TurnAround Schools and the No Excuses University Network
Partnering to Prepare all Students for College
In our last newsletter, we shared a story about Poway Unified School District’s (San Diego, CA) implementation of MAP assessments to help fulfill its vision for all students to graduate college-ready. Los Peñasquitos (Los Pen), an elementary school in the district, is also part of a program called the No Excuses University Network and TurnAround Schools. This program, founded by former Los Pen principal Damen Lopez, partners each classroom with a four-year institution to expose students to a culture of higher education.
At its core, the No Excuses University Network was designed to help build a bridge for all students to attend college – especially those who come from families who believe a college education isn’t even a remote possibility. A major component of the program is the use of MAP testing, which gives each school a tool to help measure student growth – a tool many of them lacked prior to using MAP.
Using MAP to Create ‘Exceptional Systems’
“Since I left Los Pen to create the No Excuses University Network and TurnAround Schools, I have seen MAP play a very important role in helping schools create ‘exceptional systems’ around assessment,” says Lopez. “Without it, it would be very hard to achieve academic growth for all students at Los Pen and at the schools within the No Excuses University Network.”
TurnAround Schools, educators within the NEU Network and NWEA believe that every student must be recognized for his or her individual academic growth, no matter what his or her personal backgrounds may include.
The Proof is in the Data
“In the end, we don’t share notions about what we think will work, we share data about what is working,” says Lopez. “MAP is an assessment that has given us data to show positive change for kids of all backgrounds, from all areas of our nation.”
Learn More
To read more about how TurnAround Schools and the No Excuses University Network has utilized MAP testing to help fulfill its mission, look for the full case study posted in the SPARK Community. The case study illustrates more examples of how schools and teachers in the program have benefitted from MAP. We also encourage you to check out Lopez’s blog, “Educational Restoration” and share your MAP story in the SPARK Community.