendices Appendix 1 - Achievement and Attendance Research Report

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/new/review-peel-district-school-board-report-en.pdf


Secondary School Achievement & Attendance, 2020-2021 Page 1 Peel District School Board – Research & Accountability, Director’s Office May 2021

Secondary School Achievement & Attendance,

2020-2021

Introduction This report analyzes the intersections of Secondary School Achievement and Attendance during the 2020-2021 school year with respect to racial background and gender of students. This report draws on Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Intersectionality to guide data analysis and interpretation. CRT challenges traditional dominant narratives around race, racism and the experiences of racialized people and communities (Bell, 1995; James, 2012; Ladson-Billings 1998; Solórzano & Yosso, 2002) and enables new and different questions to be asked about race and racism in public education (Howard, 2008). Intersectionality (Collins, 1990; Crenshaw, 1991) is used to understand experiences of discrimination as related to multiple and overlapping aspects of identity.

The COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the delivery of secondary education at the Peel District School Board (PDSB). During the 2020-2021 school year, secondary schooling was restructured into a quadmester system, where students concentrate on two subjects at a time. This model combined online and in-person delivery to cohorted groups of approximately 15 students. An online-only model was also offered for all grade levels and 47% of secondary students elected for exclusively online learning. For quadmester 1, students who studied online-only were enrolled in the PDSB’s virtual school. In quadmester 2, the community learning model was introduced, which connected secondary students back to their home school. In this model, teachers taught both in-person and online students simultaneously.

Intersections of Race, Education, and COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate health impact on Black and other racialized families across North America. Large concentrated urban areas, particularly neighbourhoods that report having the most ethno-culturally diverse individuals and families in Ontario, have experienced rates of COVID-19 that are disproportionately higher than neighborhoods that are less diverse (Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, 2020). Racial categories that are overrepresented in COVID-19 cases when compared to other racial categories within the Peel population are South Asian, Black, and Latino (Region of Peel, 2020, August). In addition to its health impacts, COVID-19 has served to exacerbate pre-existing educational inequities of Black and other marginalized students, particularly in terms of nutrition, academic supports, mental health, and online learning (James, 2020).

Research & Accountability

Appendix 1

putting research into practice


Literature Review

School Attendance and Achievement School attendance is known to be a key factor influencing academic achievement and high school graduation (Spradlin, Stephanie, Chen, Shi, Chen, Han, & Cierniak, 2012). Generally, students who are persistently absent (missing 10% or more school days during the school year) are less likely to be successful in school. Research shows that the students most at-risk for persistent absenteeism are Black students, Indigenous students, students with disabilities, and especially, students living in poverty (Castro, 2020; Gotfried, Stiefel, Schwartz & Hopkins, 2017; Spradlin et al., 2012). There are many factors that influence absenteeism. “Students who experience racism, who are more likely to be disciplined than others, who do not see themselves or their communities reflected in the curriculum, who cannot connect school to their life goals, and whose families have experienced historic trauma associated with schools are less likely to come to school” (Curry-Stevens & Kim-Gervey, 2016, p. 76). Yet for students from marginalized groups, persistent absenteeism is seen as the fault of the students or families. This “deficit thinking” holds “students from historically oppressed populations responsible for the challenges and inequalities that they face” (Davis & Museus, 2019, p. 117), rather than looking at the systems and structures in place. In a focus group conducted with Black male students for the We Rise Together initiative in PDSB, students expressed that “teachers did not understand, or chose to ignore the various challenges they faced personally and at home,” and instead reprimanded students for missing school (Gray et al., 2016, p. 9).

Examining Student Achievement from a Critical Race Stance Student achievement is influenced by assessment practices, including students’ perception of the assessment environment. Assessment-related activities used in the classroom may signal what is valued and rewarded, and this may have an influence on students’ achievement goals. According to Volante (2006), “Fairness in assessment and evaluation is grounded in the belief that all students should be able to demonstrate their learning regardless of their socio-economic status, ethnicity, gender, geographic location, learning style, and/or need for special services” (p. 34). From a critical race stance, assessment-related activities must be developed with the understanding of the differences that students bring with them and how their strengths can be leveraged to allow them to best demonstrate their learning. Equity is not attained through classroom assessment practices, such as rubric design and peer response techniques, when built on unjust and unexamined measurement principles that privilege white norms and values. Instead, we need to take what we know about how students learn, combine that culturally responsive instruction and assessment, and link this work with a theory of ethics for equitable and inclusive assessment (Randall & Poe, 2021).

Data Sources and Methodology This report uses data from secondary school courses (grades 9-12) in quadmesters 1 and 2 of the 2020-2021 school year: 1) The Peel District School Board's Student Information System (SIS) was the data source for: - course enrolment - marks received - absenteeism rate (% of days absent) - student gender


2) The Student Census, conducted in November 2018, was the data source for racial background. The unit of analysis was the individual course attempt (a ‘course attempt’ is counted every time a student is enrolled in a class). Except where noted, all results have been aggregated over quadmesters 1 and 2.

Racial Background Chart The categories outlined below come from the Ontario Data Standards for the Identification and Monitoring of Systemic Racism. These are used throughout the report to describe the groupings of racial

backgrounds with which students self-identified.

Results Figure 1 displays the overall differences in course attempts, average marks, and average absenteeism by quadmester. There were more course attempts in quadmester 1 and the average absenteeism rate was more than double in quadmester 2 (7.6%) when compared to quadmester 1 (3.8%). The average marks for the two quadmesters were similar.

Figure 1: Overall Attendance and Achievement

South Asian (e.g., Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi descent)

White (e.g., English, Italian, German, European descent)

Black (e.g., African, Afro-Caribbean, African-Canadian descent)

Middle Eastern (e.g., Egyptian, Emiratis, Syrian, Saudi Arabian descent)

East Asian (e.g., Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese descent)

Southeast Asian (e.g., Filipino, Vietnamese, Malaysian descent)

Latin American (e.g., Brazilian, Mexican, Cuban, Chilean descent)

First Nations, Métis, and/or Inuit descent

Additional single racial background not listed (e.g., Brown, Sikh)


Figure 2 highlights that there were considerably fewer attempts for grade 12 courses compared to other grades. Students in grade 12 courses received the highest average marks (81.7%), while students in grade 11 courses had the highest rate of absenteeism (6.3%).

Figure 2: Attendance and Achievement by Grade

Corresponding with their representation by population (Peel District School Board, 2020), Figure 3 shows that female students attempted fewer courses than male students but received higher marks and had lower rates of absenteeism, on average, compared to male students.

Figure 3: Attendance and Achievement by Gender


Figure 4 shows the breakdown of course attempts by racial background. Corresponding with their representation by population (Peel District School Board, 2020), South Asian students had the highest number of course attempts (63,387), followed by White students (20,727), and Black students (12,395). No racial background data was available for 41,104 of course attempts, either because these students did not answer this question on the Student Census, or they enrolled in the Board after the census was conducted in November 2018.

Figure 4: Course Attempts by Racial Background

Figure 5 displays average marks by racial background. East Asian students received the highest average marks (86.2%), followed by Southeast Asian (81.6%), and South Asian (81.1%) students. First Nations, Métis and Inuit students received the lowest average marks (70.3%), whereas Black students received the second lowest average marks (71.7%), and Latin American students received the third lowest average marks (74.1%).

Figure 5: Marks by Racial Background


Figure 6 shows that First Nations, Métis and Inuit students had the highest rates of average absenteeism (9.2%). Black and Latin American Students had the second highest rates of absenteeism at 8.7% and 8.1%, respectively. East Asian students had the lowest average rate of absenteeism (2.7%).

Figure 6: Absenteeism by Racial Background

Figure 7 illustrates the strong intersectional relationship between racial background, marks, and absenteeism. First Nations, Métis and Inuit students are the most at-risk group with the lowest marks and highest absenteeism. Black and Latin American students can also be considered at-risk using these metrics. East Asian students are the least at-risk with the highest marks and lowest absenteeism.

Figure 7: Relationship Between Marks and Absenteeism by Racial Background


Figure 8 displays that Grade 10 Canadian and World Studies are taken most frequently (9856 attempts), followed by Grade 11 Science courses (8656 attempts).

Figure 8: Course Attempts by Subject and Grade

Figure 9 shows that students taking grade 12 courses generally received the highest average marks. Students taking Mathematics in grades 9, 10 and 11 received the lowest average marks (73.1%-73.8%) compared to other courses, with the exception of grade 12 Career Studies/Guidance (73.5%).

Figure 9: Marks by Subject and Grade


Figure 10 displays that Physical Education and Career Studies/Guidance in grades 11 and 12 had the highest rates of absenteeism (8.4%-10.3%), whereas French and Science had the lowest absenteeism for most grades (3.1%-5.5%).

Figure 10: Absenteeism by Subject and Grade

There was no observed relationship between marks and rates of absenteeism by course and grade. Figure 11 illustrates the number of course attempts by racial background and gender. Course attempts by male students outnumbered course attempts by female students for most racial backgrounds, except Multiple Racial Backgrounds and Southeast Asian.

Figure 11: Course Attempts by Racial Background and Gender


Figure 11 shows that female students received higher marks than male students of the same racial background, with the exception of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students. The greatest gender difference was observed between Black female students (74.8%) and Black male students (69.1%).

Figure 12: Marks by Racial Background and Gender

Figure 13 displays that male students were absent more than female students for most racial backgrounds. The exception is First Nations, Métis, Inuit students where female students were absent more than male students, as 12.7% and 9.1% respectively.

Figure 13: Absenteeism by Racial Background and Gender


Figure 14 illustrates the strong intersectional relationship between marks and absenteeism by racial background for both male and female students. Black male, Latin American male, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit female students can be considered at the highest risk with the lowest marks and highest absenteeism.

Figure 14: Relationship between Marks and Absenteeism by Racial Background and Gender

Summary and Future Research These preliminary findings suggest that inequities in academic outcomes are persisting for Black, Latin American, and Indigenous students, particularly Black male, Latin American male, and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit female students. This is reflective of the findings of the Ministry Review (Chadha, Herbert, & Richard, 2020), as well as previous research that speaks to the educational outcomes and trajectories of racialized students attributable to anti-Black racism and other forms of systemic oppression in public education (James, 2019; James & Turner, 2017). These results are not likely solely reflective of system practices in a single year; many students currently in secondary school have experienced, to some degree, a culture of low expectations, inequitable assessment practices, and lack of culturally relevant curricula since they were in kindergarten. Given the strong relationship between attendance and achievement, it is important to pursue further inquiry as to the reasons why students have been absent from school and the extent to which this has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Continued inquiry into the intersecting relationships between achievement, race, and gender is necessary to inform future efforts towards system transformation.


References Bell, D. (1995). Who’s Afraid of Critical Race Theory? University of Illinois Law Review, 1995, 893-910.

Castro, A. (2020). " Our Kids Aren't Attending": Perceptions of School Leaders and African American Parents/Guardians Towards Student Chronic Absenteeism at the Elementary School Level [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. California State University, Long Beach.

Chadha, E., Herbert, S., & Richard, S. (2020). Review of the Peel District School Board. Ontario Ministry of Education. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/new/review-peel-district-school-board-report-en.pdf

Curry-Stevens, A., Kim-Gervey, C, & Chief Education Office Research Team (2016). Chronic absenteeism report. Salem, OR: Chief Education Office, Oregon, and Center to Advance Racial Equity, Portland State University.

Davis, L. P., & Museus, S. D. (2019). What is deficit thinking? An analysis of conceptualizations of deficit thinking and implications for scholarly research. NCID Currents, 1(1).

Gottfried, M. A., Stiefel, L., Schwartz, A. E., & Hopkins, B. (2019). Showing up: Disparities in chronic absenteeism between students with and without disabilities in traditional public schools. Teachers College Record, 121(8), 1-34.

Gray, E., Bailey, R., Brady, J., & Tecle, S. (2016). Perspectives of Black Male Students in Secondary School: Understanding the Successes and Challenges—Student Focus Group Results. Mississauga, ON: Peel District School Board.

Howard, T. C. (2008). Who really cares? The disenfranchisement of African American males in PreK-12 schools: A critical race theory perspective. Teachers College Record, 110(5), 954-985.

James, C. E. (2012). Life at the intersection: Community, class and schooling. Halifax, NS: Fernwood.

James, C. E. (2019). We Rise Together. Peel District School Board. Retrieved from https://www.peelschools.org/about/inclusion/Documents/We%20Rise%20Together%20report%20-%20Carl%20E%20James%20June%202019.pdf?csf=1&e=XnmaYZ

James, C. E. (2020). Racial Inequity COVID-19 And the Education of Black and Other Marginalized Students. The Royal Society of Canada. 1-10. Retrieved from https://rsc-src.ca/en/covid-19/impact-covid-19-in-racialized-communities/racial-inequity-covid-19-and-education-black-and

James, C. E., & Turner, T. (2017). Towards race equity in education: The schooling of Black students in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto, ON: York University. Retrieved from https://edu.yorku.ca/files/2017/04/Towards-Race-Equity-in-Education-April-2017.pdf

Ladson-Billings, G. (1998) Just what is critical race theory and what's it doing in a nice field like education? International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 11:1, 7-24.

Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario) (2020). COVID-19 in Ontario – A Focus on Diversity: January 15, 2020 to May 14, 2020 Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario. Retrieved from https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/epi/2020/06/covid-19-epi-diversity.pdf?la=en

Peel District School Board. (2020). Student census 2018: Overall board report (kindergarten to grade 12). Mississauga, ON: Peel District School Board. Retrieved from https://www.peelschools.org/about/research-accountability/student-census/Documents/Student-Census-2018-Board-Report_May2020.pdf



http://www.peelschools.org/aboutus/equity/Documents/We%20Rise%20Together%20report%20-%20Carl%20E%20James%20June%202019.pdf



https://rsc-src.ca/en/covid-19/impact-covid-19-in-racialized-communities/racial-inequity-covid-19-and-education-black-and

https://rsc-src.ca/en/covid-19/impact-covid-19-in-racialized-communities/racial-inequity-covid-19-and-education-black-and

https://edu.yorku.ca/files/2017/04/Towards-Race-Equity-in-Education-April-2017.pdf

https://edu.yorku.ca/files/2017/04/Towards-Race-Equity-in-Education-April-2017.pdf

https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/epi/2020/06/covid-19-epi-diversity.pdf?la=en

https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/ncov/epi/2020/06/covid-19-epi-diversity.pdf?la=en

https://www.peelschools.org/about/research-accountability/student-census/Documents/Student-Census-2018-Board-Report_May2020.pdf

https://www.peelschools.org/about/research-accountability/student-census/Documents/Student-Census-2018-Board-Report_May2020.pdf


Randall, J., & Poe, M. (2021). Ain’t Oughta Be in the Dictionary: Getting to Justice by Dismantling Anti‐Black Literacy Assessment Practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 64(5), 594–599. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1142

Region of Peel (2020, August). COVID-19 and the social determinants of health: Race and occupation. Retrieved from https://www.peelregion.ca/coronavirus/_media/COVID-19-race-and-occupation.pdf

Solórzano, D. G., & Yosso, T. J. (2002). Critical race methodology: Counter-storytelling as an analytical framework for education research. Qualitative Inquiry, 8(1), 23-44.

Spradlin, T., Cierniak, K., Shi, D., & Chen, M. (2012). Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism in Indiana: The Impact on Student Achievement. Education Policy Brief, Volume 10, Number 3, Summer 2012. Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, Indiana University.

Volante, L. (2006). Reducing bias in classroom assessment and evaluation. Orbit, 36(2), 34–36.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1142