Civic Seal Units · Unit 3
The School Equity Review
A High School Civics Project modeled on NYSED Handbook Example 2
Civic Seal Units · Unit 3
The School Equity Review
Data first, testimony second, recommendations last
Grades 9 to 12 · 5 weeks, one 45-minute class or delegation meeting per week plus independent work
Teacher note. Materials: the school's public report card data (NY: the NYSED data site; CT: EdSight; RI: RIDE's report cards), the district code of conduct, and Supporting Documents 1 to 4: Data Reading Guide, Code of Conduct Review Grid, Hearing Protocol and Testimony Record, Equity Resolution Template.
What this project may count toward
New York
- May count as a High School Civics Project (Civic Participation)
- The School Civic Readiness Committee decides
Connecticut
- Can be documented as seal portfolio evidence
- File the data guide, resolution, presentation and response as one entry
Rhode Island
- May count as the student-led civics project
- The district confirms
Teacher note. Nothing is guaranteed. In NY the source lists this as a possible 1.5 points, which may be earned twice in grades 9 to 12; confirm Seal Committee acceptance first. In CT the State Department of Education sets the criteria and districts decide whether to offer the seal. In RI the district confirms.
The story
The school is the jurisdiction
Your committee treats the school as the jurisdiction and the code of conduct as the law. You will read the equity data, hold a hearing, and send recommendations to school leadership, the way a legislative committee would.
- Chair
- Clerk
- Members
- Witnesses
- School leadership
Teacher note. NYSED's Handbook Example 2 has a student committee analyze equity data and give the administration recommendations on the code of conduct. Tell the principal the project is happening before Week 1, since it ends with a presentation to leadership.
You will be able to
- Read the school's public data and describe what it shows by student group.
- Connect code of conduct provisions to patterns in the data.
- Take testimony from students, staff and families fairly and record it.
- Write a resolution whose findings and recommendations cite data and policy.
- Present recommendations to school leadership and record the response.
Ground rules
No names. Group-level data only. Testimony anonymized.
No individual students or staff in any document.
Teacher note. Agree on these with the advisor before starting. Committees are four to six students with a chair, a clerk and members. Each member keeps individual notes and writes an individual reflection.
Week 1 · 45 min
Read the Data
- What equity data is10 min
- Data Reading Guide25 min
- Committee findings, draft one10 min
What equity data is
- Enrollment
- How many students, by group
- Chronic absenteeism
- Attendance, by group
- Suspensions and referrals
- Discipline, by group
- Participation
- Advanced courses, clubs and athletics
- Reported groups
- Race and ethnicity, economic status, disability, English learners, gender
Teacher note. 10 minutes. These are the measures broken out by the groups the state reports.
Data Reading Guide
In pairs, complete the guide for two measures.
- School-wide number
- Number for each group
- Where the gaps are
- Three-year trend: narrowing, widening or flat
- Groups too small to report
Teacher note. The guide also asks what the measure cannot tell us.
Findings, draft one
Three sentences that state the largest gaps with numbers. No causes yet.
Week 2 · 45 min
Read the Code
- Code of conduct walk-through15 min
- Review Grid25 min
- Questions for the hearing5 min
Code walk-through
Find these sections in the code of conduct.
- Expected behavior
- The discipline ladder
- Which offenses allow suspension
- Due process steps
- Restorative or support options
Review Grid
For each data gap, which code provisions touch it? Rate each one.
- Clear or vague
- Discretionary or fixed
- Supportive options present or absent
Teacher note. Examples: the referral process and dress code for referral disparities; attendance interventions for chronic absenteeism; prerequisites and recruitment for advanced course gaps.
Questions for the hearing
Write two questions a witness could answer that the data cannot.
Week 3 · 45 min
The Hearing
- Protocol5 min
- Witnesses35 min
- Clerk's summary5 min
Hearing protocol
- The chair opens and states the purpose.
- Each witness speaks for three minutes.
- Members ask questions through the chair.
- No individual students or staff are named.
- Witnesses may decline any question.
- The clerk records.
Hear the witnesses
Record each witness by role, not name: three key statements, questions and answers, theme tags.
Teacher note. Invite at least six in advance: students from different groups and grades, a teacher, a counselor or dean, a family member, a student government officer. If a witness cannot attend, take written testimony.
Clerk's summary
What three themes did the testimony add to the data?
Week 4 · 45 min
Findings and Recommendations
- Equity Resolution25 min
- Cost and feasibility check15 min
- Vote5 min
Supporting Document 4
Equity Resolution Template
A Resolution of the [School] Student Equity Review Committee concerning the Code of Conduct
Whereas, [finding with number and source];
Whereas, testimony received on [date] from [number] witnesses indicated that [theme];
Therefore, be it Resolved, that [specific recommendation], to be carried out by [office], with success measured by [data measure] in [year]; and
Be it further Resolved, that [second recommendation]...
Adopted [date] by a vote of __ to __. Minority view attached: Y / N
Write the resolution
- Each whereas cites a number or a testimony theme
- Each resolved names a code provision to change, add or clarify
- Who carries it out
- How success shows in next year's data
Cost and feasibility
For each recommendation, one line: what does it cost, and who decides?
- Principal
- Superintendent
- Board
Teacher note. Flag recommendations the board must approve for the board calendar.
Roll call vote
The committee adopts the resolution by roll call.
Teacher note. Dissenting members may attach a one-paragraph minority view, which is also evidence.
Week 5 · 45 min
Present and Record
- Build the presentation20 min
- Rehearse25 min
Teacher note. The meeting with leadership happens outside the 45 minutes.
Build the presentation
Ten slides or a two-page brief.
- The data, in two charts
- The code provisions at issue
- What the hearing added
- Recommendations with measures
- The ask
Rehearse
Present to the advisor, who plays the principal.
Present to leadership
Present to the principal at minimum. The clerk records the response and any commitments.
Teacher note. Include the superintendent or board where the recommendations require it. Send a thank-you with the resolution attached.
Reflection
300 to 500 words per member.
- What the data showed and what the hearing changed
- What we recommended and what leadership said
- What I would do next
- How this changed my civic knowledge, skills and mindsets
Equity Review Rubric (100 rubric points)
- Data Analysis: 25
- Code of Conduct Review: 20
- Hearing: 15
- Resolution: 20
- Presentation to Leadership: 15
- Reflection: 5
Teacher note. Hearing requires at least six witnesses across groups, protocol followed, testimony anonymized. Resolution requires specific, assigned, measurable recommendations, cost and decision maker noted, and the vote recorded.
Evidence for your file
- Data Reading Guides
- Code of Conduct Review Grid
- Testimony records and clerk's summary
- The adopted resolution and any minority view
- The presentation and leadership's response
- Your individual reflection
Teacher note. RI: the unit is student led, reasons from data and testimony, and connects district policy, state reporting requirements and the federal civil rights framework behind the reported groups. CT: file the data guide, resolution, presentation and leadership response as one portfolio entry.
Before you go
- What is the largest gap you found, with its number?
- Which code provision do you think connects to it?
Teacher note. Support: pre-pull two measures and three code sections, reduce the hearing to four witnesses, give a resolution frame. Challenge: add a comparison school, survey the student body, present to the board in public comment and track later agendas.
Your recommendations are on the record
Your school's committee or district decides how it counts
Eyes up here
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