SHARP Students BRIGHT Futures

In my first blog, I wrote about how heart-warming it was to hear how much people believe in the SHARP program, the schools, students, and educators.  Hearing people talk about their connection to SHARP gave motivation and inspiration as I began my journey as your executive director. I have learned that educators’, administrators’ and donors’ respect for the SHARP program is rooted in what the SHARP program brings to a classroom and what that means for Milwaukee’s youth.  Here is a taste of why people have believed in the past and will continue to believe in SHARP:

SHARP Students BRIGHT Futures

• SHARP Books: Student-researched We Love to Learn book series.  The 11^th book is scheduled to be released in September.
• SHARP Results: SHARP students show significant vocabulary gains. We are currently compiling the results from the pre- and post- assessments for 2012-2013. (See more below)
• SHARP Initiatives: Book In Every Child’s Hands, Artist-in-Residence (Murals and Quilts), and the Writing Challenges.
• SHARP Grade Level Specific-Curriculum: SHARP-developed student and teacher workbooks aligned with the Wisconsin Academic Standards for science, social studies, and language arts.  This past year the SHARP program was implemented in 248 classrooms and 30 schools.
• SHARP Hands-on learning tools and experiences: Working in partnership with Milwaukee School of Engineering and Brady Corporation, SHARP has developed 3D learning tools to use in conjunction with the 1^st grade book about pollination and the 2^nd grade book about water.
• SHARP Tours: SHARP students in grades 2-5 attend a SHARP-trained docent-led tour of the Milwaukee Art Museum.  SHARP students in grade 1 attend a tour of the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University. 

Now more on the Results!

Bee Quilting Unveiling at the
Milwaukee Art Museum

In the 2011-12 school year, SHARP began testing all SHARP students across all grade levels and at all SHARP schools.  Previous assessments included only a subset of the SHARP student population.  Pre- and post- vocabulary assessments include using context clues instead of the current practice of only matching words with definitions to more closely align with expectations on the Smarter Balanced Assessments.

This year, SHARP hired an external evaluator to complete a comprehensive assessment of SHARP student achievement (grades 1 through 5), a comparison between SHARP students’ ability to correctly identify and use vocabulary words and students that do not currently participate, and a longitudinal study tracking SHARP students’ progress as they advance through the grades.  These measurable outcomes will provide evidence-backed validation of the SHARP program’s impact. 

The final report will be released in early August as part of the SHARP Annual Report, but we do have some preliminary results. 

1^st Grade-Semester 1, Apple Pie Tree

The first grade program continues to grow, and over 1,000 1^st grade students participated this year.  Results indicate that during the 1st semester, on average, 82% of SHARP 1st graders made significant gains in identifying and using curriculum-related vocabulary words.  This is an increase from 68% in 2011-12.  Nearly 80% of 1st graders took the assessment this year. 

The schools with the highest percent of vocabulary gains and highest percent of students tested for grade 1 are as follows:

School	% of students tested	% of students with vocabulary gains
Blessed Sacrament	100%	100%
Escuela Vieau	95%	92%
Victory School	86%	90%
King’s Academy	94%	88%
Catholic East	100%	83%

All Grades Participation Rates for Select SHARP schools

The goal is that 75% of our students to complete both pre- and post-assessments.  The initial average is 82%, an increase from last year’s 77%.

All Grades Percent of Vocabulary Gains for Select SHARP schools

SHARP 2nd Grader

The goal is that at least 60% of all SHARP students demonstrate a significant improvement in thematic vocabulary and concept acquisition over the course of one year.  The average for select SHARP schools is currently 93%.

These results show that big things are happening at SHARP!  We will continue to assess our program in order to best serve our schools and students. Thank you for being a part of our students’ journey and helping them achieve the bright futures that they work so hard for, and that they deserve.