TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................................ 4
STUDENT/COMMUNITY PROFILE .............................................................................................................. 5
HISTORY ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
COMMUNITY PROFILE ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Overview of Governance Structures and Affiliations ........................................................................................................................... 6
Tuition, Financial Aid, and Budgeting Philosophy ............................................................................................................................ 6
Profile of the Faculty, Staff, and Administration ............................................................................................................................... 7
Profile of the Student Body ............................................................................................................................................................... 11
PROFILE OF SCHOOL PROGRAMS .................................................................................................................................................. 13
The Promotion of a Faith that Does Justice ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Retreat Program ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 13
Service Learning Program ............................................................................................................................................................................ 14
Immersion Program ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Co-Curricular Activities .................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Clubs ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 17
Athletics ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
Academics........................................................................................................................................................................................ 19
Curriculum....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Technology ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19
Grading Scale/ GPA ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
Honors and Advanced Placement Courses .............................................................................................................................................. 21
Dual Enrollment Program ........................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Standardized Test Data ................................................................................................................................................................................. 23
Support Services for Students ........................................................................................................................................................... 26
Counseling Department ................................................................................................................................................................................ 26
Student Assistance Program ........................................................................................................................................................................ 26
Drug and Alcohol Program ......................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Ad Majorem Community (AMC) ............................................................................................................................................................... 26
College Matriculation Information .................................................................................................................................................... 27
EXPECTED SCHOOL-WIDE LEARNING RESULTS (ESLRS) ................................................................... 28
JSEA PROFILE OF THE GRADUATE AT GRADUATION .............................................................................................................. 29
Preface to the 2010 Re-visioned Profile of the Graduate at Graduation............................................................................................ 29
Introduction to the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation (1980) .................................................................................................... 29
Open to Growth ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 31
Intellectually Competent ............................................................................................................................................................................... 32
Religious ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
Loving .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 35
Committed to Doing Justice ........................................................................................................................................................................ 36
PROGRESS REPORT ....................................................................................................................................... 37
TARGET AREA #1: ARTICULATION AND COMPREHENSION OF GRADUATE AT GRADUATION OUTCOMES. ................. 37
Renewed Emphasis on Graduate at Graduation Throughout the Admission Process ....................................................................... 37
Parent Meetings with School Leadership .......................................................................................................................................... 37
Renewed Emphasis for Mothers’ Guild and Dads’ Club ................................................................................................................. 38
Rennaissance Series .......................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Increased Visibility of the Profile of Graduate at Graduation Document and Language................................................................... 38
Curricular Integration ...................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Faculty Formation ........................................................................................................................................................................... 38
2
Summit on Human Dignity ............................................................................................................................................................. 39
EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS FOR TARGET AREA #1 ...................................................................................................................... 40
TARGET AREA #2: THE CREATION OF UNIFORM CURRICULUM GUIDES ............................................................................. 41
Empowering of Academic Departments and Department Chairs ...................................................................................................... 41
Department Handbooks Have Been Published ................................................................................................................................ 41
Each Course Has a Published Curriculum ...................................................................................................................................... 41
Each Course Has Two Benchmark Assessments Each Semester ..................................................................................................... 41
Student Course Evaluation Each Semester ...................................................................................................................................... 42
Faculty Portfolio Instrument............................................................................................................................................................. 42
EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS FOR TARGET AREA #2 ...................................................................................................................... 43
TARGET AREA #3: CREATE AND IMPROVE PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE HEALTHY STUDENT LEARNING, BEHAVIOR,
AND GROWTH ................................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Restructuring of Counseling Department .......................................................................................................................................... 45
Evolution of Leadership Positions to Increase Administrative Emphasis and Attention on Student Wellness .................................. 45
Increased Emphasis on Student Assistance Program (SAP) ............................................................................................................ 46
Increased Services for Students with Special Learning Needs ............................................................................................................ 46
Creation of Ad Majorem Community (AMC) ................................................................................................................................ 46
Clarification and Consistent Application of Co-Curricular Eligibility Policies ................................................................................. 47
Revised Absence Policy ..................................................................................................................................................................... 47
Student Review Meetings .................................................................................................................................................................. 47
Mandatory Health Class ................................................................................................................................................................. 47
Net-Classroom and BlackBoard ...................................................................................................................................................... 47
Healthy Weight Management Program ............................................................................................................................................ 48
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Initiative ........................................................................................................................................... 48
EVIDENCE OF PROGRESS FOR TARGET AREA #3 ...................................................................................................................... 50
Further Evidence of Progress for Target Area #3 from the Student Survey: ................................................................................... 51
ADDITIONAL SCHOOLWIDE CRITICAL AREA FOR FOLLOW-UP: .............................................................................................. 52
Communication among Administration, Faculty, and Staff ............................................................................................................. 52
Principal‘s Advisory Committee ................................................................................................................................................................. 52
Administrative Evaluations .......................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Student Evaluations of Faculty ................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Increased use of Email to Disseminate Information .............................................................................................................................. 52
BlackBoard Connect ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Increased Responsibility of Department Chairs ...................................................................................................................................... 53
Professional Development Should be Aligned with the School Improvement Plan (Action Plans): ..................................................... 53
SELF-STUDY FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................ 55
CATEGORY A. ORGANIZATION FOR STUDENT LEARNING ................................................................................. 55
A1: School Purpose ........................................................................................................................................................................ 55
A2: Governance Criterion .............................................................................................................................................................. 57
A3: School Leadership Criterion .................................................................................................................................................... 59
A4: Staff Criterion......................................................................................................................................................................... 62
A5: School Environment Criterion ................................................................................................................................................. 64
A6: Reporting Student Progress ...................................................................................................................................................... 66
A7: School Improvement Process..................................................................................................................................................... 67
CATEGORY B: CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION ...................................................................................................... 70
B1: What Students Learn .............................................................................................................................................................. 70
B2: How Students Learn ............................................................................................................................................................... 72
B3: How Assessment is Used ......................................................................................................................................................... 74
CATEGORY C: SUPPORT FOR STUDENT SPIRITUAL, PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC GROWTH ............... 76
3
C1: Campus Ministry, Community-Based Service Learning ........................................................................................................... 76
C2: Student Connectedness ............................................................................................................................................................. 77
C3: Parent-Community Involvement ............................................................................................................................................... 79
D: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT............................................................................................... 81
D1: Resources ................................................................................................................................................................................. 81
D2: Resource Planning ................................................................................................................................................................... 82
D3: School Finance Resources ........................................................................................................................................................ 83
D4: Enrollment Resources .............................................................................................................................................................. 84
D5: Development Resources ............................................................................................................................................................ 86
SCHOOL-WIDE ACTION PLANS................................................................................................................... 88
TARGET AREA #1: HEALTHY STRESS MANAGEMENT............................................................................................................... 88
TARGET AREA #2: ASSESSING ESLRS .......................................................................................................................................... 89
TARGET AREA #3: TECHNOLOGY ................................................................................................................................................ 90
CATHOLIC IDENTITY ADDENDUM ........................................................................................................... 93
CATHOLIC IDENTITY STANDARDS: ............................................................................................................................................... 93
1.
A Mission Statement and a Philosophy Statement which Indicate the Integration of the Roman Catholic Faith into all Aspects
of School Life. .................................................................................................................................................................................. 93
2.
Provision of Regular Opportunities for the School Community to Experience Prayer and the Sacraments. ............................. 93
3.
A Religion Curriculum and Instruction that is Faithful to Roman Catholic Church Teachings and Meets the Requirements
Set Forth by the USCCB. ............................................................................................................................................................... 94
4.
The Local Ordinary Approves those who Teach the Catholic Faith (Canon 805,) and their Formation for Catechetical and
Instructional Competence is Ongoing. ............................................................................................................................................... 94
5.
Maintenance of an Active Partnership with Parents whose Fundamental Concern is the Spiritual and Academic Education of
their Children................................................................................................................................................................................... 95
6.
A Service-Oriented Outreach to Church and the Civic Community after the Example of Jesus Christ who said, “I have given
you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.”(John 13:15) ................................................................................... 95
7.
The use of Signs, Sacramentals, Traditions, and Rituals of the Roman Catholic Church. ..................................................... 96
8.
All School Personnel are Actively Engaged in Bringing the Good News of Jesus into the Total Educational Experience. ..... 96
4
PREFACE
In the winter of 2010 Brophy assembled its Leadership Team of twelve, chaired by Seamus Walsh,
that would work together to facilitate the upcoming Western Catholic Education Association
(WCEA) Focus on Learning accreditation process, Brophy‘s first since 2005. By spring of 2010 the
Leadership Team had reviewed Brophy‘s Expected School-wide Learning Results (ESLRs) and
Student-Community Profile, and had endorsed the various instruments for data collection as part of
the Self-Study process.
Furthermore, the Progress Report from the 2005 process was constructed (and later built upon) to
give the Leadership Team a sense of where Brophy had come from, what goals had been targeted in
2005, and how far the community had come with respect to those goals.
In late spring of 2010 the Self-Study process began, which included surveys of students, parents,
faculty/staff, and alumni, as well as Home Group meetings and reports. By late fall of 2010, data
had been collected, and Focus Groups would meet in the winter of 2011 to review survey data and
Home Group data.
Focus Groups wrote reports that articulated areas of strength and areas for potential growth
according to the four lenses of the WCEA Self-Study process, and those reports were discussed at
the Leadership Team meetings in the spring of 2011. From those Leadership Team meetings came
the identification of three areas for potential growth which Focus Groups had surfaced that the
Leadership Team wanted to target for Action Plans that would ultimately improve the school
community.
The summer of 2011 saw the coming together of the various components of the WCEA Focus on
Learning report and the articulation of the Action Plans.
Action Plans were reviewed by the Leadership Team at the end of the summer for clarity of purpose
and language and for alignment to Focus Group reflections and data collection, and then feedback
was taken by the full faculty early fall of 2011 on those Action Plans. The report was edited and
polished, and the succeeding pages here accurately and authentically reflect Brophy‘s student and
community profile, its expected school-wide learning results, its progress of school improvement
since our last accreditation process in 2005, its recent self-study, its findings and reflections in light
of the Catholic Identity questions, and its target areas, means, and timelines for potential growth,
written as Action Plans.
5
STUDENT/COMMUNITY PROFILE
History
In 1928 Mrs. William Henry Brophy gave to the California Province of the Society of Jesus 29.9
acres of land on North Central Avenue. This included sufficient funds to build a Jesuit school in
memory of her husband, the late William Henry Brophy, who died in 1922.
The first unit of the school was completed for the opening of high school courses on September 10,
1928. Its buildings comprised the beautiful Spanish Chapel with the adjoining classrooms and
residence hall wings. The school met with enthusiastic statewide reception, but its original
enrollment was small. In 1928, Phoenix was a city of less than 49,000 inhabitants and the entire state
had a population of less than 430,000. Catholic education, especially secondary education, was
something new to the community.
One year after the opening of Brophy, the worldwide depression set in. Phoenix and Arizona
suffered with the rest of the world. For seven years the school struggled for existence and finally in
June of 1935, Brophy high school was forced by financial circumstances to close--with the hope of
reopening at some future date when affairs of the nation and state warranted.
By arrangement with the bishop of Tucson, the Most Reverend Daniel J. Gercke, the Jesuit Fathers
transferred to St. Francis parish, for temporary use, all of the buildings and land which had been
given to them by Mrs. William Henry Brophy.
Then, in the spring of 1952, Bishop Gercke requested that the school be reopened. The Jesuit
fathers acceded to his request, and Brophy College Preparatory accepted students in the first year of
high school in September 1952. With the reopening of the school, the Bishop restored to the Jesuit
fathers, by legal transfer, all the original school buildings and 19 acres of the land which had been
given by Mrs. Brophy. Bishop Gercke, with approval of the Brophy family and the Jesuit fathers,
retained approximately 10 acres of the land which became the property of St. Francis Xavier parish.
In 1959 Loyola Hall was added to the campus, as was the impressive gymnasium in 1967, and in
1986 the Steele classroom complex was erected. In 2002, the renovated and renamed Robson
Gymnasium was opened along with the Marley Information Commons. In 2003 the Eller Fine Arts
Center opened to accommodate fine arts and other classrooms, and August 2005 saw the opening of
the Virginia G. Piper Math and Science Center. In 2006, the opening of Harper Great Hall provided
the community a gathering space for student and faculty lunch, and a large space that is now
available for meetings, school liturgies, and community events such as the yearly Brophy Auction.
In April of 2010, Brophy opened the Brophy Sports Campus located at 7th Street and Highland.
This facility provides much needed field space for Brophy teams and the intramural program. The
field is also heavily used by Xavier teams for practice and competitions.
Finally, In August of 2011, Brophy opened the Loyola Academy. Loyola Academy serves boys
whose families qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program and who demonstrate the
potential to be successful Brophy students. Through an extended school day and extended school
year model, Loyola Academy provides the remediation necessary for these scholars to be prepared
for success as Brophy high school students. The Loyola Academy not only serves the boys and
families who benefit from its programs, but it also serves as an institutional manifestation of
6
Brophy‘s commitment to effecting positive change in the world. (Note—since this 2011-2012
school year is the first of the Loyola Academy‘s existence, all data in this report reflects grades 9-12)
This School/Community Profile is a brief glance at who Brophy is, and hopefully this full report will
give a more detailed look at what Brophy is about.
Community Profile
Overview of Governance Structures and Affiliations
The Brophy Board of Trustees bears ultimate fiduciary and governance responsibilities for Brophy
College Preparatory. The Board consists of both Jesuits and lay partners. The Board approves the
yearly budget, salary scale, and major institutional decisions. The Board hires the President who
serves as the Chief Executive Office of the School. The Brophy Board of Regents serves as an
Advisory Board to the President and the Brophy community. Brophy parents are actively involved
in the school community through the Mothers‘ Guild and the Dads‘ Club. Membership is open to
any parent. The two groups sponsor a number of fund-raisers and community events to support the
school including a fashion show, auction and annual Communion Breakfasts.
The Provincial Superior of the California Province of the Society of Jesus sponsors Brophy as an
apostolic work of the Society of Jesus in the California Province. A term of sponsorship is granted
for six years and comes at the conclusion of a sponsorship self study process that facilitates an
internal review and evaluation of the school‘s Jesuit identity. Similar to the Accreditaion process, the
sponsorship review process culminates with a visit by a committee of educators from other Jesuit
schools in the Province. The committee is chaired by the Provincial Assistant for Secondary
Education who issues a report and a sponsorship recommendation to the Provincial at the
conclusion of the visit. Brophy last underwent a sponsorship review in the spring of 2009 and was
granted a six year term of sponsorship.
As a Catholic school in the Diocese of Phoenix, Brophy maintains and promotes its Catholic
identity at the direction of the Bishop of Phoenix with the assistance of the Office of Education and
Evangelization. Brophy works in partnership with the Diocesan schools.
Brophy is accredited by the Western Catholic Education Association.
Tuition, Financial Aid, and Budgeting Philosophy
Brophy maintains a balanced and ―cost-based‖ operating budget each year. The yearly tuition equals
the cost to educate each student. All development and fundraising activities support the financial
aid endowment and major capital campaigns, not operational expenses. For the 2011-2012
academic year, Brophy‘s tuition is $12,800. Commensurate with its commitment to providing an
excellent education is Brophy‘s commitment to availing this education to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. As a result, Brophy is committed to meeting 100% of a family‘s
demonstrated financial need as determined by Brophy‘s internal review process which is informed
by a third party analysis (FACTS.) For the 2011-2012 academic year, Brophy‘s financial aid budget
is $2.6 million. A significant portion of that annual budget comes from the Brophy Community
Foundation.
7
The Brophy Community Foundation is a school tuition organization that receives both individual
and corporate tax credit donations. Last year individual tax credit donations totaled $1,113,506 and
corporate donations totaled $1,091,000. At least 90% of these funds are awarded to students who
demonstrate a financial need and attend Brophy College Preparatory, Loyola Academy as well as
students attending 24 other schools statewide. The Foundation also assists Boys Hope Girls Hope
students who attend Xavier College Preparatory, St. Mary‘s High School and Bourgade Catholic
High School. In 2009, the Foundation provided $347,000 in corporate tax credit money to St.
Mary‘s High School. For the 2011-12 school year over $2.4 million in financial aid will be awarded
to nearly 1100 students. Over the 12 year lifetime of Arizona‘s tax credit program, the Brophy
Community Foundation has provided $14 million to nearly 6000 students. Since its inception, the
Brophy Community Foundation has made allocations based strictly on demonstrated financial need
and has never allowed for donor designations.
Profile of the Faculty, Staff, and Administration
In every department, Brophy seeks to attract, hire, and support employees who are committed to
Brophy‘s mission and who seek to contribute to the actualization of this mission through their daily
work. The table on the following page provides summary census data about Brophy‘s employees
(revised October 2011.)
8
Census Data for All School Employees
#Full time
#Part
time
Total#
Number
127
15
142
Male
84
6
90
63.4%
Female
43
9
52
36.6%
Catholic
82
12
94
66.2%
Non Catholic
45
3
48
33.8%
Hispanic
10
1
11
7.7%
Non- Hispanic
117
14
131
92.3%
American Indian/ Native
American
0
0
0
0.0%
Asian
1
0
1
0.7%
Black/African American
3
0
3
2.1%
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific
Islander
0
0
0
0.0%
Two or more races
1
0
1
0.7%
Total Non- White
5
0
5
3.5%
White
122
15
137
96.5%
BCP Alum
17
0
17
12.0%
Jesuit
4
2
6
4.2%
Total %
The following table provides summary information about FTEs (Full Time Equivalents) in different
areas of the school. Considering the number of people who are either employed on a part time basis
or who split time between different departments, FTE‘s provide a method of tracking the actual
allocation of human resources to each department within the school. A full time teacher teaches
9
five classes and so one FTE represents 5/5 or one full time position in a given area. Thus, a faculty
member who teaches three classes and then spends two periods in the Office of Faith and Justice
would be accounted for as 3/5 or .6 teaching and then 2/5 or .4 in the Office of Faith and Justice.
Included in the census data provded above is the following:











High School Teaching:
67.l FTE
Loyola Academy:
4.8 FTE
Counseling:
7.2 FTE
Office of Faith and Justice
4.2 FTE
o 3.2 faculty and one support staff member
Substitute Teachers
2.2 FTE
Technology Department
4.7 FTE
School Administration
5.2 FTE
o Principal, Dean, Director of Loyola Academy, and Assistant Principals
Development/Advancement
8.5 FTE
o Includes President, Vice President and staffs
Facilities
11.2 FTE
o Includes Facilities Director and maintenance staff
Information Commons Staff
2 FTE
Dean‘s Office
4 FTE
o One Dean, 2 support staff, one Director of Security
Brophy students consistently laud their teachers not only as excellent educators but as adults with
whom they are able to engage in authentic and formative relationships. Brophy‘s commitment to the
whole student necessitates that each member of the faculty be engaged in the faith formation and
co-curricular life of the students. Faculty members are not only classroom teachers but coaches,
activity moderators, retreat directors, prayer group leaders, and immersion trip leaders.
The table on the following page provides summary information about Brophy‘s faculty. Included in
this summary are all members of the teaching faculty, counselors, the Principal, Dean, Directors, and
Assistant Principals.
10
Census Data for Faculty
(School Admin, teaching faculty, and counselors)
#FT
#PT
Total#
Total %
Number of Faculty
89
6
95
Male
68
4
72
75.8%
Female
21
2
23
24.2%
Catholic
58
5
63
66.3%
Non Catholic
31
1
32
33.7%
Hispanic
5
0
5
5.3%
Non-Hispanic
84
6
90
94.7%
American Indian/ Native American
0
0
0
0.0%
Asian
1
0
1
1.1%
Black/African American
2
0
2
2.1%
Native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander
0
0
0
0.0%
Two or more races
1
0
1
1.1%
Total Non- White
4
0
4
4.2%
White
85
6
91
95.8%
BCP Alum
17
0
17
17.9%
Jesuit
3
0
3
3.2%
# of Faculty with Doctoral Degrees
5
0
5
5.3%
# of Faculty with Master's Degree(s)
68
0
68
71.6%
# of Faculty with Advanced degrees
73
0
73
76.8%
11
Experience of Faculty
# of years completed in
education
# of years completed at Brophy
Mean
15.6
9.4
Median
15
6
Another distinctive element of Jesuit education is a commitment to being, in the words of St.
Ignatius, ―contemplatives in action.‖ Ongoing reflective practice and professoinal development are
expectations of all Brophy teachers. Substantial resources are made available to faculty each year for
professional development. These funds come from federal title funds, proceeds from the Dual
Enrollment program, and allocations from the school‘s operating budget. In an effort to foster and
sustain this contemplative or reflective practice, all Brophy teachers and administrators maintain
Faculty Portfolios. This document is completed over the course of the year and provides each
teacher a structure and a process for setting goals, articulating professional development plans,
analyzing student performance on benchmark assessments, reflecting on student evaluations each
semester, and chronicling their experience of observing a colleague. Additionally, each faculty
member crafts an Ignatian Engagement Plan at the beginning of each school year. This instrument
facilitates planning for both faculty and the administration and ensures that each member of the
faculty is engaged in the co-curricular, faith formation, and community dimensions of the school.
Finally, this document and process provides the basis for an Ignatian Engagement Stipend which is
allocated at the end of each year in recognition for the non-stipended ways that faculty animate the
Ignatian identity of the school.
Profile of the Student Body
Brophy students come from every part of the Valley and from more than 110 elementary schools
each year. Particularly since the last accreditation visit, a concerted effort has been made to more
deeply ground the Admission process in the mission and values of the school. Brophy seeks to
attract and educate students who are interested in all elements of the Brophy experience: academics,
co-curricular activities, and a deepening of their relationship with God and their sense of
responsibility to their local and global community. From their first official point of contact with the
school, prospective students and families are educated about the Jesuit approach to educating the
whole person. The actual application process reflects this commitment. A student‘s academic
potential is scrutinized by means of an entrance exam, teacher recommendations, and report cards
from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. But the process also examines the other dimensions of each student via
co-curricular recommendation, an essay, a pastor or religious recommendation, and a personal
interview with a member of the faculty. Students who score a 95% or higher on the entrance exam
and have straight A‘s in 7th and 8th grade are admitted with Honors. Students scoring between 90
and 94% with straight A‘s are admitted with Distinction. The following data provides further
information about Brophy‘s Admission Process and subsequent retention:
12
Class
Honors
and
Distinction
Applicants Accepted Enrolled
Average
Test Score
9th
Grade
Enrolled
10th
Grade
Enrolled
11th
Grade
Enrolled
12th
Grade
Enrolled
301
2012
624
375
113
80%
342
329
313
2013
620
388
128
83.90%
340
336
322
2014
626
382
117
84%
343
325
2015
595
382
108
80%
345
As stated in its Mission Statement, Brophy is committed to educating students of all faiths and from
all socio-economic backgrounds. Brophy‘s Admissions Director is extremely proactive in promoting
Brophy to a diverse student body (between 60 and 80 school visits each fall) and Brophy‘s robust
commitment to financial aid ($2.6 million in 2011-2012) makes the Brophy experience possible for
students who are qualified but would otherwise not be able to afford the tuition. Currently, 21% of
Brophy students receive financial aid and the average award is $8,400. The following provides
current and historical census information about the Brophy Student Population:
Student Body Census Information
Year
Total
Pop.
20112012
1293
61.8%
23.9%
15.60%
2.70%
5.80%
3.20%
20102011
1266
63%
24.40%
13.40%
2.40%
5.30%
3.60%
20092010
1270
63.80%
27%
10.70%
2.50%
7.50%
7.30%
20082009
1253
63.80%
28.70%
13.30%
2.60%
4.80%
3.50%
20072008
1270
62.20%
27%
13.40%
3.30%
4.60%
4.20%
Catholic Christian
Hispanic
African
American
Asian
MultiRacial
13
Profile of School Programs
The Promotion of a Faith that Does Justice
It is the primary mission of the Office of Faith and Justice (OFJ) to develop and facilitate programs
and activities that cultivate in all students a ―faith that does justice.‖ However, all members of the
faculty share in this mission and are responsible for actualizing the programs of the OFJ. The OFJ
organizes the following programs and activities:
 All school morning prayer, the daily Examen, daily mass at lunch, and monthly all-school
liturgies
 Weekly opportunities to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in the Chapel and schoolwide Reconciliation services each semester
 A comprehensive service learning program (explained below)
 Retreats to students, clubs, teams, parents, and faculty (explained below)
 Spiritual direction for faculty
 Donation drives such as the annual Turkey and Lenten Drives
 Community service activities such as paint-a-thons and adopt a family drive at Christmas
 Justice awareness activities including the yearly Summit on Human Dignity
 Immersion Trips (explained below)
Retreat Program
Retreats are privileged opportunities for students to step away from the activity of daily life and
examine their relationships with God and others. Because they are so important to the student
experience at Brophy, they are not considered extra- curricular but rather co-curricular and thus
they take place during the school week. In addition to the major retreats organized by the OFJ
(explained below), each varsity athletic team and all major clubs and activities make overnight
retreats. Brophy is blessed to have Manresa, a retreat facility in Oak Creek Canyon, which is used
heavily throughout the year. The following is a list of retreats that the OFJ facilitates each year:
 Big Brother Retreat: This two night retreat serves as an orientation experience for the
juniors and seniors who have been selected to be Big Brothers and shepherd the freshmen
through their initial year at Brophy.
 Freshman Retreat: Freshmen participate in the Freshman Retreat which is a weekend
retreat, facilitated by the Big Brothers, that occurs during one of the first few weeks of the
year.
 Magis Retreat: The Magis retreat is a 2 night retreat (Wednesday-Friday) that occurs at
Manresa and is open to juniors in the fall and then sophomores in the spring. Five to six
adults are needed for each of the six Magis retreat throughout the year.
 Kairos Retreat: The Kairos retreat is a three night (Tuesday-Friday) retreat that occurs at
Manresa and is open to seniors in the fall and juniors in the spring. Seven adults are needed
for each of the seven Kairos retreats throughout the year.
 Threshold Retreat: This two night retreat occurs after senior exams in the spring and is an
opportunity for seniors, in the days before their graduation, to return to Manresa one last
time and to prayerfully reflect on their transition from Brophy to college life. Several recent
Brophy alums return from college to lead this retreat with four or five faculty members.
14
The following table illustrates student participation in the retreat program and shows that over
¾ of Brophy students make an overnight retreat each year:
20082009
20092010
20102011
Freshman Retreat
342
340
343
Kairos Retreat
199
270
256
Leaders
37
Magis Retreat
Leaders
Big Brothers Retreat
40
160
29
49
179
34
164
36
86
116
97
Senior Threshold
Retreat
N/A
39
25
Totals
853
1018
970
Service Learning Program
Brophy has a mandatory three-year service program:
 Freshman Year:
o Freshman Breakaway: Each freshman participates in a Freshman Breakaway at
some point during the year. The Breakaway is a day of service and reflection
that takes place at St. Vincent DePaul each Tuesday. One to two different faculty
members lead each of the thirty five breakaways that occur during the year.
o Special Olympics Game Day: The freshman class hosts over 100 Special Olympians
in the spring for a mini-Olympics. Each freshman is paired with a special
Olympian and spends the day helping him or her through the various activities
and in the process builds a friendship and a greater appreciation for people with
developmental disabilities.

Sophomore Service Project: All sophomores are required to complete a service
project of at least 40 hours where they serve as a mentor for younger children. They can
fulfill their Sophomore Service requirements by participating in one of these options:
o Fall or Spring Loyola Project: Loyola Project (LP) is an outreach to a number of
under-resourced Catholic elementary schools. Each semester, six LP groups are
formed and each is assigned to a different school. Each group consists of one
15
faculty member and 10-12 sophomores. Two days each week for the entire
semester, the group visits the assigned school (in a school van) from 3-5pm to
facilitate a tutoring program.
o Summer Loyola Project: In the summer, Brophy hosts a summer camp for students
from the LP schools on Brophy‘s campus. The camp runs during the month of
June from 8am-noon, Monday-Friday. Over 60 Brophy sophomores make this
commitment and serve more than 120 students who otherwise would not have a
summer camp experience.
o Community Mentoring Project: Sophomores who don‘t participate in Loyola Project
arrange for a project on their own. Students have provided babysitting services
at family shelters, returned to their parish to assist with religious education
classes, coached little league teams or other comparable activities.

Junior Justice Project: This is a ½ credit class for which students receive a grade. The
class does not ‗meet‘ in a traditional sense although juniors are assigned to a cohort
group that consists of ten students and one faculty member. The faculty member
facilitates periodic group reflection sessions for the cohort during the course of their
service work. The goal of the JJP is to engage students in personal relationship with
people who are marginalized. There is a 50 hour service requirement, a series of
reflection activities that occur over the course of the service hours, and then a substantial
final paper at the completion of the project.
The following table illustrates the number of service hours performed by Brophy students:
9th
Grade
10th
Grade
11th
Grade
Class of 2012
3249 Hrs
13,160
Hrs
15,650
Hrs
Class of 2013
3230 Hrs
13,440
Hrs
16,100
Hrs
Class of 2014
3258.5
Hrs
13,000
Hrs
Class of 2015
3277.5
Hrs
Service Hours
16
Immersion Program
Since the last accreditation visit, Brophy‘s immersion program has expanded significantly. Each
year, new trips are added and there are typically waiting lists for each trip. The fact that Brophy
reserves financial aid for these trips also reflects their significance in the scope of the Brophy
experience. Brophy‘s immersion trips are not service trips. Although students do typically
perform community service on the trips, the goal of the experiences is for Brophy students to
travel to marginalized communities to stand alongside the people, listen to their stories, and
develop a more complete and compassionate worldview. The following table illustrates recent
student participation in the immersion program:
200820092010Immersion Trips
2009
2010
2011
Total
El Salvador
15
15
15
45
Puebla
10
16
17
43
Nuestros Pequenos
Hermanos (Guatemala)
45
43
43
131
Canada
8
10
10
28
Peru
7
11
No Trip
18
Kenya
No Trip
20
13
33
Argentina
No Trip
10
10
20
Spain
No Trip
No Trip
8
8
Appalachia
8
9
9
26
LA Plunge
9
13
13
35
New Orleans
14
14
17
45
March for Life
6
8
10
24
Ignatian Teach-In
8 (L.A.)
18 (D.C.)
18 (D.C.)
44
Kino Border Initiative
No Trip
No Trip
15
15
School of the Americas
23
No Trip
No Trip
23
TOTAL STUDENTS
153
187
198
538
17
Co-Curricular Activities
Clubs
There are over 70 student clubs on campus. Each club has student leaders, a faculty
moderator, meets for an average of 4-6 hours each month and is required to complete a
service project each year. The following categories provide a sampling of the clubs available
to students:
o Arts and Literary Clubs: These include student publications such as BLAM
(Brophy‘s Literary Arts Magazine), the Roundup (student newspaper), The Wrangler
(satirical newspaper,) and the Tower (Brophy‘s yearbook.) There are also clubs that
appeal to the arts: Independent Arts Society, National Arts Honor Society, and the
Photo/Video club.
 Students from the various literary and arts clubs assist in the planning of the
yearly Fine Arts Extravaganza. This event, held one evening during the week
before Thanksgiving, transforms the entire campus into a showcase of
student artwork and music. Over 1000 people attend each year.
o Academic Interest Clubs: Clubs in this category include Science Bowl, Quiz Bowl,
Knowledge Masters, Academic Decathlon, Calculus Club, Mock Trial, National
Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, Speech and Debate, and Model
U.N.
o Service Clubs: Clubs in this category include the Respect Life Club, Key Club,
Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos, Family to Family, Best Buddies.
o Heritage / Affiliation Clubs: Clubs in this category include Hermanos Unidos,
Black Student Union, Italian Club, Young Republicans, Young Democrats.
o Student Interest Clubs: Clubs in this category include the Bowling Club, Golf
Club, Anime Club, Fly-Fishing Club, Covert American Politics, and Chess Club.
Athletics
More than 55% of Brophy students are members of an athletic team. Each season offers a
‗no-cut‘ sport. The following summary illustrates the opportunities available and the level of
student participation:
Fall Sports
o Football
212 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Brophy fields varsity, junior varsity and two freshmen teams. NO CUTS
o Swimming 56 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Varsity competition only.
o Cross Country
44 students participated during the 2010-2011 school
year.
This team engages in long-distance running and has full competition meets on
varsity, junior varsity and freshmen levels. NO CUTS
o Golf
15 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Varsity competition only. .
18
Winter Sports
o Basketball
42 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Varsity, junior varsity and freshmen levels of competition. Teams practice and play in
one of the finest high school gyms in the state.
o Soccer
48 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Brophy fields both varsity and junior varsity teams. Freshmen are encouraged to try
out.
o Wrestling
64 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Brophy has varsity, junior-varsity, and freshman teams. NO CUTS
Spring Sports
57 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
o Baseball
Varsity, junior varsity and freshmen teams represent the school.
o Tennis
28 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Varsity and junior varsity levels of competition. Freshmen are welcome to try out for
either team.
o Track
145 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
There are a variety of running and field events, with competition at varsity, junior
varsity and freshmen levels. NO CUTS
o Volleyball
31 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Varsity and junior varsity levels. Freshmen are welcome to try out for either team.
Club Sports
o Hockey
35 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
This year round team plays competitively during the spring season at the varsity and
junior varsity level.
o Lacrosse
114 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
This spring sport has four teams: Division I Varsity, Division II Varsity, JV and
Freshman/Sophomore teams.
o Crew
29 students participated during the 2010-2011 school year.
Varsity and novice teams compete at the local, regional and national level.
Combined, 717 students participated in Brophy Athletics during the 2010-2011
school year.
19
Academics
Curriculum
Brophy‘s academic program seeks to fully develop the intellectual skills and fluencies
necessary not only for success in college but to critically engage a changing world.
Consistent with the school‘s mission to educate the whole person, the curriculum is
comprehensive and includes the following graduation requirements:
ENGLISH
8 Semesters
4.0 Credits
MATHEMATICS
8 Semesters
4.0 Credits
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
8 Semesters
4.0 Credits
SOCIAL STUDIES
7 Semesters
3.5 Credits
LAB SCIENCE
6 Semesters
3.0 Credits
WORLD LANGUAGE
6 Semesters
3.0 Credits
FINE ARTS
5 Semesters
2.5 Credits
PHYSICAL
EDUCATION/HEALTH
3 Semesters
1.5 Credit
ELECTIVES
2 Semesters
1.0 Credit
JUNIOR JUSTICE PROJECT
1 Semester
0.5 Credit
Technology
Perhaps the most significant development in Brophy‘s academic program since the last
accreditation visit has been the adoption of 1:1 computing for all students. As freshmen,
each Brophy student purchases a Tablet PC computer that becomes the primary learning
platform in all his classes. (Financial aid was increased for this program to account for the
costs of computers for students on financial aid.) Before school begins in August, each
freshman attends an eight hour orientation session where he learns the basics of operating
the machine, is introduced to commonly used programs and applications, and learns how to
troubleshoot commonly occurring problems. The tablet functionality of the machines
allows students to take digital notes or to annotate digital texts and resources. The majority
of student textbooks is now digital and housed on student machines, mitigating the costs of
textbooks to families. The machines allow students to audio record class lectures, record
and submit voice files to teachers, and to more effectively organize files and documents for
all their classes.
20
Wireless internet is available throughout Brophy‘s campus, in every classroom and office as
well as common spaces such as the mall, Great Hall, and athletic fields. Wherever a Brophy
student finds himself on campus, he is able to instantly connect to the internet. While
constantly being ―connected‖ presents its challenges (chronicled later in this report), those
challenges are more than outweighed by the many benefits. As a result of Brophy‘s
technology program, students learn the skills and discipline needed to navigate the
―connected‖ reality most of them experience now and all of them will experience when they
go to college and beyond. The tablet program has also served as a leveling of the playing
field in terms of students from varying socio-economic backgrounds. For some students,
the tablet is the first computer their family has ever owned but they now have the exact same
machine and technical capability as students who have computers in every room of their
house. Finally, the tablet has substantially impacted the teaching and learning process. As
the self-study survey data affirms, classrooms are much more collaborative and studentcentered environments because of these machines. Teachers have been challenged to
consider themselves much more the facilitators of student discovery and investigation rather
than the sole purveyors of discrete content knowledge.
Grading Scale/ GPA
Brophy observes a traditional 4.0 grade point system. The following numerical values are
given to letter grades to compute a student's GPA: A= 4.00 A- = 3.67 B+= 3.33 B= 3.00
B-=2.67 C+=2.33 C= 2.00 C-=1.67 D+ = 1.33 D=1.00 D- = .67 F= 0.00. Grades for
students enrolled in honors or AP classes are weighted to reflect the greater requirements
and challenge involved. In an AP class, 1.0 is added to the numerical value of each grade. In
an Honors class, .5 is added to the numerical value of each grade. Both GPA's are listed on
a transcript. In order to foster a spirit of cooperation rather than competition among the
student body, Brophy does not rank students. Last year‘s graduating class, the Class of 2011,
had the following cumulative, weighted GPA distribution:
Class of 2011
4.00-4.57:
3.50-3.99
3.00-3.49
2.50-2.99
2.00-2.49
52 students
99 students
71 students
39 students
11 students
The following provides information about the GPA s of the current senior class, the class of
2012:
Class of 2012
 2010-2011 School Year – 302 Students
 High:
4.426
 Low:
2.001
 Median: 3.604
 Average: 3.536
21


2009-2010 School Year – 297 students
 High:
4.414
 Low:
2.02
 Median: 3.575
 Average: 3.52
2008-2009 School Year – 293 Students
 High:
4.334
 Low:
2.195
 Median: 3.596
 Average: 3.53
Honors and Advanced Placement Courses
Students wishing an additional challenge beyond the rigors of the ―regular‖ level course can
apply for an Honors or an Advanced Placement Course. Each Academic Department establishes
the criteria for entrance into these courses and oversees the application and selection process.
Every student who takes an Advanced Placement Course is required to take the AP exam. The
following table provides information about Brophy students‘ participation in the AP program
and their performance on the exams:
%
3,4
or 5
Total
5‘s
4‘s
3‘s
2‘s
1‘s
2011
749
146
222
232
109
40
80%
2010
841
128
244
246
130
93
2009
790
133
177
232
121
2008
744
97
138
225
2007
910
99
209
2006
935
129
2005
925
2004
%4
or 5
Average Total # earning
Score
college credit
49%
3.43
600
73%
44%
3.22
618
127
69%
39%
3.09
542
151
133
62%
32%
2.89
460
262
190
150
63%
34%
2.91
570
276
277
163
90
73%
43%
3.20
682
188
319
238
113
67
81%
55%
3.48
745
865
146
248
271
130
70
77%
46%
3.31
665
2003
839
147
259
246
132
56
78%
48%
3.37
652
2002
821
102
242
273
155
49
75%
42%
3.24
617
22
For exceptional performance on AP exams, students are recognized by the College Board as
Advanced Placement Scholars. The following provides summary information about Brophy
students who have been recognized as AP Scholars:
Advanced Placement Scholars
Test
Year
Scholars Honors Distinction
National
2011
76
32
39
3
2010
83
21
35
11
2009
59
14
40
11
2008
60
18
30
3
Brophy currently offers the following Advanced Placement Courses:
AP Art History
AP Biology
AP Calculus AB
AP Calculus BC
AP Chemistry
AP Comparative Government
AP Computers
AP Macro Economics
AP English III
AP English IV
AP Environmental Science
AP European History
AP French IV
AP Government
AP Latin III
AP Latin IV
AP Music Theory
AP Physics B
AP Physics C-Mechanics
AP Physics C-Electricity & Magnetism
AP Psychology
AP Spanish IV (Language)
AP Spanish V (Literature)
AP Studio Art
AP US History
23
Dual Enrollment Program
Brophy‘s Dual Enrollment program allows students in many courses to elect to concurrently
enroll in Rio Salado College while they are taking the course at Brophy. They thus earn both
Brophy credit and credit from Rio Salado. Depending on the course and the university the
student later attends, these credits can be applied as transfer credits when a student
matriculates to college, potentially saving a student and his family thousands of dollars. The
program began in 2001 with one section of World Religion. In 2005, there were 166
students who took Dual Enrollment courses. In the fall of 2011, 676 students opted for
Dual Enrollment in one of 21 eligible classes.
Standardized Test Data
Brophy students consistently and substantially exceed both state and national averages on
standardized tests. The following provides summary data for student performance on the
PSAT and SAT exams:
Brophy's 2006-2011 PSAT and SAT Exam Averages
Class
PSAT
Ave.
Brophy SAT
Avg.
AZ SAT Avg.
National SAT Avg.
2011
154
1742
1539
1500
2010
163
1765
1544
1509
2009
167
1743
1534
1509
2008
166
1721
1538
1511
2007
158
1784
1546
1511
2006
not
available
1760
1556
1518
AVERAGE
162
1750
1543
1510
24
This table provides information about Brophy students‘ performance on each specific
subject of the SAT, as measured against national and state averages:
SATREAD
Brophy National Arizona
2010
591
501
519
2009
575
501
516
2008
569
502
516
2007
598
502
519
2006
593
503
521
SATBrophy National Arizona
WRITING
2010
579
492
500
2009
569
493
497
2008
568
494
500
2007
594
494
502
2006
579
497
507
SATMATH
Brophy National Arizona
2010
595
516
525
2009
599
515
521
2008
584
515
522
2007
592
515
525
2006
588
518
528
25
In October of each year, all Brophy sophomores and juniors take the PSAT exam. The
following table provides information about Brophy students‘ performance on the exam as
juniors:
Brophy's 2007-2011 PSAT section averages
Class
READ WRITE MATH TOTAL
2011
51
50
53
154
2010
54
53
56
163
2009
55
54
58
167
2008
56
53
57
166
2007
56
50
52
158
AVERAGE
54
52
55
162
Based on their performance on the PSAT, juniors are entered into the National Merit
Scholarship competition. The following tables illustrate Brophy students‘ recognition in that
program:
National Merit Scholarship Competition
Class
Scholars
Finalists
Semifinalists
Letter of
Commendation
2012
TBA
TBA
9
14
2011
4
2
4
10
2010
13
18
19
11
2009
7
18
18
10
26
National Hispanic Recognition Program
Class
Scholars
Hon. Men.
2011
3
1
2010
7
0
2009
3
1
Support Services for Students
Counseling Department
In the fall of 2008, the Counseling Department was restructured and now is comprised of 3
college counselors, 4 guidance counselors, and one student assistance counselor. The counselors
work collaboratively to provide academic, personal, and behavioral support services for students,
families, and staff members.
Student Assistance Program
The Student Assistance Program (SAP) is a collaborative effort that is led by the Dean of
Students and Chairs of Counseling. It is a structured, organized program designed to identify
and address students who might be troubled by physical, behavioral, emotional, spiritual, familial
and/or educational problems. The SAP is available to all students. Students are encouraged to
seek assistance in determining if unsatisfactory performances within the school community are a
result of personal, familial or social problems. Teachers, staff members, parents and students
are encouraged to access the SAP if they are concerned about a student, friend or family
member.
Drug and Alcohol Program
Brophy proactively and pastorally addresses the unfortunate reality of teenage alcohol and drug
use. The program is comprehensive and involves preventative, educational, diversionary,
counseling, and disciplinary elements. The program is explained in detail later in this report.
Ad Majorem Community (AMC)
This program exists for freshmen who are identified, during the Admission process, as having
great potential but needing extra support making the social and academic transition into Brophy.
Students in the AMC program are required to take a math and language skills review during the
summer before their freshman year as well as World History. During their freshman year, in lieu
27
of science, they take an AMC class first period which focuses on general study skills as well as
extra language skills review. After school, students spend one hour with the AMC facilitator in a
homework session where National Honor Society tutors are on hand to provide assistance as
needed.
College Matriculation Information
Each year, nearly every Brophy graduate matriculates to a four year university. The goal of Brophy‘s
college counseling program is to provide each student and family the needed guidance and support
to identify the school that is ―best‖ for that particular student. Students matriculate to schools
both public and private all over the country. The following table provides some summary
information about the matriculation of Brophy students over the last five years. It is worth noting in
the following information that, despite the downturn in the economy, more students are attending
schools out-of-state and more students are pursuing studies at Jesuit universities. This data affirms
the creation of the college counseling department in the fall of 2008 and also underscores Brophy
students‘ experience and their affinity for Jesuit education:
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Total Graduates
285
292
276
307
272
Public College
62%
65%
55%
56%
54%
In-State Universities
55%
46%
44%
47%
49%
Private - Jesuit
16%
15%
17%
21%
24%
Private - Religious
3%
5%
9%
8%
3%
Private - Non
Sectarian
11%
10%
11%
10%
18%
Service Academies
2%
0%
0%
1%
0.30%
Community College
2%
2%
1%
2%
1%
Other
0%
3%
0%
2%
0%
28
EXPECTED SCHOOL-WIDE LEARNING RESULTS (ESLRS)
In short, Brophy teaches and forms its students with the expectation that when they graduate, they
will be open to growth, intellectually competent, religious, loving, and committed to doing justice.
These five characteristics are the hallmarks of the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation document (or
Grad at Grad, as it‘s called on most Jesuit high school campuses), a 1980 publication written and
disseminated by the Jesuit Secondary Education Association (JSEA), an organization which helps to
connect via communication and formation experiences the 50+ Jesuit secondary schools throughout
the United States and Canada.
The Graduate at Graduation is a profile of our ideal Jesuit high school graduate, and this profile is the
destination toward which each member of the Brophy faculty and staff directs each and every
student. Whether it be in the classroom, at liturgy or prayer service, on the court or field, in a
service agency, or within a club or social setting, Brophy faculty and staff accept the challenge to
form students according to these five characteristics, for ―these five general categories sum up the
many aspects or areas of life most in accord with a full adult living of the Christ life.‖
The original profile was published in 1980, and in 2010, some 30 years later, Brophy faculty were
invited to a process of re-visioning the document. Aware that much has changed in society in the
last 30 years—most particularly with the explosions of globalization, sustainability issues, and
technology, and everything that comes with such explosions—the JSEA facilitated an ongoing
dialogue among the Jesuit secondary schools, distilled that dialogue into recommended revisions,
and then released an updated version of the profile, one that well fits the young person growing up
in today‘s world. While the five major hallmarks remain unchanged, many of the indicators for them
have been modified or added to better represent the experiences and challenges facing young people
today.
Below is the ―Preface to the 2010 Re-visioned Profile of the Graduate at Graduation,‖ and then the
original document which introduced the Profile back in 1980. Both of these give context for looking
at the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation hallmarks and the indicators that articulate what the ideal
Brophy graduate looks like on his graduation day.
29
JSEA Profile of the Graduate at Graduation
Preface to the 2010 Re-visioned Profile of the Graduate at Graduation
Over the course of 30 years the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation has had a significant impact
and benefit in Jesuit schools. In light of changes over the last 30 years, JSEA embarked on a revision process. In re-visioning the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation, JSEA confronted three
fundamental challenges: 1) to identify additions to the Profile needed for the 21st century graduate
of a Jesuit high school; 2) to incorporate these additions into the five characteristics of the original
profile: Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving and Committed to Doing
Justice, already institutionalized in many Jesuit schools; and 3) to incorporate the concepts and
language of three significant Jesuit education documents published since 1980: The Characteristics of
Jesuit Education, ―Ignatian Pedagogy: a Practical Approach‖ and ―What Makes a Jesuit School Jesuit?‖
JSEA, in the process of working through the re-visioning, decided to keep the original five
characteristics without adding an additional one. New descriptors relating to essential issues such as
technology, wellness, sustainability, leadership, and Ignatian spirituality were incorporated into the
original five characteristics. An additional characteristic, Work Experienced, originated by Cristo Rey
schools has been added to the Profile for use by these schools. Where appropriate, JSEA
incorporated concepts and language from the three Jesuit educational documents noted above.
The characteristics of the Profile may tend to describe the graduate from various perspectives.
Jesuit education, however, is, has been, and always will be focused on whole person education: mind,
spirit, and body. Jesuit education accomplishes this through cura personalis (personalized care and
concern for the individual) and through a holistic curriculum. Jesuit education aims to form life-long
learners imbued with an Ignatian approach to living shaped by the knowledge, understanding, and
use of the interplay of experience, reflection, and action (the dynamic at the heart of the Spiritual
Exercises). Jesuit education also aims to graduate students who possess the desire and the personal
resources to be men and women for and with others. Thus, the Profile always needs to be viewed
within the context of the mission of Jesuit education and not merely as a list of achievable outcomes
for the Jesuit high school graduate.
Finally, the JSEA re-visioned Profile of the Graduate at Graduation remains a broad template that
each school needs to adapt and tailor by its own careful reflection on its own context and
experience.
Introduction to the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation (1980)
In one sense, the graduate is a threshold person: he or she is on or rapidly approaching the threshold
of young adulthood. The world of childhood has been left behind definitively. The movement from
childhood toward adulthood has involved anxiety, awkward embarrassment, and fearful first steps
into sexual identity, independence, first love, first job, and sometimes first lengthy stay away from
home. It has also involved physical, emotional and mental development, which brought out
strengths, abilities, and characteristics which adults and peers began to appreciate. The adolescent
during those four or five years prior to graduation began to realize that he or she could do some
things well, sometimes very well, like playing basketball, acting, writing, doing math, fixing or driving
cars, making music or making money. There have also been failures and disappointments. Even
these, however, have helped the student to move toward maturity.
30
Fluctuating between highs and lows of fear and confidence, love and loneliness, confusion and
success, the Jesuit student at graduation has negotiated during these years many of the shoals of
adolescence. On the other hand, the graduate has not reached the maturity of the college senior.
During the last year of high school, especially, the senior is beginning to awaken to complexity, to
discover many puzzling things about the adult world. He or she does not understand why adults
break their promises, or how the economy ―works,‖ or why there are wars, or what power is and
how it ought to be used. Yet he or she is old enough to begin framing the questions. And so, as
some of the inner turmoil of the past few years begins to settle, the graduate looks out on the adult
world with a sense of wonderment, with a growing desire to enter that world, yet not quite able to
make sense out of it. More and more confident with peers, knowing the territory, so to speak, of the
youth culture, the graduate can more easily pick up the clues of that culture and what is expected in
a given situation, and the graduate is independent enough to choose a value-based response. As for
the adult world, however, the graduate is still a ―threshold person,‖ one who is entering cautiously;
an immigrant, eager to find the way.
In describing the graduate under five general categories, we chose those qualities that seem most
desirable not only for this threshold period, but those which seem most desirable for adult life. These
five general categories sum up the many aspects or areas of life most in accord with a full adult living
of the Christ life. Whether one conceives of the desirable qualities of a graduate of a Jesuit school
under the rubric of a ―Person for Others‖ or as a ―Vatican II person,‖ as an Insignis, or simply as a
fully mature Christian, the qualities summed up under the five categories below appear to be the
kind of qualities — granted that they are not fully developed in late adolescence — which
cumulatively point in the direction of the kind of person who can live an adult Christian life in the
late twentieth century. These categories are I. Open to Growth, II. Intellectually Competent, III. Religious,
IV. Loving, and V. Committed to Doing Justice. Some specific elements under these categories in the
Profile could have been placed under another of the five categories. Obviously, all of the
characteristics described are in dynamic interaction. The division into the five categories simply
provides a helpful way to analyze and describe the graduate. Some overlapping is evident because,
in fact, many of these qualities are mutually related and intertwined.
31
Open to Growth
The Jesuit high school student at the time of
graduation has matured as a person —
emotionally, intellectually, physically, socially,
religiously — to a level that reflects some
intentional responsibility for one‘s own
growth. The graduate is beginning to reach
out in his or her development, seeking
opportunities to stretch one‘s mind,
imagination, feelings, and religious
consciousness.
Although still very much in the process of
developing, the graduate already:
1. is beginning to take responsibility for
growth as a person; desires integrity and
excellence in multiple facets of one‘s life.
2. is learning how to accept self, both talents
and limitations, with a sense of humility and
gratitude.
3. recognizes the need for leisure and
recreation and budgets time for those
activities.
4. exercises regularly for physical fitness and
health.
5. understands principles of good nutrition
and practices healthy eating habits.
one learns from a careful listening to peers
and significant others; and recognizes one‘s
biases, limitations, and thinking patterns.
10. is developing a habit of reflection on
experience which informs future actions.
11. is beginning to seek new experiences,
even those that involve some risk or the
possibility of failure.
12. is learning to view criticism and setbacks
as interesting, challenging, and growth
producing.
13. begins to practice leadership skills,
including vision, relating well and
collaborating with others, and acting with
integrity.
14. sees leadership as an opportunity for
service to others and the community.
15. is developing a healthy and appropriate
sense of humor.
16. is exploring career and life-style choices
within a framework of faith and values.
17. is becoming more aware of choices and
consequences relating to adult issues.
6. understands the dangers of and avoids the
use of controlled substances.
18. understands the implications and hazards
of technology-based activities, including issues
of privacy, social isolation, access to
pornography, and addictive use of technology
itself.
7. is more conscious of his or her feelings
and is freer and more authentic in expressing
them and managing one‘s impulsive drives.
19. views emerging technology as potentially
supportive to personal and professional
growth.
8. is open to a variety of aesthetic experiences,
and continues to develop a wide range of
imaginative sensibilities.
9. is becoming more flexible and open to
other points of view; recognizes how much
32
Intellectually Competent
By graduation the Jesuit high school student
will exhibit a mastery of those academic
requirements for advanced forms of
education. While these requirements are
broken down into departmental subject
matter areas, the student will have developed
many intellectual skills and understandings
that cut across and go beyond academic
requirements for college entrance. The
student is also developing habits of
intellectual inquiry, as well as a disposition
towards life-long learning. The student is
beginning to see the need for intellectual
integrity in his or her personal quest for
religious truth and in his or her response to
issues of social justice. (Note: Although this
section deals with intellectual competence,
elements from other parts of this Profile clearly
presume levels of intellectual understanding
consistent with those highlighted in this
section.)
By graduation the student already:
1. has mastered those academic skills required
for college (or for some other form of
advanced education).
2. is developing mastery of logic and critical
thinking.
3. is developing precision and creativity in
oral and written expression within and across
disciplines.
4. is developing a curiosity to explore ideas
and issues.
5. is developing the ability to apply
knowledge and skills to new situations.
6. is developing problem solving skills.
7. is able to learn in a variety of settings and
through a variety of pedagogical approaches.
8. is developing the ability to learn as an
active member of a team.
9. uses technology resources to support
collaborative work for learning, problem
solving, and communication.
10. uses effectively a variety of media
resources to acquire, create and process
information.
11. assesses media and content critically,
attending, for example, to issues such as
credibility of sources, values expressed or
promoted, and civility and respect for
persons.
12. is developing an organized approach to
learning tasks.
13. can present a convincing argument in
written and oral form that evidences sound
analytical reasoning and convincing rhetoric.
14. is taking pride and ownership in his or
her school accomplishments and is beginning
to enjoy intellectual and aesthetic pursuits.
15. has begun to develop a knowledge of
central ideas and methodologies of a variety
of academic disciplines.
16. has begun to relate current issues and
perspectives to some of their historical
antecedents.
17. is growing in knowledge and
understanding of his or her cultural heritage
and of cultural complexities in one‘s local
community and in a global society.
18. is beginning to understand the public
policy implications of science and technology.
19. is beginning to understand the
interdependence of global economic policies.
33
20. understands basic principles of personal
finance and handles one‘s own finances
responsibly.
21. is beginning to understand both rights
and responsibilities as a citizen of one‘s
country.
22. is beginning to understand one‘s own
government and other forms and practices of
government around the world.
23. understands the need for individual and
community responsibility for stewardship of
the earth‘s resources.
24. understands a variety of images of the
human person through literature, biography,
history, and the arts that lead to a greater
appreciation of the variety of human
experience.
25. is beginning to develop that critical
consciousness which enables one better to
analyze the contemporary issues facing men
and women and to seek and evaluate the
various points of view on these issues from
the standpoint of a man and woman for and
with others.
34
Religious
By graduation the Jesuit high school student
will have a basic knowledge of the major
doctrines and practices of the Catholic
Church. Having been introduced to Ignatian
spirituality, the graduate will also have
examined his or her own religious feelings and
beliefs with a view to choosing a fundamental
orientation toward God and establishing a
relationship with a religious tradition and/or
community. What is said here, respectful of
the conscience and religious background of
the individual, also applies to the non-Catholic
graduate of a Jesuit high school. The level of
theological understanding of the Jesuit high
school graduate will naturally be limited by the
student‘s level of religious and human
development.
By graduation the student already:
8. has experienced the presence of God
(finding God in all things):




in private prayer
on a retreat
in liturgical prayer
in some other moments of grace
9. is learning how to express self in various
methods of prayer, especially those from the
Spiritual Exercises.
10. is forming a Christian conscience,
evaluates moral choices, and reasons
through moral issues with increasing clarity.
11. appreciates the centrality of the
Eucharist to a vibrant Christian community.
1. has read the Gospels and encountered the
person of Jesus Christ as He is presented in
the New Testament.
12. is learning through his or her own
sinfulness of the need for healing by and
reconciliation with friends, family, Church,
and the Lord.
2. has a basic understanding of the Church‘s
teaching about Jesus Christ and His
redeeming mission, as well as the embodiment
of that mission in and through the Church.
13. recognizes that any sin affects the
entire human community.
3. has an understanding of the variety of the
world‘s religious traditions.
14. understands the relationship between
faith in Jesus and being a ―man or woman for
and with others.‖
4. is beginning to take more responsibility for
exploring and affirming one‘s own faith.
15. knows Church teachings on moral issues
and social justice.
5. is increasingly willing to let religious faith
influence one‘s basic values, lifestyle, and
vocational interests.
6. understands that being fully alive/human
necessitates an active relationship with God.
7. is aware/appreciates that human life is
fundamentally spiritual.
35
Loving
By graduation, the Jesuit high school student
is continuing to form his or her own identity.
He or she is moving beyond self-interest or
self-centeredness in close relationships. The
graduate is beginning to be able to risk some
deeper levels of relationship in which one can
disclose self and accept the mystery of
another person and cherish that person.
Nonetheless, the graduate‘s attempt at loving,
while clearly beyond childhood, may not yet
reflect the confidence and freedom of an
adult.
By graduation the student already:
1. is learning to trust friends, family, and
adults in the school and wider community.
2. has personally experienced God‘s love.
3. is growing in self-acceptance and in
recognizing that he or she is loved by God
and others.
4. assumes responsibility for maintaining
good personal health.
5. is attentive to sources of stress and applies
healthy strategies to maintain balance in one‘s
life.
6. is alert to the signs of emotional and
mental distress in others and follows
appropriate referral measures.
7. has begun to identify and work against
personal prejudices and stereotypes; is open
to and able to communicate with others,
especially persons of another race, gender,
religion, nationality, socio-economic
background, or sexual orientation.
8. has personally experienced support from
members of the school community.
9. has made specific contributions to build
school community.
10. is becoming increasingly comfortable and
mature in relating with persons of a different
gender.
11. is beginning to integrate sexuality into his
or her personality.
12. has begun to appreciate deeper personal
friendships, while also learning that not all
relationships are profound and long lasting.
13. is beginning to appreciate the satisfaction
of giving of oneself through service for and
with others.
14. is increasingly empathetic.
15. takes into account and values the feelings
of others when making decisions.
16. is sensitive to the beauty and fragility of
the created universe and exercises
stewardship.
17. cares deeply about preserving human life.
36
Committed to Doing Justice
The Jesuit high school student at graduation
has acquired considerable knowledge of the
many needs of local, national, and global
communities and is preparing for the day
when he or she will take a place in these
communities as a competent, concerned and
responsible member. The graduate has been
inspired to develop the awareness and skills
necessary to live in a global society as a person
for and with others. Although this
commitment to doing justice will come to
fruition in mature adulthood, some
predispositions will have begun to manifest
themselves earlier.
By graduation the student already:
1. is growing in awareness of selfish attitudes
and tendencies which lead one to treat others
unjustly; consciously seeking to be more
understanding, accepting, and generous with
others.
2. is beginning to see that Christian faith
implies a commitment to a just society.
3. is growing in awareness of the global
nature of many social problems such as
human rights, population displacement,
resource distribution, war/terrorism, etc., and
their impact on human communities.
4. practices a sustainable lifestyle based on
awareness of social, economic and
environmental consequences.
5. is working to be environmentally
responsible by limiting the use of nonrenewable resources and maximizing
sustainable resources.
6. is beginning to engage in the public
dialogue on environmental issues, practices,
and solutions.
7. is beginning to understand the structural
roots of injustice in social institutions,
attitudes and customs.
8. is gaining, through experiences of and
reflection on Christian service, an
understanding of and solidarity with
marginalized members of society.
9. is developing, from reflection on
experiences with the marginalized, a sense of
compassion and a growing understanding of
those social changes which will assist all in
attaining their basic human rights.
10. is becoming aware, through study and
reflection, of alternatives in public policy that
regulate services provided to segments of the
community.
11. has begun to reflect on social justice
implications of future careers.
12. is beginning to understand the justice
implications inherent in Christ‘s
commandment to love one another.
13. is beginning to recognize the importance
of public opinion and voter influence on
public policy in local, regional, national and
international arenas.
14. is beginning to understand the complexity
of many social issues and the need for critical
reading of diverse sources of information
about them.
15. is beginning to confront some of the
moral ambiguities embedded in values
promoted by Western culture.
16. is beginning to make decisions, based on
Gospel values, which sometimes conflict with
the values of a materialistic society.
PROGRESS REPORT
The School Wide Action Plan that was affirmed by the Visiting Committee during the 2005 WCEA
Visit has provided the entire Brophy community with an important framework and impetus for
responding to each of the target areas identified during the 2005 Self Study process and later
affirmed in the Report of the Visiting Committee. This section will chronicle the progress made in
each of the areas of the Action Plan and then present a summary of evidence of this progress.
Target Area #1: Articulation and Comprehension of Graduate at
Graduation outcomes.
Responding to this target area has been the work of the entire community. The steering committee
for this target area has consisted of the Administrative Staff (Principal, Assistant Principals, and
Program Directors.) This target area has underscored every area of school improvement and has
been concretely made manifest in the following ways:
Renewed Emphasis on Graduate at Graduation Throughout the Admission
Process
From the very first contact that a prospective student and his family have with Brophy, the Graduate
at Graduation frames all communication and literature about the school. In formal presentations to
schools and parent groups, Admission Director Mike Ward always begins his remarks with a sketch
of the life of St. Ignatius, followed by the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation. His goal is to ensure that
everyone who considers applying to and attending Brophy is aware of the outcomes we look for all
of our students to realize. During both the Admission Test and the Admission Interview, the Grad
at Grad is a focus. The Open House has been reconstructed so that the Grad at Grad frames the
various presentations and tours that are given. This shift in focus also was seen in the Get
Acquainted Parties - neighborhood dessert parties held during the first weeks of school for
incoming families. Fr. Reese, Adria Renke, and Bob Ryan attend each of these parties and in
addition to words of welcome, explain the Graduate at Graduation and the ways it would become
manifest in their sons over the coming years. These evenings were so popular among parents, and
important for their formation, that in the fall of 2008, a Get Acquainted Party specifically for
Spanish speaking families was implemented.
Parent Meetings with School Leadership
Beginning in the fall of 2007, parents are required to attend a parent orientation meeting at the
beginning of the school year. Parents meet, by class, with the school administration for a
presentation about the upcoming year and the specific hopes and expectations that the
administration has for the students in the coming year. While the night isn‘t explicitly organized
around the five elements of the Grad at Grad, the venue does ensure that parents will be presented
with the various dimensions of school life and the holistic goals that we have in store for their sons.
38
Renewed Emphasis for Mothers’ Guild and Dads’ Club
Both parent groups now address the Grad at Grad in themes for their meetings throughout the year.
Also, the Mothers‘ Guild offers weekend retreats for Brophy moms at Manresa – one in the fall and
one in the spring. These are incredibly popular and have long waiting lists. The Dads‘ Club has
father-son work weekend retreats each semester and in the spring, a senior-father retreat is
organized by the Office of Faith and Justice.
Rennaissance Series
For the 2007-08 and the 2008-09 school years, these events occurred quarterly. Named after long
time English teacher, Fr. Anton Renna, these evenings provided Brophy parents the opportunity to
experience the type of classroom environment that their sons experience on a daily basis. A
different Brophy teacher would engage the participants in a 50 minute class period about a topic or
big idea that they explore in their class. Examples:
- Members of the Science Department gave a presentation about climate change which coincided
with our Summit on Human Dignity in the spring of 2010.
- Photo Teacher Mica Mulloy explained the ‗back story‘ behind the famous photo that has
become forever associated with the Battle of Iwo Jima.
- English Teacher John Damaso gave a presentation on corporate branding and the power of
language.
- Social Studies Teacher Sam Ewing offered a presentation which gave participants an
appreciation for the political implications of the work of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Increased Visibility of the Profile of Graduate at Graduation Document and
Language
In the spring of 2009, the Fine Arts Department organized a student contest that sought the
creation of a poster that could be hung in all classrooms and offices as a public proclamation of the
Grad at Grad as the outcome toward which all activities at Brophy are oriented. Brophy student Ted
Unthank created the poster that now hangs in all classrooms. Additionally, the school‘s website was
redesigned during the spring and fall of 2010 and the new school website has the five elements of
the Grad at Grad scroll through the home page.
Curricular Integration
At the level of the Academic Board, frequent conversations occur about the need for all curricular
goals and activity to be oriented toward the Graduate at Graduation outcomes. As a result, Grad at
Grad language now permeates most department handbooks and mission statements, not to mention
various projects in Social Studies and Religious Studies classes. Most explicitly, the entire Freshman
English curriculum is based upon the five characteristics of the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation.
Faculty Formation
In August of 2006, the entire Brophy faculty and staff traveled to Nogales, Sonora in Mexico for a
full day experience of solidarity, faith sharing, and formation. The day was intended to serve as
prelection for that year‘s Summit on Human Dignity, the focus of which was immigration. More
broadly, the day represented for both the participants and the entire school community, the school‘s
commitment to the well-rounded education of students that is articulated in the Profile of the Graduate
at Graduation.
39
Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, monthly Ignatian Friday meetings were organized for the
faculty and staff. These meetings were devoted to ongoing formation specifically in the area of our
Catholic, Jesuit identity. After two year, the faculty expressed a desire to have these meetings
before school so for the last two years, monthly Faculty/Staff Meditations have been held. In
addition to these short, monthly meetings, the faculty and staff dedicate one day in August and one
day in January to faith formation.
Summit on Human Dignity
Since the last WCEA visit, this annual event has grown significantly in scope and impact across all
areas of the Brophy community. Each of the five elements of the Grad at Grad is operative in the
planning and the implementation of each Summit. Each year the Summit begins and ends with
either a Mass or a Prayer Experience for the student body, contextualizing the conversation and
content of the Summit as a matter of faith. The very nature of the Summit fosters openness to
growth in each of our students, challenging them to consider different viewpoints and perspectives.
In terms of intellectual competence, each department weaves the themes of the Summit throughout
their curriculum for the year. Since the theme is always rooted in Human Dignity, the Summit
naturally challenges the whole community to consider the implications of being people of love and
solidarity. And through each of the speakers and activities of this two week event, students are
challenged to deeply consider what it means to be a young man committed to doing justice with
regard to the given topic. Previous Summit topics:
 Fall 2006- ―Crossing Borders: A Forum To Examine Immigration In Light Of Our
Gospel Call To Respect And Promote The Human Dignity Of Each Person.‖
 Spring 2008- ―Wages of War, Potential for Peace: A Forum to Examine War and Peace
in Light of Our Gospel Call to Respect and Promote the Human Dignity of Each
Person.‖
 Spring 2009- ―One People. One Planet. One Mission: A Forum to Examine Global
Environmental Issues in Light of Our Gospel Call to Respect and Promote the Human
Dignity of Each Person.‖
 Spring 2010- ―Room at the Table. Globalization, Economic Justice, and Human
Dignity.‖
 Spring 2011- ―Food: From Farm to Table. In Search of Ways to Harvest and Feed with
Respect To and In Promotion of Human Dignity.‖
40
Evidence of Progress for Target Area #1
The following comparison of survey data taken from the 2005 self-study and the 2011 self-study
serve as evidence of the progress made in Target Area #1 of the School Wide Action Plan:
Articulation and Comprehension of the Graduate at Graduation.
Student Survey
Reference point in 2011 survey
100: I have a pretty good grasp of the philosophy of a Jesuit
education
101: When teachers say they want us to model the "Graduate at
Graduation," I know specifically what that entails
Parent Survey
3. I am aware of the elements that make up Brophy's Profile of the
Graduate at Graduation document.
49. The admissions process accurately reflects the mission of the
school
Faculty Survey
1. Consensus exists within the Brophy community on the school's
mission and philosophy and is sustained by a regular review process
2. I feel that the Graduate at Graduation document is the basis for
defining what all students should know, who they should be, and
what they should be able to do by graduation.
3. I am familiar with Jesuit documents other than the Graduate at
Graduation document.
47. I feel that students come to Brophy with adequate preparation to
succeed academically.
2005: %
agree
and
strongly
agree
2011: %
agree
and
strongly
agree
%
Notes
change
from
20052011
80.6
89.1
8.50
65.6
92.4 26.80
77.3
83.9
6.60
90
96.5
6.50 In 2005, 37% of
respondents 'strongly
agree.' In 2011, 61%
strongly agreed.
77
91.4 14.40
91
94.2
73
91.4 18.40
58
77.9 19.90
3.20
41
Target Area #2: The Creation of Uniform Curriculum Guides
The Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction, Seamus Walsh, has directed the school‘s
response to this element of the School Wide Action Plan which has been implemented at the
departmental level by the Department Chairs and members of the department. The process has
been laborious because it has been authentic and collaborative. The following is a summary of the
progress made in this area:
Empowering of Academic Departments and Department Chairs
Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, conscious efforts were made to elevate the role of the
Department Chair. Beginning with that year, Department Chairs received a stipend for their work
as Chair. Additionally, the selection process for Department Chairs was changed so that Chairs are
no longer elected by their peers; they are appointed by the Principal, with the input of department
members and the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction. Department Chairs now have
much more input regarding course distribution and teaching loads. They are involved in the hiring
process for every new teacher in their department. They direct the process whereby students apply
and are then selected for Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Prior to 2007, students were
placed in Honors or Advanced Placement courses at the discretion of the counselors and Assistant
Principal for Academics. (As a result, AP scores have improved in each of the last five years.) Most
germane though to this Target Area, Department Chairs have been responsible for, and have
directed the Curriculum Review process in their departments.
Department Handbooks Have Been Published
Each department has created a department handbook utilizing the backwards design process. Each
department was given release time during the academic year to decide on a departmental mission
statement, enduring understandings and essential questions for the department, along with content
and skill objectives. The department handbook then provided the basis for the curriculum process
at the individual course level.
Each Course Has a Published Curriculum
Each course has published a course description, enduring understandings, and content and skill
objectives. These are held in common by all teachers teaching a given course. Within this
framework, teachers are given latitude to achieve the desired understandings and objectives
according to their own teaching style and background.
Each Course Has Two Benchmark Assessments Each Semester
Particularly for courses for which there are multiple instructors, benchmark assessments provide
opportunities for the instructors to ensure that there is consistency between what teachers are
teaching and what students are learning. Beginning with the spring of 2010, year-end faculty inservice meetings have been established to provide dedicated time for a review of student
performance on these benchmark assessments. Additionally, in the faculty Portfolio each semester,
teachers include summary data of student performance on the benchmark assessments.
42
Student Course Evaluation Each Semester
Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, teachers administer student course evaluations at the end
of each semester. These evaluations are designed to provide teachers with fodder for reflection.
Again, the goal is to facilitate ongoing reflection on the goal of alignment- namely that there is
alignment between what teachers seek to do and what students experience/learn. Faculty members
include the results of these surveys as well as their own reflections on the results in their faculty
Portfolios.
Faculty Portfolio Instrument
Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, the Faculty Professional Development Portfolio
instrument was introduced. As it relates to Target Area #2 of the School Wide Action Plan, the
Portfolio provides teachers the opportunity to reflect on their students‘ performances on benchmark
assessments, their student course evaluations, and their own progress toward goals that they
articulate.
43
Evidence of Progress for Target Area #2
The following comparison of survey data taken from the 2005 self-study and the 2011 self-study
serve as evidence of the progress made in Target Area #2 of the School Wide Action Plan: The
Creation of Uniform Curriculum Guides. The following evidence reveals progress not only in the
actual publishing of the documents but in the impact that this process had had on teaching and
learning.
Student Survey
2005: %
agree
and
strongly
agree
33. My teachers clearly and effectively communicate their course
77.9
expectations and grading systems to me.
36. In the average class, my grade is a fair and accurate assessment of na
the level of work I've done, the level of understanding that I have, and
the level of performance I've given.
42. The courses I have taken here at Brophy have been meaningful,
85.1
interesting, and challenging.
43. My teachers use a variety of teaching methods and approaches
85.9
appropriate to the subject matter and grade level.
49. How satisfied are you with the English department based on your
78.1
Brophy experience thus far?
50. How satisfied are you with the Math department…
70.5
51. How satisfied are you with the World Languages Department?
63.5
54. How satisfied are you with the Science Department?
67.5
55. How satisfied are you with the Religious Studies Dept?
74.9
56. How satisfied are you with the Social Studies Dept?
79.8
57. How satisfied are you with the Fine Arts Dept?
76
58. How satisfied are you with the Performing Arts Dept?
35.5
Reference point in 2011 survey
Parent Survey
15. Classes are challenging and provide appropriate preparation for
95.50
college or university courses.
16. Teachers use a variety of instructional techniques an learning
87.90
experiences that engage students in a high level of learning
17. Teachers use a variety of assessment techniquest to measure
92.50
student growth and learning.
30. How satisfied are you with the Fine Arts Department?
84.10
31. How satisfied are you with the English Department?
88.70
32. How satisfied are you with the Social Studies Dept?
89.40
33. How satisfied are you with the Science Dept?
89.40
34. How satisfied are you with the Math Dept?
81.80
35. How satisfied are you with the Religious Studies Dept?
86.30
36. How satisfied are you with the World Languages Dept?
37. How satisfied are you with the Performing Arts Dept?
38. How satisfied are you with the PE Dept?
80.3
31.1
76.5
2011: %
agree
and
strongly
agree
82.9
%
Notes
change
from
20052011
5.00
72.3 na
88.7
3.60
87.5
1.60
83
4.90
75.8
75.8
73.7
85.4
85.9
92.5
54.8
5.30
12.30
6.20
10.50
6.10
16.50
19.30
97.70
2.20
94.20
6.30
97.30
4.80
84.70
93.10
89.90
93.10
88.50
86.70
0.60
4.40
0.50
3.70
6.70
0.40
92.5
47.9
89.4
12.20
16.80
12.90
% of respondents
'strongly agree' up 11
points since '05
44
Faculty Survey
Reference point in 2011 survey
2005: %
agree
and
strongly
agree
39. My department has a Department
Handbook that clearly outlines the Enduring
Understandings of my department, as well as
relevant policies and practices.
52
2011: %
agree
and
strongly
agree
76
40. I feel like my department has updated
curricula for its courses that clearly articulate
what students should know, understand, and
be able to do at the end of each course.
na
91.2
41. I have been invited to be an equal
participant in recent curriculum writing
initiatives.
na
91.2
42. I have been able to collaborate as much
as I have wanted with others who teach my
course this past year.
na
79.1
43. I believe that a regular and consistent
curriculum design and review process is
imperative in keeping courses relevant and
updated.
na
86.8
44. I believe that collaboration is an
important part of a curriculum design and
review process
na
97
45. My department meetings are relevant
opportunities for sharing and for gathering
information pertinent to my teaching.
73
83.8
%
change
from
20052011
Notes
24.00
# of
respondents
indicate 'strongly
agree' went from
10.80 29 to 50%
45
Target Area #3: Create and Improve Programs that Promote
Healthy Student Learning, Behavior, and Growth
Progress in this area has been significant since the last WCEA visit in 2005 and has been the result
of a communal effort. The steering committee for this School Wide Action Plan has been chaired
by the Principal and has included the Dean of Students, Assistant Principal for Student Activities,
members of the Counseling Department, Assistant Principal for Student Services, and presidents of
the Mothers‘ Guild and Dads‘ Club. The following is an articulation of efforts made in response to
this target area:
Restructuring of Counseling Department
Prior to 2008, Brophy‘s Counseling Department consisted of one Department Chair who oversaw a
department of 7 counselors. Some of the counselors oversaw a caseload of predominately freshmen
and sophomores, some worked primarily with juniors and seniors, and some saw a relatively
balanced load of students from each class. During the 2007-2008 school year the Principal led a
process of reviewing the structure of Brophy‘s Counseling Department. Input was gathered from
each counselor, a sample group of parents, students, and alums and other high schools were
consulted. As a result of this process, in the early spring of 2008, the revised structure of the
counseling department was decided on and planning for the 2008-2009 school year began. The
revised structure split the Department into three areas:
 Guidance Counseling: Four counselors work with students from their freshman year
through January of their junior year at which point they are introduced to their college
counselor.
 College Counseling: Three counselors work with students from January of their junior year
through the end of their senior year.
 Student Assistance Counselor: This was a new position created to allow for one counselor,
who is also a licensed therapist, to deal specifically with students strictly on a referral basis.
This structure allows for each counselor to focus specifically on one area of counseling. The
evidence at the end of this section speaks to the improved level of satisfaction among the parents
and students as a result of this switch.
Evolution of Leadership Positions to Increase Administrative Emphasis and
Attention on Student Wellness
Since 2005, the following restructuring has occurred in an attempt to establish more continuity and
partnership between the Counseling Department and other areas within the school:
2005-fall 2008: Assistant Principal for Academics was responsible for scheduling, academic
programs, and student services issues. The Counseling Department was led
by a Department Chair who reported to the Assistant Principal for
Academics.
2008-2009:
The AP for Academics position was dissolved and replaced with the
Assistant Principal for Student Services. At the same time, a teacher was
given release time to be the Director of Scheduling. This freed the AP for
46
Student Services to work more directly with and to chair the counseling
department, serving as a bridge between the three areas of the newly
restructured counseling department.
2009-current: After one year, it was apparent that the counseling department needed more
direct and local leadership. So the AP for Student Services position was
dissolved and Jose Mendoza (a guidance counselor) was named the Chair of
Guidance Counseling. Robin Miller (a college counselor) was named the
Chair of College Counseling. Also in this year, a part time support staff
position was added in the Dean‘s Office to free up the Dean to focus more
proactively on issues of student health and wellness, in conjunction with the
Counseling Department.
Increased Emphasis on Student Assistance Program (SAP)
The most obvious manifestation of this increased emphasis was the creation of the Student
Assistance Counseling position. Additionally, the Student Assistance Program is publicized to
parents at the annual parent orientation meetings. SAP ensures that the Dean of Students, the
Counseling Department, and the appropriate teachers/coaches/moderators are all working in
unison to support students who are struggling with issues of emotional or behavioral health.
Increased Services for Students with Special Learning Needs
The dedicated Student Assistance Counseling position has allowed for improved, and more clearly
articulated, services for students with special learning needs. Brophy now has a section of the
Student-Parent Handbook that addresses the services that the school does, and does not, provide.
There is a written protocol that determines which students are granted extended time on tests. And
the Student Assistance Counselor is able to direct students and families to outside testing as
necessary.
Creation of Ad Majorem Community (AMC)
The AMC program was launched in the fall of 2008. Taken from the Jesuit motto: Ad Majorem Dei
Gloriam (for the greater glory of God), AMC serves freshmen who are identified during the
admissions process as needing extra academic and social support during their transition to Brophy.
Students in this program typically have solid teacher recommendations, low entrance exam scores,
and there is some indication that they will struggle with the social/cultural adjustment to Brophy.
AMC begins in the summer before their freshman year. At no cost to the student, each AMC
student takes Forensics, Math prep, and Language Arts prep. In the first year of the AMC program,
students met each day during their freshman year from 3-4pm with the faculty moderators and
student tutors for a homework help/ study skills session. In the second year of the program, a first
period AMC class was added. The program in its current iteration involves the summer element
before their freshman year, and both a first period class and an after school session during their
freshman year. The AMC class focuses on study skills, life skills, and issues of transition. As a result
of this class, AMC students do not take science during their freshman year but take it during the
summer before sophomore year. The AMC program has been very successful in not only helping
retain students but in giving them the tools they need to be successful.
47
Clarification and Consistent Application of Co-Curricular Eligibility Policies
In an attempt to ensure that students maintain focus on their academic progress in the midst of their
co-curricular engagement, an eligibility policy was adopted in the spring of 2007. Every four weeks,
students‘ grades are reviewed and any student who has either one F or two Ds is ineligible from
both practice and competition for the following week. At the end of that week, if their grades have
improved, they are reinstated. If not, they remain ineligible for the following week after which
another review occurs and the process continues until students have improved.
This policy, and its consistent application, has led to a much more aligned effort among coaches,
teachers, counselors, and administration to monitor student progress and intervene when progress
isn‘t occurring.
Revised Absence Policy
Considering the number of activities that are available to students and in which they participate,
there was mounting concern among the faculty and administration about the number of absences
students accrued. So, in the spring of 2010, Brophy‘s Dean of Students Jim Bopp engaged a
committee of teachers, students, and parents in reviewing Brophy‘s attendance policies. As a result,
a revised policy was put in place for the 2010-2011 school year. The most noteworthy element of the
new policy is that it limits the number of classes students can miss for any reason. Previously, Brophyrelated absences were not counted against a student‘s total. The new policy has led to students and
families planning more carefully. Frustration still exists among the faculty so this issue is not
resolved, although the new policy is a step in the right direction.
Student Review Meetings
At the end of each semester, the faculty gathers to review the roster of students. This is an
opportunity for teachers to offer feedback about students about whom they are concerned.
Concerns range from poor academic performance to poor hygiene, poor behavior to poor social
skills. These concerns are compiled and analyzed by the counseling department and administration.
This becomes the basis for follow up with students and parents. As a result of these meetings,
students who otherwise might float under the radar of the Dean or the Counselors are identified and
early intervention is possible.
Mandatory Health Class
Since 2005, a one semester health class has been introduced to the curriculum and is mandatory for
all freshmen. The class equips students with factual knowledge but also strategies for living a
healthy life. It is not uncommon to have parents lament the fact that their sons have taken Health
because they become in-house nutritionists and alter the eating habits of the entire family.
Net-Classroom and BlackBoard
In the fall of 2006, Brophy adopted Blackbaud as its school management system. This enabled
teachers to maintain their grade books ―in the cloud‖ using Blackbaud‘s Net-Classroom module. In
addition to allowing teachers to access their grade book from anywhere, Net-Classroom gives
students and parents real-time access to student grades. This system has greatly enhanced the
degree to which parents, students, teachers, and counselors can monitor student performance and,
when necessary, intervene as soon as a decline in performance occurs as opposed to having to wait
48
until report cards or progress reports are generated. Also, all courses utilize BlackBoard as the
course management system which provides a common platform where students and parents can
find announcements, assignments, and documents for all their courses. All teachers are required to
maintain accurate and timely announcements about upcoming assignments.
Healthy Weight Management Program
In 2008, in cooperation with Body Technologies, Brophy‘s athletic training staff did baseline testing
of all football players and wrestlers to determine body composition, body fat, and lean body mass.
After the initial test, each student-athlete set goals and developed a healthy weight management plan
that directed them toward those goals.
In the fall of 2010, Brophy was able to commit the financial resources needed to expand this
program to the entire freshman class. As a result, each freshman, during his Health class, undergoes
the testing in the BODPOD. Body Technologies‘ software generates a report which provides an
analysis of each student‘s body composition, body fat, and lean body mass. Custom diet plans are
generated and at the end of the course, each student undergoes a post-test.
The following data shows the impact of this program:
 Nearly 300 students were tested
 74 were identified as being ―at risk‖ in terms of Body Fat
 52 positively changed their Body Fat percentage
 13 moved out of the ―risky‖ category
 36 have lowered their body fat percentage by more than four percent.
 During the testing period, each student lost an average of 3.7 pounds of fat and gained an
average of 5.2 pounds of lean weight.
Alcohol and Substance Abuse Initiative
In the spring of 2006, Brophy adopted a comprehensive initiative in response to the reality of
adolescent alcohol and substance abuse. The initiative includes the following dimensions:
Education:
The freshman Health class covers this topic in a comprehensive way. A
partnership with the organization notMykid has resulted in ongoing
presentations to sophomores and to parents. The Magis retreat deals
directly with these issues as well.
Prevention:
Brophy is committed to maintaining a safe and drug free campus
environment. As a result, at all school dances, students randomly are
subjected to a breathalyzer test. In more than four years, no student has
blown positive. Additionally, Brophy contracts with a canine detection
service which sweeps the campus randomly each month.
Diversion:
Since 2005, Brophy has dramatically increased the number and variety of
nighttime events available to students. Among them:
Friday Night Lights: After every home football game, the campus is
opened up for students. Typically more than 700 Brophy and Xavier
49
students return to campus. The campus mall, the gym, athletic fields, and
student activities center are all open and provide students space to be
together.
School Dances: Each month, the Student Council hosts a school dance.
According to the theme of the dance, there are always several activities
available for students in addition to dancing. As a result, dances typically sell
out and are extremely popular among the student body.
Fine Arts Extravaganza: Each November, the entire campus is
transformed into a showcase of student art and music. Well over 1000
students and parents come to browse the classrooms that have been turned
into galleries, to walk through the campus where there are student musicians
at every turn, and to listen to spoken word poetry recitations in the faculty
lounge turned coffeehouse.
Increased attendance at athletic events: Student attendance at athletic
events is significant, particularly on Friday and Saturday night. All students
are provided with a ―Game Day‖ shirt which they are encouraged to wear to
home events. This has led to a heightened sense of school spirit and a more
engaging atmosphere for students at Brophy athletic events.
Intervention:
Under the direction of the Dean of Students, a committee of teachers and
counselors developed a graduated policy of disciplinary sanctions for
incidents involving students and drugs or alcohol. Each sanction has a
punitive element which ranges from detention(s) to suspension from
extracurricular activities; a formative element which always includes a
drug/alcohol evaluation; and a restorative element which involves
community service. Students who are referred to the Student Assistance
Program are exempt from disciplinary consequences unless they deviate from
the plan developed by the SAP team.
50
Evidence of Progress for Target Area #3
The following comparison of survey data taken from the 2005 self-study and the 2011 self-study
serve as evidence of the progress made in Target Area #3 of the School Wide Action Plan: Create
and Improve Programs that Promote Healthy Student Learning, Behavior, and Growth.
Reference point in 2011 survey
Student Survey
74. Counselors help me make wise decisions that enable me to
manage my time effectively so that I am able to succeed
academically
76. The counseling department and school programs help me
make more informed and academic decisions
77. My counselor offers help and informatio on academic issues
either in class, individually, or in a group setting
78. My counselor offers me hellp and information to solve
personal problems if I seek it
82. The counseling department has been helpful in giving info
on the college admission process
Parent Survey
24. Counselors are available and responsive to students and
parents regarding student progress and development
25. Counselors are knowledgeable and able to provide parents
and students with timely and accurate info for college planning
26. Counseling for students with special learning needs is
available and counselors are responsive to students' and
parents' concerns
50. The administration, faculty, and counseling department are
effectively teaching students to manage stress and competition
in athletics
Faculty Survey
31. Teaching faculty and counselors work well together to
support students at Brophy
2005: %
agree
and
strongl
y agree
2011: %
agree
and
strongl
y agree
74.8
81.8
68.6
80.5 11.90
65.8
80.6 14.80
64.8
75.5 10.70
54.1
71.6 17.50 "no basis" was 26.5%
in '05, 15.3% in '11
62.1
68.6
6.50
56.8
63.1
6.30
21.2
28.3
7.10
62.9
80
%
change
from
2005-2011
Notes
7.00
74 11.10 "strongly agree" went
from 13% to 32%
94.2 14.20
51
Further Evidence of Progress for Target Area #3 from the Student Survey:
o How often have you used alcohol?
•
2005: 69% said never, once, or twice
7.6% said 2-3 times per week or daily
•
2011: 84% said never, once, or twice
4.6% said 2-3 times per week or daily
o Have you ever cheated on a test or quiz?
•
2005: 10.8% said yes, frequently
44.5% said yes, rarely
(55.3% said yes)
•
2011: 3.9% said yes, frequently
44.4% said yes, rarely
(48.3 % said yes)
o Have you received sex education from the following?
2005
2011
Parents
54.9%
67%
School
66.4%
81.8%
Internet/TV
47.2%
53.5%
None
11.5%
7.2%
52
Additional Schoolwide Critical Area for Follow-up:
Communication among Administration, Faculty, and Staff
Although not identified as a key target area, the theme of communication was a prevalent one during
the 2005 self-study process and was therefore identified as a critical area for follow-up. Since 2005,
significant progress has been made in this area. The following is a brief account of the efforts made
to increase communication among administration, faculty, and staff:
Principal‘s Advisory Committee
The Principal meets roughly once/month with this group of faculty members. Four of the eight
members of this committee are elected by the faculty and four are invited by the Principal. The
group serves as a sounding board for the Principal about pending policy or program changes
and also provides the faculty with a representative group that can voice concerns to the Principal
and Administration.
Administrative Evaluations
Each spring, the faculty is asked to complete a thorough evaluation of each administrator and
also an evaluation of ―General School Climate.‖ This instrument allows faculty the opportunity
to provide the administration with honest feedback.
Student Evaluations of Faculty
These instruments are administered by all teachers in all classes at the end of each semester. The
feedback offered by students informs faculty goals for the following year/semester and also provides
fodder for conversation with Department Chairs and administrators.
Increased use of Email to Disseminate Information




Daily and Weekly Bulletin: These documents are posted to the website, emailed to all students,
faculty, and staff and provide accurate and timely information about all dimensions of Brophy life.
E-News: Every two weeks, the Principal‘s Office generates this comprehensive e-bulletin that is
emailed to all students, faculty, staff, and parents.
News and Notes: Roughly every two weeks, the Principal sends a ―News and Notes‖ bulletin to the
faculty and staff which celebrates accomplishments of faculty and staff, reminds faculty and staff of
important upcoming events and activities, and offers updates and insights about all areas of the
school.
Student withdrawals and discipline board notices: Since 2005, the faculty and staff are notified,
via email, when a student withdraws for any reason and when a student is to appear before the
discipline board. Only a student‘s name is given, not the reason for the withdrawal or discipline
board hearing.
BlackBoard Connect
This notification system allows the school to contact all constituents via voice mail, email, and or
text message. Particularly during times of crisis or emergency, this system has proven to be
extremely helpful.
53
Increased Responsibility of Department Chairs
Starting in the fall of 2007, Department Chairs were given a stipend each year which was an
acknowledgement of the increased responsibility they were given. The goal was to empower
Department Chairs to be instructional leaders rather than simply one way conduits of
information from the administration to teachers. This shift has paid significant dividends and
greatly involved the Chairs in decisions and processes that, in prior years, were reserved strictly
for administrators. The selection of students for AP and Honors classes and the assignment of
teaching loads are two processes that are now directed by Department Chairs and as a result are
much more collaborative.

Budget process is more transparent and collaborative: Department heads and administrators
receive regular budget reports which allow for supervisors to closely track budget activity in their
area. This ultimately allows for supervisors to more carefully and accurately direct the work of their
department.

Revision of Faculty Handbook: In the summer of 2009, a draft of the revised Faculty Handbook
was written by the Principal and Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction. During the fall
of 2009, the draft was reviewed by a committee of faculty members and then ratified. The new
Handbook gives faculty members clarity about policies, procedures, and expectations.

Faculty Portfolio: The introduction of this instrument has increased both the frequency and the
quality of communication between teachers and administrators. Teachers are given the chance to
honestly reflect on their practice and they receive individualized, written feedback twice during the
year. Additionally, the Portfolio informs year-end meetings that the Principal has with every member
of the faculty.
Professional Development Should be Aligned with the School Improvement
Plan (Action Plans):
Much of Brophy‘s recent emphasis on professional development can be traced back to either the
development of the Portfolio or the transition from Brophy‘s 2005 version of PDP (Professional
Development Program for faculty) to its current replacement, now called IEP (Ignatian Engagement
Plan).
As mentioned, the Portfolio, which is also the warehouse for teachers‘ IEP proposals, is all about
professional development through data collection, goal-setting, researching and witnessing Best
Practices both on campus and in the greater network of education, and individual reflective practice.
The Portfolio ultimately helped address the 2005 Action Plans concerning curriculum and
assessment writing, and support for healthy student learning and growth.
The IEP is a program designed to foster faculty support of student experience outside the classroom
in ministry and co-curricular activity, as well collaboration with one another in ventures that support
healthy student learning, behavior, and growth. Because it begins with an articulation of the Profile of
the Ignatian Educator, which directly supports the teaching toward Grad at Grad outcomes, the IEP is
intentionally aligned with that Action Plan. But by fostering connection of faculty to student
experience, it also aligns with supporting students. And by calling faculty to collaborate with one
another either on classroom issues or co-curricular ones (like the Summit on Human Dignity
54
Steering Committee or the Student Assistance Program Committee), the IEP also supports the
curriculum and assessment-writing Action Plan and the support for student learning, behavior, and
growth Action Plan.
55
SELF-STUDY FINDINGS
CATEGORY A. ORGANIZATION FOR STUDENT LEARNING
A1: School Purpose
To what extent…



has the school established a clear statement of philosophy that reflects the beliefs and
philosophies of the institution, a commitment to Catholic identity, thoroughness of
instruction, focus on the needs of the whole person, and recognizes the dignity of all
members of the school community?
does the philosophy and mission reflect parents as primary educators and teachers as
facilitators of learning?
Is the mission defined further by adopted expected schoolwide learning results that form the
basis of the educational program for every student?
As a Catholic, Jesuit secondary school originally founded in 1928, Brophy has an enduring tradition
that informs its clear statements of philosophy and mission. Brophy‘s Philosophy can be found on
its website and in school literature, and reads:
School Philosophy:
Founded in 1928, Brophy College Preparatory is a Catholic, Jesuit, four-year private secondary school.
As a Catholic institution, Brophy is rooted in the teachings and person of Jesus Christ. The school affirms its
commitment to the educational mission of the Roman Catholic Church. This mission is to lead women and men to a
deeper appreciation of the presence of God in the world and the social responsibility which this awareness engenders.
Brophy encourages dialogue between Christian faith and contemporary thought. It welcomes and respects people of all
faiths as full partners who contribute their own values and beliefs to enrich the Brophy community.
As a Jesuit school, Brophy inherits the 450 year-old vision of St. Ignatius of Loyola, whose Spiritual Exercises affirm
the ultimate goodness of the world as created, loved and redeemed by God. From the foundation of the first Jesuit school
at Messina, Italy, the Society of Jesus has focused the goal of education on developing the whole person, traditionally
known as educating “the Renaissance man.” The purpose of a Jesuit education, in contemporary language, is to develop
leaders who are intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving and committed to doing justice. Religious is
understood to mean that the student has a basic knowledge of the major doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church
and has also systematically examined his or her own religious feelings and beliefs. The commitment to justice recognizes
that we belong to a global community and bear personal responsibility in creating a world more peaceful and more
merciful.
As a private school, all decisions are made in consultation with the various segments of the Brophy community. The
Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for major policy decisions. The Board of Regents is a consultative body for
the President of the school. As a member of the California Province, Brophy belongs to a network of eight secondary
schools which is part of a larger system of 48 institutions. There is a solid relationship with the Phoenix community
and a desire to serve the many diverse constituencies which the Valley includes.
56
As a college preparatory institution, Brophy goes beyond academic excellence to form well-rounded young adults who see
themselves as agents of positive change. Relying on the liberal arts, with religious studies given a special place, the
faculty teaches analysis, active listening and critical thinking both inside and outside the classroom. The goal of the
school is to transform its community into “persons for and with others.” This hallmark of Jesuit schools, which was
first articulated by Father Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the former Jesuit Superior General, in a speech in 1974, has become
the living motto of Brophy students and alumni.
This statement clearly reflects the beliefs of the institution, for it puts its roots ―in the teachings and
person of Jesus Christ,‖ it ―affirms its commitment to the educational mission of the Roman
Catholic Church,‖ and it places great value upon ―developing the whole person,‖ or as our Graduate
at Graduation document, or Brophy‘s ESLRs, frames our ultimate outcomes, the Philosophy
statement conveys to the community that the ―purpose of a Jesuit education, in contemporary
language, is to develop leaders who are intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving
and committed to doing justice.‖
Our Mission Statement likewise gives keys to understanding our school‘s purpose:
Mission Statement:
Brophy is a private, Jesuit, Catholic, college preparatory that is committed to the belief that all creation is a reflection of
God’s love and presence which demands a passionate and generous response from the entire community. We are
dedicated to students of all socio-economic backgrounds who have the potential and desire to maximize their God-given
gifts. By creating an atmosphere for academic, emotional and spiritual growth, Brophy College Preparatory develops
critically thinking, articulate, sensitive and aware students with a strong sense of self-worth. Through the process of
nurturing the soul, Brophy offers these students an intimate relationship with God and inspires leaders who are devoted
to the service of others in a global community.
Though the Mission Statement doesn‘t narrow its purpose to the five Graduate at Graduation qualities
the way that the Philosophy does, it nevertheless implies these outcomes holistically by defining our
ultimate outcome as one in which our school program, steeped in Catholic and Jesuit values and
ideals, ―inspires leaders who are devoted to the service of others in a global community.‖
Evidence abounds that Brophy has a clear philosophy and a clear mission. 98.5% of parents agree
that the school ―has established a clear statement of philosophy that reflects the beliefs of the
school‖ and ―a commitment to Catholic identity,‖ and 84.9% of parents are ―aware of the elements
that make up Brophy‘s Profile of the Graduate at Graduation.‖ Likewise, 87.2% of students report
that ―the Catholic identity of the school is clear‖ to them, 89.2% of students report that they ―have a
pretty good grasp of the philosophy of a Jesuit education,‖ and 92.4% of students report that they
know specifically what the Graduate at Graduation document entails. Furthermore, 91.4% of faculty
report that ―consensus exists within the Brophy community on the school‘s mission and philosophy
and is sustained by a regular review process,‖ and 94.2% of faculty ―feel that the Graduate at
Graduation document is the basis for defining what all students should know, who they should be,
and what they should be able to do by graduation.‖
While the Philosophy and Mission don‘t necessarily delineate parents as the primary educators in
their written form, there is ample evidence that parents see themselves as walking with our faculty
on the journey of their sons‘ education. 86.7% of parents agree that there is ―effective and timely
communication of student progress and behavior‖ by faculty and administration, 98.1% of parents
57
agree that they are ―appropriately informed of events, activities, news, and policy changes‖ by faculty
and administration, and 78.4% of parents agree (with 16.2% reporting no basis) that ―the
administration appropriately responds to parental concerns regarding curriculum, instruction,
behavior, co-curriculars, or class schedule.‖ In sum, parents see themselves as an integral part of the
educational process, and are happy with the ways that the school keeps them central to their roles as
primary educators when the students leave Brophy‘s campus.
Areas of Strength:
Brophy has clearly articulated and communicated Philosophy and Mission statements that reflect its
Catholic, Jesuit roots and its focus on educating the whole person in the image of Jesus Christ.
Brophy‘s Graduate at Graduation document outlines for the community the expected schoolwide
learning results for students, and the community of students, parents, and faculty know, understand,
and agree on its purpose.
Evidence:
Philosophy, Mission Statement, Profile of the Graduate at Graduation, survey data from students,
parents, and faculty, the Brophy website, departmental curricula, admissions materials.
Areas for Potential Growth:
Perhaps better delineate parents as the primary educators in Philosophy or Mission statements or
elsewhere.
A2: Governance Criterion
To what extent…



does the governing authority committed to sharing the Catholic vision adopt policies which
are consistent with the school‘s philosophy and mission and support the achievement of the
expected schoolwide learning results for the school?
does the governing authority delegate implementation of these policies to the professional
staff?
does the governing authority monitor results?
As Brophy‘s Philosophy shares, ―The Board of Trustees has ultimate responsibility for major policy
decisions,‖ among them the hiring of the President of the school, who hires and oversees the
Principal of the school, who in turn hires and directs the faculty. Of the eleven Board of Trustees
members, six are Jesuit priests, including the current President of the school. This clearly
demonstrates that the ―governing authority is committed to sharing the Catholic vision‖ in its
adoption of policies and its oversight of the school.
The Board of Regents, made up of thirty-seven members of the community, (including nine Brophy
graduates and one Jesuit priest, the Pastor of St. Francis Xavier Parish) is a consultative body for the
President of Brophy. The existence of the Board of Regents ensures that the President makes such
58
decisions consultatively and is informed by a variety of professionals who bring expertise from a
variety of professions, but all of whom are dedicated to the Philosophy and Mission of the school.
Brophy‘s Principal in turn hires and directs an administrative staff of six:






Assistant Principal for Ministry
Assistant Principal for Student Activities
Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction
Assistant Principal for Technology and Instruction
Director of the Loyola Academy
Dean of Students
These six individuals, under the direction of the Principal of the school, represent the delegation of
implementation of the policies of Brophy College Preparatory, and also represent the ―it takes a
village‖ culture that permeates Brophy‘s leadership culture from the Trustees to the President
through the Regents to the Principal to the six administrators and ultimately to members of the
faculty, who directly write, instruct, and assess the curriculum at Brophy.
There are various means by which the governing authority—and every leadership component of the
school‘s structure of authority—monitors results of the implementation of policies and of their
impact on student formation and achievement. From ―the ground up,‖ students offer formal
evaluation feedback of their teachers at the end of each semester, and of their coaches at the end of
each season. Teachers and coaches then reflect on student feedback in their Professional
Development Portfolio, which is a document that helps capture various data points of each year and
a teacher‘s reflections throughout, as well as goals and professional development accomplishments,
etc. Teachers in turn offer their own feedback of the administrative team and Principal at the end
of each year. The Principal meets with each faculty member at the end of each year, as well as with
the President each week. Faculty members are observed formally by an administrator in class their
first two years and then every other year thereafter, and observed informally multiple times per year.
Furthermore, the Principal and President offer formal reports to the Regents and Trustees three
times each year and receive feedback to ensure that communication, collaboration, and consultation
are taking place at every level.
84.3% of faculty report that ―Brophy‘s administration clearly communicates [their] job description
and responsibilities to [them],‖ 82.1% of faculty believe that ―input from Trustees, Regents, parents,
and alumni is important for planning future programs,‖ and 78.6% of faculty report that ―each
individual administrator‘s role is clearly defined and is understood by faculty, staff, and other
members of the Brophy community.‖
Areas of Strength:
The structure and clarity of roles for the Board of Trustees, the Board of Regents, the roles of
President and Principal, and the role of faculty members. The two Boards‘ commitments to the
Philosophy and Mission of Brophy. Delegation and communication among the various stakeholders
in Brophy‘s leadership structure.
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Evidence:
Bylaws of Boards of Trustees and Regents, minutes from board meetings, evaluation process from
students to faculty, evaluation process from faculty to administration, reporting process from
Principal and President to Boards of Trustees and Regents, survey data of students, parents, and
faculty.
A3: School Leadership Criterion
To what extent…




does the school leadership encourage the cultivation of Catholic values and the spiritual
formation of the school community?
does the school leadership make decisions to facilitate actions that focus the energies of the
school on student achievement of the expected schoolwide learning results?
does the school leadership empower the staff?
does the school leadership ensure shared accountability for student learning?
School leadership encourages the cultivation of Catholic values and the spiritual formation of the
school community in a variety of ways. An academic curriculum informed by the USCCB‘s recently
released framework for secondary school Religious Studies curriculum is being introduced in the Fall
of 2011, and Brophy students will complete eight semesters of academic coursework that cultivates
knowledge, values, and formation within this Catholic context. In addition, Brophy‘s freshman
English curriculum is designed to promote the five characteristics of the Graduate at Graduation
through both literature and personal reflection. Furthermore, Brophy‘s retreat program is a vibrant
co-curricular component of our academic program, and the optional offering of daily Mass, with the
all-school gathering at monthly Mass, further cultivates Catholic values and spiritual formation
among our community. Add to these aspects of Brophy‘s school culture the presence of service and
justice hour requirements at the freshman (10+ hours), sophomore (40 hours), and junior years (50
hours as part of a half credit course), the animated immersion trip culture that connects Brophy
students and faculty to people from other regions of the country and other countries around the
world in support of our Graduate at Graduation outcomes, and the yearly Summit on Human Dignity
that focuses the community‘s attention toward an issue of social injustice, and we have a
comprehensive, leadership-encouraged approach to the cultivation of Catholic values across a broad
spectrum of student life.
87% of students agree that their ―religious studies classes provide the opportunity…to understand
Catholic doctrine and tradition,‖ 84.3% say that their ―Brophy classes provide opportunities for
[them] to develop and enhance [their] personal spirituality,‖ and 83.3% say that ―Christian values are
reflected in our academic program.‖ Furthermore, 88.9% of students report that ―sacred images are
present in the classroom and throughout the school,‖ 88.6% say that ―a conscious and deliberate
effort is made to develop a faith community within the school,‖ 86.5% say that the ―Frosh Retreat
was a positive experience,‖ and 4.3% and 3.1% of the community, respectively, disagreed in some
way that either the Magis or Kairos retreat was a positive experience that strengthened their faith.
So importantly, the students themselves see the effects of the cultivation of Catholic values and the
spiritual formation by school leadership.
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Everything we do at Brophy in some way is geared toward the student achievement of the expected
schoolwide learning results, or our Graduate at Graduation outcomes. Parents, students, faculty and
staff all acknowledge the existence and importance of the ―Grad at Grad‖ in our program, and this
is a result of decisions the school leadership has made and continues to make. A few examples of
Grad at Grad outcomes and programs that have been put in place to facilitate their outcome among
students:
Intellectually Competent
 Collaborative departmental curriculum writing.
 Collaborative and common departmental assessment design.
 Existence of honors and AP courses to meet highest-achieving students where they are.
 Promotion and funding of faculty professional development to train them in content,
instruction, assessment, technology design and implementation.
 Departmental collection of common assessment data to promote analysis and conversation
of student achievement.
 Creation of Ad Majorem Community (AMC) to support intellectually capable but
educationally limited incoming freshmen in their pursuit of academic excellence.
Open to Growth
 Infusion of new technologies in the classroom (for example, tablet computer & related
software) to broaden the classroom and opportunities for creation and project or productbased learning.
 Promotion and funding of faculty professional development to keep up with cutting edge
ideas and technology in the classroom.
 Existence of Summit on Human Dignity to focus community‘s attention on a major issue of
social justice and bring in experts to teach us about the issue and facilitate conversations
about how to address the issue.
 Promotion of vibrant retreat, service, and immersion programs to broaden students‘
perspectives of the world, its needs, and the ways they can respond to them in a Gospelinformed context.
 Annual Coaches‘ Retreat for all athletic coaches.
Religious
 Daily optional Mass, monthly all-community Mass, as well as special Masses for feast days,
retreats, immersion departures, etc., as well as all-community prayer services and
Reconciliation services.
 Daily all-community morning prayer before the first period begins and a three-minute
guided Examen meditation before sixth period begins.
 USCCB-informed Religious Studies curricula.
 Mass of the Holy Spirit visiting Presider who also gives keynote address at faculty lunch and
in-service.
Committed to Doing Justice
 100+ hours of required community service for students, with most students doing many
more.
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


Existence of Summit on Human Dignity to focus community‘s attention on a major issue of
social justice and bring in experts to teach us about the issue and facilitate conversations
about how to address the issue.
USCCB-informed Religious Studies curricula that challenge students to define, seek out,
analyze, and respond to issues of social justice as inspired by the Gospels to do.
Promotion of immersion programs designed to expose students to issues of social injustice
and challenge them to respond to such issues in some way.
Loving
 100+ hours of required community service for students.
 Other optional programs like community paint-a-thons, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and
Lenten drives for the marginalized, as well as collection initiatives when national or global
disaster strikes.
 Existence of ―Man for Others‖ as Brophy‘s informal motto for its students.
These are just a smattering of ways in which the leadership at Brophy over the years has made
decisions that facilitate all student programs being focused on the Grad at Grad outcomes.
Faculty and Staff are empowered in a variety of ways here at Brophy. In the classroom, though
there is curricular oversight, each department is empowered to spearhead their own curriculumwriting and assessment design. The leadership at Brophy directs this process by articulating
common components and language of our curriculum and assessment culture (e.g. Enduring
Understandings, Content and Skill Outcomes, Benchmark or Common Assessments, etc.), but great
empowerment is given to each department to work within a framework to write the curriculum that
best marries the necessary content with the needs of the students, to write assessments that
authentically measure student achievement within the written curriculum, and to write rubrics that
help align teacher assessment review of student work.
Outside the classroom, faculty and staff are likewise empowered in a variety of ways. 82.6% of
faculty ―feel supported by the administration in [their] extra-curricular activities.‖ Almost every
leadership position is filled by either a faculty or staff member, whether it be head athletic coaching
positions, Speech and Debate, National Honor Society, Mock Trial, Robotics, retreat and immersion
positions, our liaison‘s role with Rio Salado College, theatre, band and choral programs, work study,
student publications, etc. It is an explicit expectation of faculty at Brophy that they take a leadership
position of empowerment that marries their own skills and interests to an arena of student life that
has a need. And as a byproduct of this, all adults are empowered on Brophy‘s campus to form
students in multiple ways, and the relationships this creates between students and faculty/staff are
vibrant because of it.
Accountability for student learning is taken seriously in a variety of ways as well. On the front side,
departments intentionally write their curricula and collaborate on common assessments to help align
outcomes and instruction across sections of the same courses, and faculty track common assessment
data to be able to measure their own students‘ achievement against students in other sections of
those courses. Department chairs have access to all teacher grade books and receive quarterly grade
distribution graphs to better track student achievement across their departments‘ courses. Faculty
in-services have been held in which actual student data is disseminated (in anonymous terms) and
conversations are promoted about the need for aligned expectations, assessments, and rubrics in
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order to best capture authentic student achievement. Common assessment data has recently been
put into each teacher‘s Portfolio for their own reflection, but also to promote a conversation
between them and the administration about assessment design and student achievement. AP and
SAT scores are examined each cycle, and curricular and staffing conversations are had in order to
determine that we‘re heading in the right direction of preparing students for these examinations.
And our annual in-house report on the universities to which our students are accepted gives us a
clear picture of how we‘re doing in preparing students for admission to and success within those
institutions they‘ll next attend. In sum, the school leadership pays careful attention to student
achievement in all areas, and manipulates its efforts in response to noted areas for potential growth
as they arise.
Areas of Strength:
Mission and Philosophy, culture of delegation, Religious Studies curriculum, retreat and immersion
programs, presence of Masses and Reconciliation services throughout the year, faculty and staff
leadership positions across the curricular and co-curricular programs, presence of common
assessment tools, culture of assessment analysis.
Evidence:
Surveys, Graduate at Graduation document, list of faculty and staff moderators of all clubs and cocurriculars, list of faculty and staff retreat leaders, common assessment data, AP and SAT scores, list
of department chairs, Summit on Human Dignity agenda and list of speakers, student evaluation
instrument, administrative evaluation instrument, Faculty Portfolios.
Areas for Potential Growth:
Some faculty feel that channels of communication between them and administration could be better,
as 31.8% in some way disagree that such channels are ―open.‖ So while empowerment is obvious
given the scope of roles across the breadth of faculty and staff, the communication piece might be
something to continue to work on here.
A4: Staff Criterion
To what extent…




are the school administration and staff qualified for their assigned responsibilities?
are the school administration and staff committed to the school‘s philosophy and mission?
does the school administration and staff engage in ongoing spiritual and professional
development that promotes student learning?
do the administration and staff lead by example and work to create a community of faith?
Brophy ensures that in its hiring process, the needs of the student are put first, both in curricular
and in co-curricular terms. Thus, school administration and staff are qualified for their assigned
responsibilities. 75% of Brophy‘s faculty have at least one advanced degree, and 86% of Brophy‘s
administration have at least one advanced degree. While this doesn‘t paint the complete picture of
qualification, it does maintain that advanced education is important in putting the best person and
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product of front of students both in the classroom and outside of it. As a college preparatory
institution, college or university will be the destination for 97%-100% of each graduating class, and
thus, it‘s imperative that the faculty and staff know and understand what that means, and how best
to prepare students for what‘s to come.
95.4% of students report feeling well prepared for the academic rigors of college or university, and
89% of students say that teachers are ―competent, knowledgeable, and well-prepared.‖ Likewise,
97.7% of parents agree that ―classes are challenging and provide appropriate preparation for college
or university courses.‖
But as the school‘s outcomes for the student are not centered only on academic achievement, it‘s
also noteworthy that the community sees the administration and staff committed to the school‘s
philosophy and mission. 94.4% of parents agree that ―Brophy‘s administration and faculty lead by
example, model Christian values, and work to create a community of faith.‖ And 96.7% of parents
agree that ―Brophy has a safe, healthy, nurturing environment that reflects the school‘s philosophy
and mission.‖ 83.3% of students report that ―Christian values are reflected in our academic
program,‖ and 84.3% of students say that their ―Brophy classes provide opportunities for [them] to
enhance [their] personal spirituality.‖ In the classroom and outside of the classroom, Brophy
intentionally seeks to foster the development of the whole person toward those Grad at Grad
outcomes in the spirit of both its Philosophy and Mission.
As such formation is an integral part in the development of the student, it‘s also important that
faculty and staff participate in ongoing formation and professional development. Money for
professional development is made accessible to faculty and staff via federal title programs as well as
departmental budgets, and there is a rich culture of conference and in-service attendance by Brophy
faculty and staff, much of it out of state. 88.5% of faculty note that ―Brophy‘s administration
actively promotes and supports the professional development of faculty through the allocation of
release time and fiscal resources. Furthermore, 80% of faculty agree that ―classroom evaluation is
utilized as a tool for professional growth,‖ and 80% of faculty also agree that ―opportunities for
faculty spiritual development are adequate both in number and relevance.‖
In sum, Brophy‘s leadership places a premium value on hiring the right people who are both
qualified for their assigned duties yet also believe in the Mission and Philosophy of the school, as
well as on developing those people via both professional and spiritual development. The effects can
be seen positively through the eyes of students and parents, as well as the faculty and staff
themselves.
Areas of Strength:
Education of faculty, culture and resources for professional and spiritual development, hiring
process.
Evidence:
Report of faculty degrees, student/parent/faculty survey data, budgets for professional and spiritual
development, list of conferences attended each year, Faculty Handbook, # of interviews conducted
for each hired position.
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A5: School Environment Criterion
To what extent…



does the school have a safe, healthy, nurturing environment that reflects the school‘s
philosophy and mission?
Does the school environment foster community and the achievement of religion and
educational goals?
Is the school environment characterized by a respect for differences, trust, caring,
professionalism, support, and high expectations for each student?
Brophy places great importance on having a safe, healthy, nurturing environment that reflects the
school‘s philosophy and mission. To parents, the product that Brophy offers students meets their
needs in a variety of ways. 96.7% of parents agree that ―Brophy has a safe, healthy, nurturing
environment that reflects the school‘s philosophy and mission.‖ 95.5% of parents likewise say that
―Brophy‘s administration and faculty promote a learning environment conducive to high self-esteem
and mutual respect between teachers and students.‖ When it comes to Brophy‘s Counseling
Department, only 4.7% disagreed that ―counselors are available and responsive to students and
parents for personal or family problems that concern the student‘s progress and/or development.‖
In sum, parents see Brophy as a place where their boys are cared for in the classroom, in the
counseling offices, or in student life in general.
Students likewise report a positive environment. 92% of students agree that ―Brophy provides a
safe and orderly environment that supports self-discipline, learning, and respect for self and others.‖
80.9% of students agree that ―coaches and moderators are good role models of Christian values,‖
and 84.2% of students say their ―involvement in athletics and/or clubs at Brophy has helped learn to
respect others and deal with people in a positive manner.‖ This data demonstrates that the
environment isn‘t just relegated to the academic environment, where again, 83.3% of students
agreed that ―Christian values are reflected in our academic program.‖ And with their counselors,
87.2% of students agree that their ―counselor shows concern and care for [them] as a person by
treating [their] questions and problems with respect.‖
Brophy‘s structure supports a healthy school environment. The Dean‘s Office exists to direct and
manage student behavior as well as a safe and orderly campus, and the four staff members there see
their work inextricably involved in supporting the mission of the school. The Counseling Office has
four full-time Guidance Counselors assigned to work with freshmen through first-semester juniors,
and three College Counselors assigned to navigate the college admissions process with second
semester juniors and all seniors. And though all counselors help students with personal and/or
academic issues as they arise, there is one Student Assistance counselor who takes referrals from the
other counselors, faculty, and students and works with those students who are most in need of
counseling, guidance, or even outside therapy. This structure has worked well both in identifying
students who need extra assistance, as well as moving them into positions to best get the help they
need. Programs like Safe Environment Training and the Summit on Human Dignity are also allschool programs whose focus is on promoting the dignity of others, and these are yearly in scope.
The fostering of community and the achievement of educational and religious goals can also be seen
throughout Brophy‘s environment. Students and faculty build community together in the
classroom, on the field or stage, on retreat, and out in the community on immersion programs,
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among other places. Students and faculty often cite each other as one of the bright spots of being a
member of the Brophy community. Furthermore, parent programs like conferences, Mothers‘
Guild and Dads‘ Club, Counseling Informational Nights, and other events help foster community
both among parents and between parents and the teachers and counselors who work with their
boys. Retreats and immersion programs also put the boys in positions to better get to know each
other and build community that way, and data supports that these are some of the most important
experiences they have as Brophy students.
Faculty would also cite one another as a bright spot in working at Brophy, and value each other
tremendously. Whether it be joining colleagues in the lounge at break for popcorn, attending a
Kairos retreat together, or collaborating formally or informally on the teaching and learning process,
Brophy‘s faculty enjoy the time they have together. 82.8% of teachers agree that watching their
colleagues teach has been a valuable experience to them as a teacher (with 7.1% having no basis),
and 94.2% of faculty say that teaching faculty and counselors work well together to support students
at Brophy.
Data would indeed indicate that Brophy‘s school environment is a positive one, but it‘s not without
areas for potential growth. 30% of faculty disagreed in some way that teachers and administration
work well together. 40.8% of students report that they‘ve ―frequently‖ heard other students make
sexist comments about or toward women, and 44.3% of students report that they‘ve ―frequently‖
heard other students make homophobic comments. This data points to a problem of respect for
differences and each other, and is something to follow up on. Perhaps more concerning is that 27%
of students remark having heard a faculty member make sexist comments (16% sometimes, 11%
frequently) about or toward women, and 21.8% of students remark having heard a faculty member
make homophobic comments (12.5% sometimes, 9.3% frequently). Again, this cultivation of an
environment of mutual respect is something to consider moving forward.
Finally, data also exhibited that stress can be a negative force in both student and faculty experience.
Anecdotally faculty often remark about their own workload and related stress, and as well about
their concerns that many students seemed overwhelmed. Only 50% of faculty agreed to an extent
that ―most students are well balanced in academics, home life, and social life,‖ and only 19.1% of
faculty responded that they feel ―most students are extremely busy, but not in an unhealthy way.‖
The other 81% feel that some-to-most students are unhealthy in how busy they are. 24% of
students themselves reported that they would describe their level of stress in balancing school,
activities, social, work, etc. as ―very high,‖ and another 37.3% feel that it‘s ―somewhat high.‖ 30.6%
of students ―absolutely‖ believe that too much is expected of the Brophy student with respect to
balancing school, activities, social, work, etc., and 50.9% of students feel that they believe this ―to
some degree.‖
While this data doesn‘t paint a conclusive picture of the degree to which the stressors are natural to a
college preparatory environment or an environment where excellence is both a goal and an
expectation of faculty and students alike, it‘s certainly worth noting that stress and balance came up
in Focus Group conversations as a theme.
Areas of Strength:
A safe environment for students, structures in Counseling and the Dean‘s Office to identify and
support struggling students, Safe Environment Training, Summit on Human Dignity, opportunities
for students to interact with faculty and each other both inside and outside the classroom in healthy
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ways, parent programs and programs that connect parents and faculty, pre-fecting and security
supervision.
Evidence:
Faculty Handbook, Student Handbook, Counseling Handbook, Safe Environment Training
curriculum, Summit on Human Dignity agenda, student/parent/faculty surveys.
Areas for Potential Growth:
Finding ways to mitigate sexist and homophobic comments among students primarily, but also
faculty and staff. Delineating what stressors exist in faculty and student lives, the degrees to which
they can be managed, and then being proactive in trying to help students and faculty manage or
release the stress that comes with being a member of the Brophy community.
A6: Reporting Student Progress
To what extent…


does the school administration and staff regularly assess student progress toward
accomplishing the school‘s expected schoolwide learning results?
does the school administration and staff report student progress to the rest of the school
community?
Brophy does a very good job at reporting many aspects of student progress to both students and
their parents, but there are some distinct areas for growth in reporting others. In terms of the
assessment and reporting of all five of the elements of the Graduate at Graduation outcomes, Brophy
still falls short of the ideal. While we target our programs toward all of them both inside and outside
the classroom, we don‘t yet have in place a regular, systemic approach to assessing and reporting to
each student and family how a student is progressing in the areas of Open to Growth, Religious,
Loving, and Committed to Doing Justice. It‘s been a conversation piece since the last accreditation
cycle, but not one we‘ve addressed well yet.
Conversely, when it comes to assessing and reporting students‘ intellectual competence—e.g. how
they‘re doing in our academic coursework and other related assessments—we have found much
success. 86.6% of parents agree that ―there is effective and timely communication of student
progress and behavior to parents through phone calls, emails, conferences, NetClassroom, etc.‖
Indeed, Brophy‘s use of the web-based NetClassroom has given students and parents up-to-date
access to their progress reports from anywhere, which has more or less negated the need for parents
or students to ask a teacher what the grade is or how he‘s doing. (the exception being if teachers fall
behind in grading or posting their grades, which unfortunately happens from time to time) Thus,
communication between parents and teachers (or students and teachers) can more importantly focus
on the why as opposed to the how a student is doing.
There are many reporting practices concerning student progress toward those other outcomes, but
not necessarily a system-wide one. For example, counselors check in with students and parents on a
regular basis about student progress and life, parent-teacher conferences are held each semester, the
Dean‘s Office communicates with parents whose sons are unfortunately not modeling the qualities of
67
the Grad at Grad and finding themselves in trouble because of it, the school selects and informs
students (and their parents) when they are given honors and awards for modeling the qualities of the
Grad at Grad (e.g., Distinguished Student Awards, Magis Awards, class awards, etc.), and the entire
faculty convenes at the end of each semester in a student review process to identify which students
seem to be struggling either academically, emotionally, or socially, so that the Counseling and Dean‘s
Offices can follow up with them and parents. So there are mechanisms in place to convey to select
students how they‘re measuring up to all five outcomes. But there‘s currently no system in place
that does so for each and every student.
Areas of Strength:
Online accessibility to grades, parent-teacher conferences, communication from Counseling and
Dean‘s Office to parents and students, awards programs.
Evidence:
NetClassroom, student review process, parent-teacher conferences, counseling and information
nights, awards assemblies.
Areas for Potential Growth:
How best to assess and communicate every student‘s progress against all five Grad at Grad outcomes
on some type of systematized basis.
A7: School Improvement Process




does the school leadership facilitate school improvement which is driven by plans of action
that embody faith formation and enhance quality learning for all students?
does the school leadership have school community support and involvement?
does the school leadership effectively guide the work of the school?
does the school leadership provide for accountability through monitoring of the schoolwide
action plan?
Brophy is an institution that works toward school improvement both within and outside of the
accreditation process. As the Progress Report (Chapter III) outlines, much school improvement has
taken place within this past accreditation process, included, but limited to, a curriculum-revision and
publication process, the shift in our Counseling Department, the focus on other programs that
address issues of student behavior, health and wellness, and a more intentional approach to how we
publicize our ESLRs—the Grad at Grad outcomes—to our students and their families.
However, school improvement has also taken place outside the bounds of the accreditation process.
Our one-to-one tablet computing program, the evolution of our college-credit course offerings, the
four-year ascension of our AP scores institutionally, the acquisition and/or construction of two
sports & activity campuses in the last 12 years, the construction of a fine arts and math/science
building, the construction of a multi-purpose and cafeteria building, and the new Loyola Academy
are all examples of school improvement that demonstrate Brophy‘s commitment to embracing
change and progress in ways that better meet the needs of students.
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Faith formation is also at the heart of school improvement. Programs like the Pedro Arrupe Office
of Faith and Justice, the Summit on Human Dignity, Big Brothers, and the always evolving
retreat/service/immersion programs likewise demonstrate Brophy‘s commitment to school
improvement as it relates to faith formation. Specific examples of the latter include a Threshold
Retreat for graduating seniors the week of graduation to help them discern and deal with the
impending changes in their lives, new immersion trips to Africa and Argentina, and a revamped
Frosh Retreat that will more inclusively involve parents in the formation process of their sons.
96.9% of parents agree that ―evidence of growth and progress on campus‖ is present. 99.1% of
parents agree that ―Brophy‘s resources are sufficient to sustain quality school programs.‖ And
98.7% of parents agree that ―Brophy‘s buildings and grounds reflect the quality of education here.‖
Perhaps most importantly when it comes to seeing the evolution of Brophy‘s school improvement
from that ground level, 98.4% of parents agree that ―overall, [their] perception of the Brophy
education and experience is a positive one.‖
Faculty affirm that resources continue to develop for their own instructional growth, and they see
institutional focus on student formation. 89.6% of faculty agree that ―ample resources are provided
for [them] to do their job well at Brophy.‖ 79.1% of faculty agree that ―the technology we have has
allowed [them] to grow as an instructor.‖ 92.6% of faculty agree that ―Brophy encourages students‘
spiritual growth by providing a knowledgeable foundation of Jesus Christ, the Christian community,
and the Roman Catholic tradition,‖ and 97.1% of faculty agree that ―faith and justice programs like
immersion programs, paint-a-thons, Junior Justice Project, etc. are integral in providing a truly Jesuit
education.‖
Though the one-to-one computing program continues to be a work in progress that we tweak and
improve each year, students do see value in it as an aspect of our school improvement. 89.1% of
students to some or a large extent affirm that ―having a tablet in class has allowed [them] increased
opportunities for creative projects and other product-based assessments,‖ and 81.6% of students to
some or a large extent believe that having ―a tablet in class has allowed [them] to be more creative
than [they] would be in class without one.‖ Faculty professional development concerning
curriculum, content, and instructional technique has also borne fruit in the classroom, as 88.7% of
students agree that ―the courses they have taken here have been meaningful, interesting, and
challenging,‖ and 87.5% of students agree that their ―teachers use a variety of teaching methods and
approaches appropriate to the subject matter and grade level.‖
Perhaps most telling is that Brophy continues to meet students where they are, and where the times
are. 93.9% of current students are likely (14.9%) or very likely (78.4%) to recommend Brophy to
someone they know. And among alums, 96.7% of respondents, ―based on [their] experience as a
student, would recommend Brophy to young men with academic, social, and spiritual promise.‖
That Brophy was and continues to be a place that students see as a positive force in their lives
speaks to the continuing school improvement that meets them where they are in the society in
which they‘re growing up.
Areas of Strength:
Accreditation process, initiatives outside the accreditation process, support from community of
students, parents, and alums, formation programs for students and faculty.
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Evidence:
Progress Report on 2005 Accreditation process, one-to-one computing program, Harper Great Hall,
Piper Hall, Eller Fine Arts Building, the Loyola Academy, Summit on Human Dignity agenda,
Office of Faith and Justice, student/parent/alumni/faculty surveys.
Areas for Potential Growth:
Continuing to enhance one-to-one computing program and experience for both students and
faculty.
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CATEGORY B: CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION
B1: What Students Learn
To what extent…

does the school provide a challenging, comprehensive and relevant curriculum for each
student that fulfills the school‘s philosophy and mission, strengthens Catholic identity and
results in student achievement of the expected schoolwide learning results through
successful completion of any course of study offered?
Evidence points toward a Brophy curriculum that indeed fulfills the school‘s philosophy and
mission, strengthens Catholic identity, and results in student achievement of the expected
schoolwide learning results. The curriculum at Brophy is a diverse and comprehensive one that
embraces all disciplines, and includes four full years of English, Math, and Religious Studies, as well
as three or more years of World Language, Science and Social Studies, two and a half years of Fine
Arts, and a year and a half of Physical Education & Health. Whereas many public institutions have
been forced to or decided to cut programs like Fine Arts or PE/Health because of funding issues,
Brophy has continued to value their existence as assets that truly support the school‘s Philosophy of
―developing the whole person.‖
With a seven-period schedule and a 27 credit requirement, Brophy students have impacted schedules
that certainly challenge them academically. A vibrant offering of summer school credit courses, and
a recently established relationship with the Jesuit Virtual Learning Academy (JVLA), also gives our
students access to classes that can free up time in their semester schedules to take more electives or
perhaps a Study Hall class if desired.
Members of the community see the curriculum as relevant and engaging. 88.7% of students report
that ―the courses [they] have taken here at Brophy have been meaningful, interesting, and
challenging.‖ 97.7% of parents report that ―classes are challenging and provide appropriate
preparation for college or university courses,‖ and 96.1% of parents express that ―Brophy offers a
variety of courses beyond the standard, college preparatory curriculum.‖ 97.8% of alums noted
some satisfaction (85.4% ―very satisfied‖) when asked if they were ―satisfied with [their] Brophy
education as preparation for a college curriculum and workload.‖ Furthermore, only 1.1% of alum
respondents expressed any level of dissatisfaction in how their Brophy education ―relates to [their]
work career.‖ Finally, 89.4% of Brophy faculty, on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest), rated an 8 or
better the ―quality of the educational experience Brophy offers to students.‖ The curriculum itself
has been a focus since the 2005 accreditation process, and 91.2% of faculty agree that their
department ―has updated curricula for its courses that clearly articulate what students should know,
understand, and be able to do at the end of each course.‖ This is a marked improvement from the
last accreditation cycle.
Given that, as earlier stated, Brophy has yet to formalize a process by which we assess and report
student progress of each ESRL (Grad at Grad outcome) to every student on a systematized basis, the
question of whether a Brophy education ―results in student achievement of the expected schoolwide
learning results through successful completion of any course of study offered‖ is a fair one. And
though we can certainly point anecdotally to a number of examples to prove that it does, one piece
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of alumni data is compelling in answering the question. Of the following five questions alums were
asked, the adjacent % is that of the respondents who reported ―to some‖ or ―to a large‖ extent:
To what extent do you feel the Brophy experience made you more…
 Intellectually competent: 100%
 Loving: 89.2%
 Open to growth: 96.8%
 Committed to doing justice: 90.3%
 Religious: 67%
As one can see, those who have completed the Brophy experience look back through the five lenses
of our ESLRs and see their own growth and progress in these educational outcomes. While we‘re
disappointed that the % of alums who see themselves and having grown in their religion is much
less than the others, we take solace in a couple of ways. First, it gives us something to address as an
area for growth, which is what this whole self-study process is about. Second, when the data is
disaggregated across specific categories of years, there‘s definitely a trend of more recent graduates
growing in their religious beliefs in ways that older graduates didn‘t seem to experience.
This is the % of these categories who reported ―to some‖ or ―to a large‖ extent when asked the
question, to what extent do you feel the Brophy experience made you more Religious?




Pre-1995: 63.6%
1995-1999: 70.8%
2000-2004: 68.9%
2005-2009: 78.3%
Though Brophy graduates might not feel religious growth in the same ways historically as the other
four outcomes of the Grad at Grad, and it is definitely an area of growth for us, there is a nice
upward trend since the last accreditation process in 2005 that seems to indicate students are growing
in their religious faith more so than in the past.
Among current students, these same questions were asked, albeit as ―to what extent do you agree
that your Brophy experience thus far has been positive in your healthy development as a young
person who is…‖ each of these things. Their responses in the terms of ―agree‖ or ―somewhat
agree:‖
 Intellectually competent: 94.3%
 Loving: 94%
 Open to Growth: 93%
 Committed to doing justice: 93.6%
 Religious: 86.7%
This data, representative of the current student body, paints a healthy picture of the ways in which
we‘re accomplishing our mission to guide students toward those ESLRs, or Grad at Grad outcomes.
Finally, as stated previously, Brophy continues to work at strengthening our Catholic, Jesuit identity
among all students. 87.2% of students agree in some way that the ―Catholic identity of the school is
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clear‖ to them. 89.2% of students ―have a pretty good grasp of the philosophy of a Jesuit
education.‖ 92.4% of students agree in some way that they ―know specifically‖ what the Graduate at
Graduation entails. 76.5% of students affirm that in some way, ―Brophy has helped [them] grow in
[their] relationship with God.‖ And finally, 80.9% of students agree that ―Brophy has helped [them]
grow in appreciation of either [their] own religious tradition or of religion in general.‖ These all
point to an emphasis and focus upon formation at Brophy, especially in a Catholic, Jesuit context.
Areas of Strength:
Written curriculum, appropriate challenge of written curriculum to students, appropriate preparation
of students for college or university, anecdotally measurable growth in graduates across all five
ESLRs after their Brophy experience, anecdotally measurable growth among current students across
all five ESLRs, connection of school curricular program to Catholic, Jesuit identity.
Evidence:
Student/parent/alum/faculty surveys, written curriculum, graduation rate, acceptance rate into 4year colleges and universities, attendance at Catholic colleges or universities, SAT scores, AP scores,
AIMS scores for tuition scholarships.
Areas for Potential Growth:
How best to assess and communicate every student‘s progress against all five Grad at Grad outcomes
on some type of systematized basis. How to better foster growth in religious faith among our
students, which also includes fostering more meaningful experiences for them of Masses, prayer
services, and other experiences that reflect our Catholic identity.
B2: How Students Learn
To what extent…


does the professional staff use research-based knowledge about teaching and learning?
does the professional staff design and implement a variety of learning experiences that
actively engage students at a high level of learning consistent with the school‘s philosophy
and mission and expected schoolwide learning results?
Brophy has a vibrant professional development culture that promotes the use of research-based
knowledge about teaching and learning. All teachers set a professional growth goal at the beginning
of each year in their professional development Portfolio, and ample funds are set aside for teachers
to pursue, if they choose to, attendance at conferences locally, nationally, and even sometimes
internationally to acquire such research-based knowledge about the teaching and learning process.
In any given year roughly half of the teaching faculty will attend a conference or seminar of some
type, and these range from professional organizations like the College Board‘s AP Conference to the
ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Design) to NCTE (National Council for
Teachers of English) and NCTM (National Council for Teachers of Mathematics) to ISTE
(International Society for Technology in Education) to NCSS (National Council for Social Studies)
to science modeling workshops at Arizona State University to JSEA (Jesuit Secondary Education
Association) conferences and seminars that target specific educational arenas, and everything in
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between. The school spends a combination of federal title, departmental, and administrative monies
in excess of $60,000 each year to give teachers research-based training and in-servicing. And in any
given year, those who don‘t attend a conference typically either read book(s) from the educational
research community (many put out by the ASCD), or attend to regular readings of a professional
community‘s periodical, such as a science or math journal. All faculty are asked to offer reflections
in their Portfolio on their experience with the conference or reading, and to forward-think potential
transfer of their experience into class. Such transfer, after all, is why we value professional
development so much.
On a local front, Brophy also asks its teachers to observe at least one other teacher for a full class
period each semester, and to include a reflection on that observation and potential transfer of what
they see into their own teaching in their Portfolio. While this culture doesn‘t necessarily equal
―research-based knowledge‖ in an academic context, we feel that it does equal research-based
knowledge in an experiential context, for it gets faculty outside their own rooms and allows them to
watch teachers, students, teaching, and learning from a different vantage point.
88.5% of faculty agree that ―Brophy‘s administration actively promotes and supports the
professional development of faculty through the allocation of release time and fiscal resources,‖ and
only 10% of faculty disagree to some level that ―watching colleagues teach has been a valuable
experience to [them] as a teacher.‖ 91.3% of faculty agree that ―teachers are supported and
encouraged to utilize innovative approaches to teaching and assessing to enhance student learning,‖
90.9% of faculty agree that they ―regularly use a variety of instructional techniques in [their]
classroom to teach students,‖ and 91% of faculty agree that they ―regularly utilize a variety of
assessment strategies to measure student progress and learning.‖
Students also report seeing the fruits of this research-based knowledge about teaching and learning,
as well as the variety of learning and assessment strategies faculty are employing. 89.3% of students
agree that they ―are able to demonstrate what they have learned not only through regular tests, but
also in other ways such as creative projects, essays, portfolios, oral presentations, and/or
discussions.‖ 85.9% of students agree that they are ―encouraged to work cooperatively (with others)
to solve problems and/or create projects in class.‖ And 87.5% of students agree that their ―teachers
use a variety of teaching methods and approaches appropriate to the subject matter and grade level.‖
As to the question of whether or not the teaching and learning processes are steeped in the school‘s
philosophy and mission, the above data in addition to the broad curriculum implies that teaching the
whole person (and the unique person) is a goal of ours. But the way in which our faculty teaches
also represents well the school‘s philosophy and mission, and the respect for all people. 98.2% of
parents agree that ―Brophy has high expectations of its students,‖ yet 95.1% of parents also say that
―Brophy‘s administration and faculty promote a learning environment conducive to high self-esteem
and mutual respect between teachers and students.‖ 81% of students agree that their ―teachers have
the best interests of students in mind at all times,‖ 84.9% agree that their ―teachers want to help
students whenever possible,‖ 84.9% of students agree that ―the academic program at Brophy has
encouraged [them] to express [their] opinion freely in class and to respect the opinion of others in a
positive learning environment,‖ and 83.8% of students agree that their ―teachers welcome student
opinions in class, even if they are different than their own.‖ Thus, while not perfect, the Brophy
classroom for most students is a safe and nurturing place in which to grow as a young person in
formation.
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Areas of Strength:
Vibrant culture for professional development, differentiation of instruction and assessment, teacherstudent relationships.
Evidence:
Monies for professional development, attendance at conference and in-services, Faculty Professional
Development Portfolio process, student/parent/faculty surveys.
Areas for Potential Growth:
Continue to stress research-based pedagogy as imperative and perhaps bring more ―experts‖ onto
campus for more convenient and meaningful in-services.
B3: How Assessment is Used
To what extent…




is teacher and student use of assessment frequent and integrated into the teaching/learning
process?
are the assessment results the basis for measurement of each student‘s progress toward the
expected schoolwide learning results?
are the assessment results the basis for regular evaluation and improvement of curriculum
and instruction?
are the assessment results the basis for the allocation of resources?
Over recent years the Brophy faculty has placed growing emphasis on the assessment process. For
example, after the 2005 accreditation process the Academic Board (department chairs and Assistant
Principal for Curriculum and Instruction) agreed on an aligned philosophy of assessment strategy,
which for the first time articulated as a goal a set # of assessments per course per semester, as well
as the use of common assessments to promote both alignment and collaboration among teachers.
Brophy has been working with a UBD (Understanding by Design) philosophy of beginning with the
end in mind (i.e. Enduring Understandings, Content Objectives, Skill Objectives), then the
formulation of assessments to gauge the extent to which students know, understand, and can do
these objectives and understandings, and then the formulation of instructional plans and activities
that guide students toward success on the assessments that reflect the big ideas and outcomes
toward which the course is focused. This has all been at the center of the curriculum-writing
process that began with the 2005 accreditation process.
Common assessment data is now placed within a teacher‘s Portfolio and is accompanied by teacher
reflections on the data. This is a recent integration of such data into the teaching and learning
process. Furthermore, teachers are asked to dialogue with one another at the course level to study
their data against each other‘s common assessment data so as to use it to discern how students are
doing holistically, as well as which teachers are employing best practices in their rooms and can thus
aid other teachers in the formulation of instructional activities that garner student achievement on
those assessments.
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On an institutional level, both course and individual grade reports are given to department chairs
quarterly so that those educational leaders can note trends in grade distributions and facilitate
conversations where necessary. Chairs also meet with the Assistant Principal for Curriculum and
Instruction to converse about student achievement on both common assessments and grade
distributions within courses in their entirety. For certain, assessments and grades are the root of
much forethought on the front end and reflective practice on the back end.
Though the Advanced Placement (AP) courses represent a more narrow arena, they‘re also a good
example of our attention to assessments as impetus for allocation of funds and attention. Over the
past four years we have been more intentional in our examination of AP scores, and have tweaked
admissions practices to AP courses and teaching assignments to ensure that students were taking
courses commensurate with their ability and interest level, and that the best teachers for those
courses were instructing students. We‘ve seen an increase each of the last four years and the 2011
scores are 18% higher in pass rates than they were in 2007, in large part because of the attention
paid to the assessment data.
Areas of Strength:
Recent emphasis of assessment data at departmental level (e.g. common assessments), recent review
of alignment of assessments with curricular outcomes and instructional strategies, departmental
collaboration, attention to assessment data at administrative level.
Evidence:
Common assessment report, Faculty Portfolio reflections of common assessment data, AP scores
and commensurate professional development monies spent for conferences, grade distribution
reports, faculty surveys.
Areas for Potential Growth:
A continuing evolution of common assessment writing and usage to best assess enduring
understandings at the course level in addition to content and skill outcomes. A continuing evolution
of teachers getting together on the back end of assessment data to discuss and tweak their
instruction as appropriate.
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CATEGORY C: SUPPORT FOR STUDENT SPIRITUAL,
PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC GROWTH
C1: Campus Ministry, Community-Based Service Learning
To what extent…

do students grow as persons of faith through appropriate and meaningful experiences of
prayer, liturgy, and community-based services learning?
Over the years Brophy has evolved the traditional ―campus ministry office and Christian service
office‖ model to a blended Office of Faith and Justice (OFJ), which oversees the entirety of service
and justice programs on Brophy‘s campus, but also intentionally works to integrate all faculty into
the faith formation of students.
Examples of this integration abound. For example, the OFJ facilitates the orchestration of the
Frosh Retreat, the Magis Retreat for second semester sophomores and first semester juniors, the
Kairos Retreat for seniors and second semester juniors, and the Threshold Retreat for graduates.
Yet, three-quarters of the faculty facilitate prayer services and work with student groups at service
sites for the Frosh Retreat, the Magis and Kairos Retreats are mostly stocked with faculty leaders
and directors not in the OFJ, and the Threshold Retreat likewise is made up of mostly non-OFJ
faculty. This model is emulated in the service arena as well, where faculty are actively engaged in the
Frosh Breakaway, the Loyola Project for sophomores, as Junior Justice Project cohort mentors, and
as immersion trip coordinators. Thus, Brophy truly has an ―it takes a village‖ approach to the
formation of students, and because the faculty get to know the students so well in class, their
presence in these other areas of formation allow students a level of comfort and undoubtedly
contribute to student experience in these endeavors.
88.6% of students agree that ―a conscious and deliberate effort is made to develop a faith
community within the school.‖ 85.4% of students agree that ―the school has an active Office of
Faith and Justice in whose programs I am encouraged to participate.‖ 84.2% of students agree that
―The Office of Faith and Justice programs provide opportunities to develop and enhance my
personal spirituality through retreats, reconciliation services, immersion programs, and liturgies.‖
Only 8.9% of students disagreed that the Frosh Retreat was a positive experience for them, only
4.3% of students disagreed the Magis Retreat was a positive experience for them, and only 3.1% of
students disagreed that the Kairos Retreat was an experience that strengthened their faith. These
numbers are consistent with the feedback on the Frosh Breakaway, the Sophomore Service Project,
and the Junior Justice Project, each survey of which suffered no greater than 11% of students who
disagreed that the experiences helped them develop a better understanding of what it means to be a
person for others.
Furthermore, the OFJ has worked these past years to also develop an integrated and cross-curricular
approach to the Summit on Human Dignity, and while the Summit‘s genesis and facilitation fall
within the purview of the OFJ, the Summit Steering Committee is made up of a broad range of
faculty and students, and all teachers are asked to incorporate Summit themes into the curricular
approach of their courses. 75.5% of students agree that the ―Summit on Human Dignity weeks
have caused [them] to consider social issues more intentionally and compassionately.‖
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Parents echo this student feedback, noting that the ―Office of Faith and Justice programs (liturgies,
retreats, immersion, Summit, prayer) are an integral part of the Brophy experience and offer students
and parents opportunities for faith formation‖ to a tune of 97.3% agreement. And 92.1% of parents
agree that ―programs facilitated by the OFJ challenge students to develop spiritually and grow
personally.‖ Perhaps most telling, and a stark increase from the 2005 data, 96.2% of parents agree
that ―the OFJ is as important a component to the Brophy experience as is academics, athletics, or
clubs.‖
Among alums, only 5.4% expressed any dissatisfaction with their experience in school retreats, only
2.1% expressed any dissatisfaction with participation in service projects, and only 2.7% expressed
any dissatisfaction in their overall experience with faith and justice programs at Brophy.
If there is an area perhaps less positive in student feedback, it centers on the effects that liturgies and
prayer services have on students. 26.7% of students expressed some disagreement that ―the liturgies
and prayer services are relevant events‖ for them. While this shouldn‘t negate the positive effects
that the Masses and prayer services have on so many, it does provide us with an area to target in
terms of animating this arena of student life.
Strengths:
Collaborative approach to ministry programs, central facilitation of all programs by the OFJ,
ministerial effects on students, perception of parents and alumni of ministry programs.
Evidence:
Student/parent/faculty/alum surveys, number of students in voluntary ministerial programs like
immersion trips, Magis and Kairos and Threshold Retreats, Paint-a-thons, etc.
Areas for Potential Growth:
Continuing to find ways to make liturgies and prayer services more engaging and/or meaningful to
students.
C2: Student Connectedness
To what extent…

are students connected to a system of support services, activities, and opportunities at the
school and within the school‘s community of faith that meet the challenges of the
curricular/co-curricular program in order to achieve the expected schoolwide learning
results?
Brophy has worked hard recently to better connect students to a system of support services,
activities, and opportunities that steer them toward the Grad at Grad outcomes. As mentioned
previously, the breadth of the OFJ programs have helped animate students in ways that have made
them more intellectually competent, more loving, more open to growth, more committed to doing
justice, and more religious. Outside the OFJ, changes in the Counseling Department since the last
accreditation process have also better connected students to support, whether it be the creation of a
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Student Assistance Counselor position who oversees students with special needs, be they learning
needs or emotional/psychological needs, or the creation of the College Counseling Department,
who more intentionally walk students and parents through the college admissions and selection
process than did the more one-size-fits-all counseling approach we used to employ at Brophy. Also,
the AMC (Ad Majorem Community) is a newer program that places a support structure around the
students deemed most at-risk as they enter Brophy, and keeps them intentionally supported for the
first 13 months of their tenure here. Their performance and engagement in the school community
has grown each year, as has their retention rate and their ascension into Honors and AP programs.
And the SAP (Student Assistance Program) continues to be a way for faculty, counselors, and the
Dean‘s Office to identify and then ―work up‖ students who may be facing emotional, family,
psychological, or social issues that are negatively affecting them and their health and wellness.
82.9% of students agree that their ―counselor is knowledgeable and informed about issues and
challenges [they] and other adolescents face,‖ and 80.5% of students agree that the ―Counseling
Department and school programs help [them] make more informed career and academic decisions.‖
Furthermore, 87.2% of students agree that their ―counselor shows care and concern for [them] as a
person by treating [their] questions and problems with respect.‖
Even other co-curriculars take to heart forming our boys toward the outcomes of the Grad at Grad.
80.9% of students agree that ―coaches and moderators are good role models of Christian values,‖
73% of students agree that ―coaches and moderators preach sportsmanship and team above winning
at all costs‖ (with 8.8% offering no basis for answering), and 84.4% of students agree that their
―involvement in athletics and/or clubs at Brophy has helped [them] learn to respect others and deal
with people in a positive manner.‖
If there is an area for growth here, it is perhaps tied to the absence of a metric for assessing and
communicating each and every student‘s progress toward the Grad at Grad outcomes, which might
help us identify and work with students who aren‘t involved in any outside-the-classroom programs,
or who slip through the cracks as either a non-high-achiever or non-low-achiever. Much
conversation took place at the Focus Group and then Leadership Team levels about the middle-ofthe-pack student and how we were identifying and ministering to him.
Areas of Strength:
Programs that identify and support students that are at-risk when they enter Brophy or who have
documented learning disabilities, or who are undergoing emotional or psychological issues.
Evidence:
College Counseling Office, Guidance Counseling Office, Student Assistance Counselor position,
student/parent surveys, AMC data, SAP data.
Areas for Potential Growth:
Identifying the middle-of-the-road student who might need support that he currently isn‘t getting,
which is connected to the absence of a formalized assessment tool to measure the Grad at Grad
outcomes on a systematized basis.
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C3: Parent-Community Involvement
To what extent…

does the school leadership employ a wide range of strategies to ensure that parental and
community involvement is integral to the school‘s established support system for students?
Brophy employs a wide range of strategies to ensure that parental and community involvement is
integral to the school‘s established support system for students, from the President‘s Office through
the Principal‘s Office and to the classroom and coaching/moderating arenas.
The President‘s Office oversees fundraising and ―friend‖-raising on campus, and is the catalyst for
much parental and community involvement in the school‘s programs that support students. Parents
and other community members help make up the Boards of Trustees (governing) and Regents
(consulting), meaning that parental and community involvement is at the center of all decisions on
Brophy‘s campus. But the President‘s Office also facilitates programs that support students in a
variety of other ways. For example, the Brophy Community Foundation solicits, manages, and
distributes tax credit donations that hugely impact the financial aid program at Brophy, and allow a
quarter of students on average to receive some type of tuition assistance that makes the Brophy
education possible. The President‘s Office has also facilitated the Brophy Friends of the Arts
endowment and the Ask a Scientist Salon, programs that connect community members interested in
the arts or science to specific support of those on-campus programs and thus the students on the
other side of them. Furthermore, programs like the annual Auction and Power Breakfast invite
community members into the Brophy campus to hear the message of our work, and invariably many
of those community members leave those functions as donors of either money or time toward
animating the Brophy experience for our students.
The Principal‘s Office also facilitates many programs that target the inclusion of parents and other
community members in the education and formation process of Brophy students. The Mothers‘
Guild and the Dads‘ Club are both vibrant parent groups whose programs are wide and inclusive of
current, future, and past Brophy families. For example, the Dads‘ Club hosts a dinner for all
incoming freshmen and their dads to welcome them to the community and set some context for
what‘s to come. They also host a golf tournament to raise money for financial aid, yet also maintain
a network of businesses that seek to hire Brophy boys for outside employment to help them both
make money and to prepare them for the working world. The Mothers‘ Guild hosts a Fashion
Show that likewise contributes generously to the financial aid program at Brophy, but they also
coordinate a great deal of social and spiritual programs within their ranks, in addition to supporting
the faculty with the gift of breakfast on a number of occasions throughout the year. Furthermore,
the Principal meets monthly with the leadership of both the Dads‘ Club and the Mothers‘ Guild, and
attends all of their meetings and major activities to foster both communication and their
involvement in school life and support for students and other parents. The Principal also has
spearheaded the creation of programs geared toward Spanish-speaking parents in order to better
invite them into the community and give them the arena for information and questions that they
deserve and need. He has gathered both parents from the Mothers‘ Guild and Dads‘ Club, as well
as faculty, to help actualize these endeavors.
Parents are also invited onto campus or to a neighborhood home a number of times each year to
partner in this educational endeavor of their sons. Back-to-School Night, Parent-Teacher
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Conferences, Counseling Information or College Information Nights, Get-Acquainted
Parties…these are all opportunities taken to bring parents into the what, why and how of Brophy‘s
program, and seek to support the numerous communication streams designed to inform them of the
school‘s doings.
On the communication front, 86.6% of parents agree that ―there are effective and timely
communication of student progress and behavior to parents through phone calls, emails,
conferences, NetClassroom, etc.‖ 98.1% of parents agree that ―parents are appropriately informed
of events, activities, news, and policy changes through the E-news, Brophy home page, mailings,
etc.‖
Finally, teachers, as the first line of contact in a classroom context, see their roles in teaching and
forming the boys as inextricably intertwined with parents. 91.2% of teachers agree that they should
and do ―call or email a parent when [they] have concerns about a student.‖
Areas of Strength:
Parent and community involvement in a wide array of programs, both fund-raising and also friendraising; communication among teachers, parents, administration concerning student progress and
school information.
Evidence:
Parent/faculty surveys, Mothers‘ Guild programs, Dads‘ Club programs, school parent evenings like
College or Counseling Information Nights, Spanish-speaking parent programs, Brophy Community
Foundation.
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D: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
D1: Resources
To what extent…


does the school demonstrate responsible stewardship?
are the resources available to the school sufficient to sustain the school program and
effectively used to carry out the school‘s philosophy and mission and student achievement of
the expected schoolwide learning results?
Since an aspect of Brophy‘s Philosophy is to ―educate the whole person,‖ there‘s a tremendous
expectation we place on ourselves to be able to make sufficient resources accessible to students in
every arena in order to better their experience and progress toward our ESLRs, be it in an academic
context, a spiritual context, or a co-curricular context.
There doesn‘t seem to be evidence of irresponsible stewardship in any of these contexts. As the
school‘s tuition has increased over the years, so too has the school‘s financial aid budget and
distribution, and thus, the Brophy education is available to families from all socioeconomic
backgrounds. The alignment between Brophy‘s tuition and actual per-student cost allows the myriad
of other programs—like the Auction, Fashion Show, Power Breakfast, etc.—to pour its funds into
either financial aid or expansion projects like the Brophy Sports Campus as opposed to subsidizing
operating expenses. Before the Loyola Academy was given the green light, donors had put up the
money to be able to see it through to creation and sustenance for a realistic period while a
continuing funding strategy is pursued and animated. In association, these realities thus allow
Brophy to fairly and sufficiently sustain the variety of school programs that support excellence in the
classroom, in the athletic arenas, in the spiritual development of students and faculty, and in the
non-athletic co-curricular endeavors.
If a student goes on a retreat or joins an athletic team, he doesn‘t pay a fee to do so. Those fees are
covered by tuition costs. Likewise, if a faculty member seeks to make a conference to better his or
her knowledge of a subject matter or pedagogical practice, he or she doesn‘t pay for the costs
associated with travel or the conference; those monies are allocated in title, departmental, or other
institutional areas. Classrooms are equipped with the most updated technology to support teaching
and learning, and facilities continue to expand to best meet the needs of students on Brophy‘s
campus. It‘s no accident that a Fine Arts building was built before a Math/Science building, which
was built before a Sports Campus was built. The needs of the student are always at the center of
decision-making and resource management, and developing the whole person is a central piece to
the Philosophy of the school. So while athletics might get more time in the local news than the arts,
when expanding our arts education was a priority, it took precedence over athletic facilities.
99.1% of parents agree that ―Brophy‘s resources (classroom space, fields, theater, Information
Commons, etc.) are sufficient to sustain quality school programs,‖ and 96.9% of parents agree that
―evidence of growth and progress on campus is evident.‖ 85.7% of parents agree that ―Brophy
provides appropriate allocation of financial resources for staffing, school programs, scholarships,
and maintenance of school facilities‖ (with 10.4% citing no basis to comment), and perhaps most
impressively, 92.3% of parents agree that ―the development office, President‘s Office, and parent
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clubs demonstrate effective efforts to raise scholarships and program funds in order to keep tuition
at a reasonable level.‖
89.6% of faculty agree to an extent that ―ample resources are provided for [them] to do [their] job
well at Brophy, and 86.7% of faculty agree to an extent that they ―feel fairly compensated financially
for [their] work at Brophy.‖
Areas of Strength:
Newer and technology-laden classroom facilities; Brophy Sports Campus; Brophy Community
Foundation; vibrant parent clubs; faculty compensation; professional development funds; a culture
of fee inclusion in tuition as opposed to fees for every activity.
Evidence:
Parent and faculty surveys, Eller Fine Arts Building, Piper Math and Science Building, Harper Great
Hall, the Information Commons, the Brophy Sports Campus, faculty salary schedule, fund-raising
data, financial aid data.
D2: Resource Planning
To what extent…

do the governing authority and the school execute responsible resource planning for the
future?
Brophy‘s Board of Trustees and its President‘s Office indeed execute responsible resource planning
for the future. A Strategic Plan that began some 15 years ago has seen items checked off its list one
by one, including an emphasis on technology (Brophy is now a one-to-one computing school and
has the necessary technical support), on classroom space (Brophy now has a classroom for every
full-time teacher on campus), Science (the opening of the Virginia Piper Math & Science Building
that now houses all science and math courses), Fine Arts (the opening of the Scott and Laura Eller
Fine Arts building that now houses all fine arts courses), faculty salaries (faculty are now paid
commensurate with the top public schools in Arizona), and sports (this is the last of the initiatives
from the Strategic Plan, and though not complete, Brophy does boast sports campuses on Campbell
just east of 28th St. and on 7th St. adjacent to Xavier College Preparatory, both of which support
Brophy‘s athletic programs).
It‘s important to note that despite all of the above—in addition to the creation of Harper Great
Hall, the Information Commons, the Office of Faith and Justice, the acquisition of a house for and
the genesis of the Alumni Service Corps, and the new Loyola Academy which opened in the fall of
2011—the only debt on the books is for the most recent development of the 7th St. Sports Campus,
but the Trustees‘ budgeting process has forecast to pay all of that debt off by 2017, and is on track
to do so. Everything else was built or developed only when the resources were in hand to do so.
Furthermore, responsible resource planning for the future can be seen in the fact that Brophy is a
school who—as part of that Strategic Plan—years ago pursued decisions that made it possible for
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tuition monies to cover all operating expenses. No development monies are thus allocated for
operating expenses, which means that all development can be targeted for improvement, financial
aid, and the like.
Areas of Strength:
Animation of Strategic Plan to include expansion of technology, updated and aesthetically
impressive buildings and grounds, individual classroom space for all full-time teachers, competitive
faculty salaries, state of the art fine arts, science and math learning environments, minimal debt given
all the development and growth, full-cost tuition structure where operating costs are covered by
tuition.
Evidence:
Student, parent, and faculty surveys; newer buildings or space and their initiatives: Information
Commons, Eller Fine Arts Center, Piper Path and Science Building, Harper Great Hall, the Office
of Faith and Justice, the Loyola Academy, the Alumni Service Corps and its house; Strategic Plan.
D3: School Finance Resources
To what extent…


are the school‘s financial resources adequate to fulfill its mission and programs?
are the school‘s financial operations conducted with integrity and in accordance with
acceptable accounting practices?
Because Brophy‘s tuition covers operating expenses, Brophy is in a special and relatively unique
position in that it knows that it can adequately fulfill its mission and programs with the expected
income from tuition each year. All development programs can thus be used for special initiatives or
improvements, or for financial aid if designated thusly.
The new Loyola Academy was only given the green light when two years of funding was already in
place, and there is already a plan for projected income to make the Academy self-sustaining through
a full endowment within eight years, or by 2019.
Since our Mission informs our programs, and states that ―We are dedicated to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds who have the potential and desire to maximize their God-given gifts,‖
Brophy has long sought to make financial aid available to all students who gain admission and
demonstrate need. In addition to the tax credit program promoted by the Brophy Community
Foundation, Brophy‘s financial aid monies reliably come from interest on investments, not from
principal. And though development programs can help augment the amount of financial aid
available to families, Brophy stops short of relying on it, and ensures that its principle remains
protected so that it can meet the needs of the students who apply and demonstrate necessity.
The only debt that the school currently carries is on the recently built-out Brophy Sports Campus at
7th St. and Highland. All other recent improvements were constructed with cash in hand. And
there‘s a plan in place to have that debt on the Sports Campus paid off by 2017. Since the school
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doesn‘t carry major debt, there are enough resources to sustain the wide variety of programs that
Brophy offers its students.
Likewise the school‘s financial operations are conducted with integrity and in accordance with not
only acceptable accounting practices, but best practices of accounting. In the past Brophy has
conducted thorough internal audits of its accounting practices, but within the past couple years the
Board of Trustees decided to pursue a full and complete audit of all its accounting practices,
including an external audit, something it didn‘t have to do but chose to do as a best practice. The
audit is currently in its final stages.
Areas of Strength:
Resources for the wide variety of programs at the school, debt on only one recent construction
project, best practices in accounting.
Evidence:
List of Brophy curricular and co-curricular programs, recent construction on campus, full and
complete audit process.
Areas for Potential Growth:
Paying off the debt on the Brophy Sports Campus.
D4: Enrollment Resources
To what extent…



are the school‘s admission policies and procedures consistent with its philosophy?
are the school‘s marketing, recruitment, and public relations efforts effective in attracting
qualified students?
is enrollment targeted to maintain effective and meaningful curricular and co-curricular
programs that meet the philosophy and goal expectations of the school?
Brophy‘s mission and philosophy are at the forefront of its admissions practices, and the school
seeks very much to remain ―dedicated to students of all socio-economic backgrounds who have the
potential and desire to maximize their God-given gifts.‖ In practice, this is the Director of
Admissions knocking on every door at every elementary or middle school all over the greater
Phoenix area both to try and spread the word about what Brophy has to offer boys who are open to
attending, as well as to convince intelligent, hard-working, faith-filled young men who might not
have the means that Brophy has enough financial aid to cover their tuition if they don‘t. Many boys
in many parts of the valley have never even heard of Brophy, yet the hope is that they both learn
about all it has to offer, and take the chance to go through the application process and see if it‘s a
good fit.
These policies and procedures made manifest result in a freshman class that typically draws from
around 100+ schools all over the valley. The school doesn‘t need to recruit from that many schools
to fill its freshman class, yet to attract the best and most well-rounded students and leaders that it
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can, it is imperative that no stone be left unturned. Furthermore, the school realizes that there are
many underserved communities whose public high school option isn‘t the best option for the
highest-achieving 8th graders in the community. Brophy‘s Admissions Office tries to reach those
boys, to offer another option that might better prepare that student for and connect him to a college
or university reality, as well as animate the many gifts he has through Brophy‘s co-curricular
programs. In a way, the Loyola Academy is now doing that same thing by targeting 5th graders in
the community who possess the intellect and promise for academic, social, and spiritual success, but
lack the resources to attend a Catholic school. The $12,800 tuition for Loyola Academy scholars is
covered for seven years (i.e. 6th-12th grades) via donations, resulting in no cost to families.
The school is successful in its marketing, recruitment, and public relations efforts. Those 624 most
recent applicants represent a population who have achieved both inside and outside the middle
school classroom and who deeply want to continue their achievement, and continue to expand their
horizons academically and co-curricularly. To arrive at an incoming freshman class of only 340 from
this number, an admissions committee sequesters itself for four days reviewing and revisiting every
applicant‘s file, which includes not only transcripts and teacher recommendations from 7th and 8th
grades, but also an entrance examination and essay score, and an interview narrative completed by a
Brophy faculty or staff member who sat with and interviewed the applicant for 10-15 minutes. All
of this is designed not to select the most academically gifted class, or the most athletically
accomplished, or the most musical, but rather, to select the most well-rounded group of young men
who have demonstrated competence, conscience, and compassion in their endeavors thus far, who
have an appetite for curiosity and involvement and community and faith, and who are genuinely
open to Brophy‘s desire to challenge them to become agents for positive change in the school, in
their own lives, in their communities, and in the broader world when they leave the school. Because
of the school‘s philosophy of ―developing the whole person,‖ Brophy accepts students who are
open to the development of all their faculties. It‘s not strange to find athletes acting in a play or
musical, or to find students on the robotics team participating in athletics, whether varsity or
intramural.
Because of this focus on educating the whole person, there are high achievers, accomplished
athletes, and noteworthy artists who aren‘t accepted. If a student is good at one thing but not open
to other things, Brophy is probably not the best fit for him. And because of this well-rounded
approach to admissions and education, Brophy is able to ―maintain effective and meaningful
curricular and co-curricular programs that meet the philosophy and goal expectations of the school.‖
Areas of Strength:
An enthusiastic admissions staff that combs the valley for every potential Brophy student; a
wonderfully-qualified applicant pool each spring; successful curricular and co-curricular programs
that underscore the various interests and abilities that each incoming freshman class brings to the
school; the Loyola Academy.
Evidence:
Number of applicants for freshman class each spring; admissions marketing and recruitment
materials; lists of freshmen involved in co-curricular programs and events; financial aid program.
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D5: Development Resources
To what extent…


has the school an effective development/fundraising program that is consonant with school
philosophy?
is there evidence of development planning?
Because tuition covers operating expenses, development at Brophy is a tool not to make up the
difference between what families pay and what the education costs, but rather, a tool to further
animate the ways in which the Brophy experience helps students toward its ESLRs, or its Grad at
Grad outcomes. When Brophy‘s last master plan was put into place, it sought to offer students and
faculty a better experience in almost every arena of Brophy life and culture, from academics to the
arts to athletics to technology. Fundraising was pursued based on this endeavor, and stewardship of
the school‘s resources was essential in not beginning a project until enough money was in hand to
pay for it (the recent construction of the Brophy Sports Campus as the only exception).
Effective development and fundraising—and its consonance with the school‘s philosophy—can be
seen in the planning and actualization of many improvements and programs the past 15 years.
Brophy‘s Information Commons (its library/computer center) was birthed from what was an old
weight room and storage area. The old library became the Activities Center, and the Office of Faith
and Justice would move from a closet on the edge of campus to a large space in the middle of it in
this Activities Center. The Eller Fine Arts building was built to expand the arts on campus where an
old set of portable classrooms used to sit. A swim club was purchased at 29th St. and Campbell to
offer facilities for athletic teams and other student activities. Piper Math and Science was
constructed to better meet the needs of students and faculty in those disciplines, and where the old
science labs were, a weight room, wrestling room, and coaches‘ offices were put. Harper Great Hall
was built to address the school‘s need for a multi-use facility, and now students and faculty eat lunch
there, and it offers a place for events, guest speakers, Big Brother lunches with freshmen, athletic or
club banquets, concerts, prayer services, and every other conceivable function. The Brophy Sports
Campus was built to offer students the first track in the school‘s history, as well as a practice field
and an artificial turf field for football, soccer, and the ever-expanding lacrosse programs. And
finally, the Loyola Academy and Alumni Service Corps stand as the latest programs to reflect the
school‘s commitment to its mission and philosophy. 32 6th grade scholars now populate the top
floor of the old science wing, and though the tuition is the same as that of a Brophy
student…$12,800…no student (all of whom qualify for free or reduced lunches by federal
standards) pays any of it because of mindful and committed development. Brophy didn‘t need to
open this academy, yet its commitment to serving all students—particularly those with the greatest
need—continued the trend of development informed and inspired by the school‘s mission and
philosophy. And to offer Brophy graduates an opportunity to come back and serve the school after
their undergraduate degree prompted leadership to create an Alumni Service Corps, where four
graduates would live in community with one another (in a house the school purchased for this
reason) and offer their own gifts and talents to support both the high school and the Loyola
Academy however best they are able.
All of this should establish that there‘s both mindful development planning and a focus on the
school‘s mission and philosophy when planning and developing the school.
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Areas of Strength:
Expansion and growth on campus and of new campuses and programs; stewardship of resources
when planning and developing.
Evidence:
Information Commons; Eller Fine Arts Center; Activities Center and Office of Faith and Justice;
Piper Math and Science Center; Harper Great Hall; Dottie Boreyko Brophy Sports Campus on 29th
St./Campbell; new Brophy Sports Campus; Loyola Academy; Alumni Service Corps.
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SCHOOL-WIDE ACTION PLANS
Target Area #1: Healthy Stress Management
Target Area:
Target Goal:
Target Area Co-Chairs:
Rationale:
Student and Faculty Healthy Stress Management
Identifying stressors in student and faculty lives and facilitating
discernment of systems and strategies that lead to healthy stress
management.
Karen Parise, Pat Higgins, Bob Ryan
All data affirms Brophy's commitment to educate the whole student.
Beyond the classroom experience, students and parents celebrate the
breadth of co-curricular activities available to them as well as the rich
opportunities for faith formation. Every Brophy student is expected to
engage each of these three areas of the school. And in order for this to
occur, each faculty member plays a significant role not only in the
classroom experience but in the co-curricular and faith formation of
students. So, for both students and faculty, Brophy is much more than
a school in the traditional, classroom sense. Given the commitment to
excellence that personifies both the typical student and faculty member,
life at Brophy is always busy and is never stress-free. The survey data
from students, parents, and faculty illustrates concern about the stress
that is inevitable for students and faculty at Brophy.
Timeline
Evidence of Attainment
Means of monitoring
and reporting
progress to all
members
Strategies/Interventions
Person (s)
Responsible
Design a means to identify specific stressors
in student lives.
Steering Committee
Complete
by January
2013
Survey instrument will be
created
Website, faculty
meetings, parent
newsletters
Design a means to identify specific stressors
in faculty lives.
Steering Committee
Complete
by January
2013
Survey instrument will be
created
Website, faculty
meetings, parent
newsletters
Delineate interventions (systems and
strategies) that might lead to healthy
management of those stressors among
students and faculty.
Steering Committee
Spring and
summer of
2013
List of possible interventions,
that flow from the results of
the student/faculty surveys, is
articulated.
Faculty meetings,
parent newsletters,
Mother's Guild and
Dad's Club meetings.
Facilitate discernment with students and
faculty collectively and individually as to
what interventions might help them manage
stress, and then connect them to those
interventions as appropriate and reasonable.
Counselors, Academic
Board, Athletic Council,
School Administration,
parent focus groups,
student council
2013-2014
School
Year
Possible policy changes or
implementations, published
curriculum for counselors to
implement with their students
in yearly meetings, and
materials available for parents
Website, faculty
meetings, parent
newsletters
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Target Area #2: Assessing ESLRs
Target Area:
Target Goal:
Target Area Co-Chairs:
Rationale:
Assessment of the ESLRs.
Devise method of assessing and reporting student progress toward Grad at
Grad outcomes.
Bob Ryan and Brophy‘s Administrative Team.
In the 2005 self-study and subsequent visiting team report, a broader
understanding of the Grad at Grad among all stakeholders was established as a
target area. As noted in the progress report portion of this document,
significant progress has been made in this area. Additionally, the 2005 process
identified the assessment of progress toward the Grad at Grad (ESLRs) as a
critical area for follow up. The 2011 self-study clearly indicated that, although
stakeholders have a much clearer understanding of the Grad at Grad, more
progress needs to be made in assessing and reporting student progress toward
these outcomes.
Timeline
Evidence of
Means of monitoring and
Attainment
reporting progress to all
members
Strategies/Interventions
Person (s)
Responsible
Design benchmark assessments and
reporting processes of student progress
toward the Grad at Grad outcomes
(ESLRs), and communicate these
assessments to students, parents, and
teachers. .
Administration,
Academic Board,
Counseling, Office of
Faith and Justice,
faculty committees
Benchmarks designed
before end of 2012-2013
academic year.
Assessments are
published and
available on the
school website.
Assessments are drafted by
committee and then
reviewed by representative
groups of teachers,
students, and parents.
Review processes whereby students are
informed about and directed toward
the Grad at Grad outcomes. Modify
these processes as appropriate in light
of newly designed assessments.
Administration,
Academic Board,
Counseling
, Office of Faith and
Justice, faculty
committees
2012-2013 academic
year.
Survey data,
committee meeting
minutes,
departmental
meeting minutes and
published curricula
Representative groups of
faculty, students, and
parents meet to review
ways students are informed
of and directed toward
Grad at Grad outcomes.
Implementation of assessments.
Administration,
Academic Board,
Counseling, Office of
Faith and Justice,
faculty committees
Implementation of first
benchmark begins with
2013-2014 academic year
is completed by the start
of the 2014-2015
academic year.
Assessments have
been implemented
as designed.
Logistics of the assessment
clearly communicated to
students, parents, and other
appropriate stakeholders.
Reporting progress to students and
families.
Administration,
Academic Board,
Counseling, Office of
Faith and Justice,
faculty committees
Reporting of progress
completed by fall of
2014
Students and parents
are aware of
progress as
measured by
individual
assessment and
faculty is aware of
progress.
Individual progress is
communicated to each
student and his parents.
Progress is communicated
to all students, parents, and
teachers.
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Target Area #3: Technology
Target Area:
Target Goal:
Target Area Co-Chairs:
Rationale:
Strategies/Interventions
Person (s)
Responsible
Creation of a Mission Statement,
including detailed core elements.
Technology
Steering
Committee
Undergo a technology self-study: in
what ways does our current program
support / fail to support the mission
statement?
Technology
Steering
Committee and
third party
resources/
professionals
In light of the findings of the selfstudy, develop or modify programs
and processes in each of the
following areas and for each, create
methods of ongoing assessment to
monitor progress:
Necessary technological fluencies for
students, faculty, and staff
Technology
Steering
Committee,
Academic
Board,
Technology
Brophy will develop and animate a Mission Statement for instructional technology that
will result in a more intentionally aligned program that best facilitates student learning.
Jim Bopp, Bob Ryan, Seamus Walsh
The 2010-2011 WCEA self-study process identified various potential areas for growth
in Brophy‘s technology and tablet programs. The Leadership Team noted that the
tablet and technology programs were operating—albeit progressively and successfully in
many ways—without a guiding principle or Mission Statement, and that the first step in
facilitating growth in the tablet and technology realms is to craft a Mission Statement
which all facets of the tablet and technology programs support. From there, a more
focused self-study on the current tablet and technology programs across all stakeholders
will tell us in what ways the current programs support a common mission, and in what
ways we can address the potential areas for growth that surfaced in the 2010-2011
WCEA self-study process, as well as any that might surface in the more narrow
technology self-study process.
Timeline
Evidence of Attainment
Means of monitoring and
reporting progress to all
members
Spring 2012
Publish to Web Page
Mission statement is included in
all literature and information
about technology at Brophy:
webpage and new
teacher/student/parent
orientation.
Begin self-study
Communicate to all
Focus group meetings with
spring 2012,
stakeholders
students, parents, faculty and
complete by January
staff
2013
Growth areas
identified by January
2013. Interventions
articulated by May
2013. Action plans
developed,
implemented, and
maintained by May
2014.
Published list of
technological fluencies and
competencies
Classroom observations, faculty
portfolios, student performance
on benchmark assessments,
year-end evaluations of staff
members.
91
Technology Action Plan Continued
Strategies/Interventions
Person (s)
Responsible
Timeline
Evidence of Attainment
Means of monitoring and
reporting progress to all
members
Initial orientation and ongoing
training for students, faculty, and
staff
Technology
Staff
Growth areas
identified by January
2013. Interventions
articulated by May
2013. Action plans
developed,
implemented, and
maintained by May
2014.
All new faculty, students,
and staff members undergo
initial technology
assessment. Based on
initial assessment,
technology goals are
established. Training and
development resources are
in place to ensure that
stakeholders have the
resources they need to
achieve goals.
Curricular integration and application
Academic
Board, AP for
Curriculum/In
struction, AP
for Technology
and Instruction
Growth areas
identified by January
2013. Interventions
articulated by May
2013. Action plans
developed,
implemented, and
maintained by May
2014.
Relevant technology
fluencies are woven into the
published, instructed, and
assessed curriculum.
For staff members, progress
toward technology goals is
woven into year-end review.
For faculty members, classroom
observations and faculty
portfolios will be used as
instruments to measure
progress. Ongoing training for
students will occur in academic
departments according to the
curricular goals that are
informed by school's technology
mission statement and
articulated fluencies.
Classroom observations,
benchmark assessments,
department and course level
handbooks and syllabi.
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Technology Action Plan Continued
Strategies/Interventions
Person (s)
Responsible
Timeline
Evidence of
Attainment
Means of monitoring and
reporting progress to all
members
Teacher and student surveys,
analysis of technology budget.
Hardware/software acquisition
Growth areas
identified by January
2013. Interventions
articulated by May
2013. Action plans
developed,
implemented, and
maintained by May
2014.
Survey of teachers and
students indicates that
technology hardware
and software adequately
supports the school's
technology mission
statement and goals.
Hardware / software maintenance
and repair
Growth areas
identified by January
2013. Interventions
articulated by May
2013. Action plans
developed,
implemented, and
maintained by May
2014.
Trouble ticket system is
developed which allows
for tracking of response
time and patterns of
maintenance issues.
Teachers and student
surveys indicate an
improved level of
satisfaction with
hardware/software
maintenance and repair.
Trouble ticket system, student
and faculty surveys.
Parent education and engagement
Growth areas
identified by January
2013. Interventions
articulated by May
2013. Action plans
developed,
implemented, and
maintained by May
2014.
Resources are made
available to parents that
enable them to be more
informed, engaged, and
effective partners in
their son's education
and use of technology.
School calendar will indicate
scheduled parent educational
sessions. School website will
have parent resource section.
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CATHOLIC IDENTITY ADDENDUM
Catholic Identity Standards:
1. A Mission Statement and a Philosophy Statement which Indicate the
Integration of the Roman Catholic Faith into all Aspects of School Life.
Both the Mission and the Philosophy Statements clearly articulate the Catholic identity of Brophy
College Preparatory. Both statements speak to an incarnational understanding of God and God‘s
activity in the world. The entire educational process then seeks to lead students to a deeper
understanding of the grace of their lives, and no grace more profound than Christ‘s indwelling
presence.
2. Provision of Regular Opportunities for the School Community to
Experience Prayer and the Sacraments.
Communal prayer is interwoven into the life of the school. Each day begins with a communal
prayer that is student led and student written. The group of student prayer leaders meets regularly
for faith sharing and spiritual direction. The entire school community also prays the Examen
together each day. This five minute Examination of Conscience occurs at the start of the period
after lunch. The entire community pauses to reflect on three questions:
 How is God at work in my life?
 How have I responded to God‘s presence in my life?
 How am I being called to respond now?
In addition to these regular, school-wide prayer experiences, students are engaged in prayer through
classes that begin with prayer and teams that pray before practice and competition. Faculty and staff
are invited to gather every Thursday morning for ten minutes before the start of the day in the
Chapel for prayer.
The school also joins together for regular participation in the Sacraments. All school-Masses occur
each month. A student ensemble is directed by a Brophy teacher, Paul Fisko, and they lead the
congregation in song. Other students work with the Office of Faith and Justice to plan each Mass.
Additionally, both the Mothers‘ Guild and Dads‘ Club organize a communion breakfast during the
year. The entire school, through religion classes, participates in a Reconciliation service during
Advent and Lent.
Aside from the compulsory, school-wide participation in the Sacraments, students have the
opportunity to receive the Eucharist every day. Mass is celebrated in the Chapel each day during
lunch and all are welcomed to attend. Often, teams will attend Mass together on the day of their
game. Twice each week, a priest is available for Reconciliation in the Chapel before school. Priests
are also always available for Reconciliation by appointment as well.
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3. A Religion Curriculum and Instruction that is Faithful to Roman
Catholic Church Teachings and Meets the Requirements Set Forth by
the USCCB.
Brophy‘s Religion Department is in the process of implementing the USCCB Curriculum
Framework. In 2011-2012, Brophy added one semester of religion as a graduation requirement,
effective with the Class of 2015. All students then will be required to complete 8 semesters as
dictated by the Curriculum Framework. Also, students are required to complete a one semester
course that coincides with their Junior Justice Project.
4. The Local Ordinary Approves those who Teach the Catholic Faith
(Canon 805,) and their Formation for Catechetical and Instructional
Competence is Ongoing.
Faculty members at Brophy participate in the Diocesan Catechist Certification program and, after a
period of three years, are certified catechists. Additionally, Brophy engages its faculty in a wide
range of faith formation activities including:
 California Province (Jesuits) New Teacher Retreat
o All teachers in their first year travel to Los Altos, California to join all other new
teachers in the California Province in a three day retreat.
 Fall and Spring Faculty Retreat
o Each semester begins with a full day retreat for all faculty and staff.
 Sponsorship Review Process:
o The California Province of the Jesuits has developed a process that asks each school
to regularly engage in a self-study process that focuses solely on their identity as a
Catholic, Jesuit school. Brophy underwent the sponsorship review process in the
spring of 2009.
 Faculty/Student retreats
o All teachers at Brophy actively participate in the faith formation of students by
serving as an adult leader on at least one student retreat every year. The majority of
teachers serve as adult leaders on the Magis, Kairos, or Senior Threshold retreats.
The Magis retreat is a two night retreat that is available for sophomores and juniors.
There are six Magis retreats throughout the year. The Kairos retreat is a three night
experience available to juniors and seniors. There are six Kairos retreats each year as
well. The Threshold Retreat is available for seniors during the week before
graduation but after final exams. Faculty also serve as adult leaders for the Freshman
Retreat and the Freshman Breakaway.
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5. Maintenance of an Active Partnership with Parents whose Fundamental
Concern is the Spiritual and Academic Education of their Children.
Parents are involved in the faith formation of their sons as follows:
 Freshman Retreat:
o At the very beginning of their freshman year, all freshmen participate in this
weekend retreat. At one key moment in the retreat, students are presented with
letters from their parents. The letters express support of the students in the faith
journey that awaits them over the next four years. The retreat ends with a Mass for
all freshmen and their families on Sunday morning.
 Kairos Retreat:
o In many ways, Kairos serves as the bookend to the Freshman Retreat. And, as in the
Freshman Retreat, parents play a significant role in Kairos. Parents again write
letters and the reading of the letters is the highlight of the week. On the evening in
the middle of the retreat, all the parents of the retreatants gather in the Chapel for a
prayer experience. And at the end of the week, parents gather in the Chapel, waiting
to surprise their sons when they return with a closing prayer service.
 Father-Son and Mother-Son Communion Breakfasts:
o These events occur each year and provide parents an opportunity to join as a
community with their sons.
 Senior Synthesis:
o This course in many ways serves as the capstone of a student‘s faith journey at
Brophy. At the end of the course, students are asked to write a very substantial
paper which chronicles their faith journey, identifies themes and questions, and then
ends with commitments for the future. The paper serves as the catalyst for
important conversations between students and parents.
6. A Service-Oriented Outreach to Church and the Civic Community after
the Example of Jesus Christ who said, “I have given you an example so
that you may copy what I have done to you.”(John 13:15)
Brophy has a comprehensive service program for all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.
 Freshmen:
o During the weekend of the Freshman Retreat, all freshmen spend three hours at a
service placement that has been organized by their Big Brothers.
o At some point in the year, all freshmen will participate in the Freshman Breakaway.
In a group with 7 other freshmen and one teacher, each freshman will spend a 10
hour day at St. Vincent DePaul. Although the bulk of the day is spent doing service,
there are several periods during the day where student prayer and reflection is
facilitated.
o In the spring, the entire class hosts a ―game-day‖ for more than 200 local Special
Olympians.
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Sophomores:
o All sophomores are required to spend 40 hours in one agency or with one group
doing work that gives them the chance to serve as a mentor to young people. For
instance, Brophy sophomores might coach basketball at their elementary school or
YMCA. Or they might teach religious education at their church. Sophomores also
have the option of participating in the Loyola Project. Brophy partners with six local
elementary schools and provides tutoring two afternoons each week. The financial
commitment to this program on behalf of the school is significant when one
considers the cost of the three vans that are dedicated to Loyola Project as well as
the staff that are required to facilitate the experience. In the summer, the Loyola
Project students are invited to come to Brophy for a free summer camp experience
during the month of June.
Juniors:
o All juniors complete a 50-hour Junior Justice Project. The goal of the project is for
our students to work with an agency that will give them an opportunity to form a
relationship with someone who is marginalized. As a result of this relationship, our
students should view social structures and systems more critically and think more
deeply about their current place in those systems so that their future decisions are
guided by this widened understanding of the world‘s reality.
7. The use of Signs, Sacramentals, Traditions, and Rituals of the Roman
Catholic Church.
The school‘s use of the signs and sacramentals, rituals, and traditions of the Church are evident
whether you are looking at the official ―brand logo‖ of the school (chapel tower), the student body‘s
most coveted piece of jewelry (Kairos cross), or whenever you walk into a classroom on campus
(crucifix in every room). As previously mentioned, the school regularly observes the rituals and
traditions of the Church through daily prayer, communal and individual observance of the
Sacraments, and through the community‘s effort to support Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Lenten
charity drives each year.
8. All School Personnel are Actively Engaged in Bringing the Good News
of Jesus into the Total Educational Experience.
All school personnel are indeed actively engaged in bringing the Good News of Jesus into the total
educational experience. From the maintenance worker to the administrative assistant to the teacher
to the administrator, all school personnel see their work as tightly woven into the very fabric of the
school‘s mission and vision, and all want to support animating the mission and vision not only
through their written job description, but also in any way that helps bring this Good News into the
formation of the Brophy boys. While only teachers do classroom teaching, all members of the
community avail themselves to all retreats, immersion trips, service projects, Synthesis paper mentor
roles, etc. Truly, Brophy has an ―it takes a village‖ approach to bringing the Good News of Jesus
into the total educational experience.