Providence Public School District

Office of Innovation Zone

797 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903-4045
tel. 401.278.2099
fax 401.456.9252

JORGE O. ELORZA

Mayor
SUSAN F. LUSI, PH.D
Superintendent

Opportunity by Design (OBD) High School housed at Hope HS

Hiring Exercise
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
The first step in our process is to submit a completed application, along with your PATS profile. A completed
application contains the following components:
Resume
Cover letter that includes acknowledgment of the candidates commitment to the conditions of the position
and a detailed description of how the candidate meets the job qualifications
Completed Hiring Exercise (see below)
(To create a profile on PATS to apply, go to:
http://www.providenceschools.org/pages/ProvidenceSchools/Teachers/ApplyForJobs)

HIRING EXERCISE
We feel that hiring exercises give candidates an opportunity to make a meaningful assessment of how a role will fit
them and allow us to review a candidates skills in an in-depth manner. Please read the context below and
complete the numbered tasks and submit your response along with your resume and cover letter.
At the Opportunity by Design High School housed at Hope HS, students will move at their own pace through whole
group teaching, computer-based exercises, 1:1 tutorials and small groups for targeted support. This asynchronous
approach within each classroom means that students are doing different things at different times every day, based
on their own personalized education plans. The digital content programs used at our school will be largely selfpaced and include assessments to regulate students understanding and readiness to progress. Teachers will use
these tools to identify knowledge gaps among students and tailor support to the students ability levels. The online
software can supplement understanding, allow advanced students to push ahead, and identify students that need
additional help.
1.

Review the following pages of data related to climate, culture and academic achievement and the 10
Carnegie School Design Principles.

2.

Please submit a written response (no more than 500 words) that outlines your plan for how you would
design your classroom to meet the different social, emotional and academic needs of your students based
on the data and design principles. Please state rationale for the priorities and components included in your
plan. This exercise presents an opportunity to introduce new, out-of-the-box designs. We encourage you
to propose your most creative options.

3.

Save your file with your last name and upload into the PATS system as: [last name]_Hiring Exercise.

Thank you for participating in our process!

An effective secondary school design incorporates 10 integrated

principles to meet the demands of the Common Core.
These were developed through a scan of design principles used by New York City Department of Education, New Visions for Public
Schools, and other high-performing school networks, and refined with the feedback and contributions of experienced educators.

A h i g h-p e r f o r m i n g s e c o n d a r y s c h o o l :

Integrates positive youth

development to optimize
student engagement & effort
Caring, consistent student-adult
relationships that communicate high
expectations for student learning and
behavior
Clear expectations for student
competencies and standards of
performance
Opportunities for students to contribute
to the school environment and have a
voice in decisions
Encouragement of student
responsibility for meeting learning and
personal goals
Openness to and encouragement of
family participation
Integration of community
participation, assets, and culture

Prioritizes mastery of
rigorous standards aligned
to college & career readiness
Curriculum that enables all students to
meet rigorous standards
Multiple opportunities for students to
show mastery through performancebased assessments
Student advancement based on
demonstration of mastery of
knowledge and skills

Continuously improves its

operations & model
Use of performance data and analytics
to improve curriculum and instruction
Regular review and revision of school
operations and model to increase
effectiveness

Develops & deploys

collective strengths
Teacher teaming that strengthens
instructional design and delivery and
enables professional growth
Mechanisms that promote innovation
and initiative among teachers and staff
Differentiated roles for adults
(e.g., multiple teacher roles) that
enable effective implementation of the
school model

Manages school operations

efficiently & effectively
Purposeful use of time, people, and
technology to optimize teachers ability
to support student learning
All elements of school design organized
to maximize efficient use of resources
Flexible, customizable scheduling
Clear operational performance goals
and accountability mechanisms
Automation of basic tasks
whenever possible

Maintains an effective human

capital strategy aligned with
school model & priorities
Consistent, high-quality systems
for sourcing and selecting teachers
and staff
Individualized professional
development that cultivates teachers
strengths and meets school needs and
priorities, including use of
blended learning
Fair and equitable teacher evaluation
Leadership development opportunities
and a leadership pipeline

Empowers & supports students

through key transitions into &
beyond high school
Explicit linkages between future
academic and career pathways and
current learning and activities
Transparency regarding student status
and progress toward graduation for
students and parents/guardians

Remains porous & connected

Effective partnerships with
organizations that enrich student
learning and increase access to
community resources and supports
Participation in a network of schools
that share knowledge and assets

Has a clear mission &

coherent culture
Clearly defined purpose, goals, and
school culture
Mission and culture embodied in all
aspects of school design

Personalizes student learning to

meet student needs
Instruction in a variety of learning
modalities, linked to students
strengths and learning goals
Data-driven, real-time feedback for
students and teachers
Embedded, performance-based
formative assessments
Effective use of technology for
anytime, anywhere learning

Incoming Student Data

Opportunity by Design Schools

2014 Providence Public School District

Domains and Indicators of Success

Domain #1:
Culture and Climate

Domain #2:
Academic Achievement

2014 Providence Public School District

Student attendance

Behavior

Reading achievement

Math achievement

Graduation rates (HS)

Course grades (MS and HS)

 Domain #1: Culture and Climate

Domain #2: Academic Achievement

2014 Providence Public School District

2012-13 and 2013-14 Yearly Student Attendance Averages

100%

2012-13

2013-14 YTD

95%
90

90%
80

85%
70

80%

60

75%
50

70%
40

65%
30

MS 1

2014 Providence Public School District

MS 2

MS 3

MS 4

MS 5

MS 6

% of Students by Absenteeism Level

2010/2011 and 2011/2012
100%
6.7%

9.6%

90%
80%

27.5%

50%

14.4%

20.8%

23.5%

17.1%

14.7%

15.5%

24.1%

21.6%

21.2%

21.9%

70%

60%

16.5%

25.3%

20.1%

21.5%
27.5%
29.2%

23.5%

25.5%

23.9%

29.3%

34.7%

31.9%

Gr. 8
11/12

All
10/11

30.2%

40%
30%
47.0%
20%

38.3%

33.5%

36.6%
27.3%

39.5%

10%
0%
Gr. 6
10/11

Gr. 6
11/12

Gr. 7
10/11
Low
(< 5%)

2014 Providence Public School District

Gr. 7
11/12

Gr. 8
10/11

Moderate
(5 - < 10%)

Chronic
(10 - < 20%)

Excessive
( 20%)

All
11/12

Average Student Attendance by Month

100%

100%

98%

98%

96%

96%

94%

94%

92%

92%

90%

90%

88%

88%

86%

86%

84%

84%

82%

82%

80%

80%
Sept.

2014 Providence Public School District

Oct.

Nov.

Sept. Feb.
Jan.

Dec.

Oct.
Mar.

Apr. Nov.
May

Jun. Dec.

Student Chronic Absenteeism (Absent > 10%)

100%
92%
2012-13

2013-14 YTD
82%

80%

60%
53%
2012-13 state
average: 11.5%
40%

35%
28%

32%
29%

25%
21%

32%
23%

18%

20%
11%

10%10%

7%

16%

4%

2%
0%
Curiale
MS
1

2014 Providence Public School District

Dunbar
MS
2

Milner
MS
3

DiLoreto
MS 4

HSC
MS
5

Cross**
MS
6

Briggs

Stanton

Walsh*

Crosby*

Wind

Average Daily Staff Attendance Rate YTD

100%

95%
90%

80%
90%

70%
85%
Curiale
MS
1
2014 Providence Public School District

Dunbar
MS 2

Milner*
MS 3

DiLoreto
MS 4
8

HSC*5
MS

Cross*
MS 6

Briggs

Stanton

Walsh

Crosby

Discipline Rate
Students With 1+ Incident of ISS, OSS, or Expulsion as Percent of Enrolled Students

75%

2012-13
2013-14 YTD

50%

25%

0%
Curiale
MS
1

Dunbar
MS 2

2014 Providence Public School District

Milner
MS 3

DiLoreto
MS 4

HSC5
MS

Cross*
MS
6

Briggs

Stanton

Walsh

Crosby

Windham

 Domain #1: Culture and Climate

Domain #2: Academic Achievement

2014 Providence Public School District

10

NECAP Reading:
Overall % Proficient and Above
100%
80%

56%

60%
42%

45%

49%

49%

44%

40%

47%

45%

2010-11
2009
2010
2011-12

32%

2011

2012-13

20%
0%
Grade 6

Grade 7

100%
80%

Grade 8

State
68%

71%

73%

70%

72%
65%

71%

74%

78%

60%

2010-11
2009

40%

2011-12
2010

20%

2012-13
2011

0%
Grade 6

2014 Providence Public School District

Grade 7

11

Grade 8

NECAP Reading:
Grade 6 by Proficiency Level
100%

2
6

90%

80%
38

43
43

70%

60%
% Level 4
50%

% Level 3
% Level 2

40%

39

% Level 1

36
37

30%

20%

10%

20

19
14

0%
Grade 6
2009
2010-11

2014 Providence Public School District

Grade 6

Grade 6

2010
2011-12

12

2011
2012-13

NECAP Reading:
Grade 7 by Proficiency Level
100%

90%
31

80%
43
49

70%

60%
% Level 4
50%

% Level 3
46

% Level 2
40%

33

% Level 1
36

30%

20%
24

10%

23
16

0%
Grade 7

Grade 7

Grade 7

2009
2010-11

2010
2011-12

2011
2012-13

2014 Providence Public School District

13

NECAP Reading:
Grade 8 by Proficiency Level
100%

90%

80%
41
39

70%

49

60%
% Level 4
50%

% Level 3
% Level 2

40%
34

% Level 1
41
27

30%

20%

10%

19

18

14

0%
Grade 8
2009
2010-11

2014 Providence Public School District

Grade 8

Grade 8

2010
2011-12

2011
2012-13

14

NECAP Reading: Sub-group Proficiency

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

57%
52%

50%

51%

50%

40%

African American

46%
39%

39%

Hispanic
White

44%

LEP

39%

IEP

30%

20%
13%
9%

10%

(147) (423) (40) (82) (140)

9%

8%

(132)(476 (161) (116)

0%
2009
2010-11

2014 Providence Public School District

2010
2011-12

2011
2012-13

15

Percent of Students with Failing Grades

(2013-14)
100%
% of Students with Failing Grade
Quarter 1
90%
% of Students with Failing Grade
Quarter 2

80%

% of Students with Failing Grade

Quarter 3

70%

% of Students with Failing Grade

Quarter 4

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
ELEC1
MS

ENG2
MS

2014 Providence Public School District

FLNG3
MS

MATH
MS
4

PHED
MS
5

SCI 6
MS

16

SOC

Overall

NECAP Math:
Overall % Proficient and Above
100%

80%

60%

49%

40%

32%
25%

2010
2011-12

29%
17%

20%

2009
2010-11
26%

22%

20%

22%

2012-13
2011

0%
Grade 6

Grade 7

100%
80%

Grade 8

State
68%

71%

73%

70%

72%
65%

71%

74%

78%

60%

2010-11
2009

40%

2010
2011-12
2011
2012-13

20%
0%
Grade 6

2014 Providence Public School District

Grade 7

17

Grade 8

NECAP Math:
Grade 6 by Proficiency Level
100%

90%
24
26

29

80%

70%

60%

28
27

% Level 4

28

50%

% Level 3
% Level 2

40%

% Level 1

30%
47

20%

45
39

10%

0%
Grade 6

Grade 6

Grade 6

2009

2010

2011

2010-11

2014 Providence Public School District

2011-12

18

2012-13

NECAP Math:
Grade 7 by Proficiency Level
100%

90%

16

21

80%
49

70%
31

23

60%
% Level 4
50%

% Level 3
% Level 2

40%

% Level 1
36

30%
52

55

20%

10%

16

0%
Grade 7
2010-11
2009

2014 Providence Public School District

Grade 7
2011-12
2010

Grade 7
2012-13
2011

19

NECAP Math:
Grade 8 by Proficiency Level
100%

90%

19

21

24

80%

70%

24

23

25

60%

% Level 4
50%

% Level 3
% Level 2

40%

% Level 1

30%

56

54

Grade 8
2010-11

Grade 8
2011-12

Grade 8
2012-13

2009

2010

2011

49

20%

10%

0%

2014 Providence Public School District

20

NECAP Math: Sub-group Proficiency

100%

90%

80%

70%

60%

African
American
Hispanic

50%

White
40%
LEP
IEP

30%

20%

10%

0%

2010-11

2009

2014 Providence Public School District

2011-12

2011
2012-13

2010

21