1. Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and
changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include
demographic information about the students, staff, and community
at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with
the community/communities the school serves?
Seneca High School is a mid to large size high school in Louisville, Kentucky. Seneca's
tradition of quality education has existed since 1957. Famous alumni include national
news anchor Diane Sawyer, Louisville’s “Mayor for Life” Jerry Abramson, and NBA great,
Wes Unseld. In 2010-11, the community reacted in surprise when Seneca was identified
by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) as a “persistently low achieving” (PLA)
school. The Seneca High School campus is located in a safe, residential setting in the
desirable East End of the city. The community was asking: How could this happen to a
“good” school in a “good” part of town?
Analysis of student achievement data and leadership practices revealed that over
time, Seneca’s teaching staff and pedagogy remained steady, while the student body
and culture had changed. A majority of policies and practices were not studentcentered and did not reflect the increasing diversity and needs of students. The tradition
of Seneca was to be Louisville's "Best Kept Secret" - a school with a strong Advance
Program that could overcome the lower test scores of regular program students by
depending on the middle to upper class honors and advance students. However,
approximately six years ago, all high schools in Jefferson County were allowed to open
an advance program. This diluted the former powerhouses of advance programs,
Seneca included. After the KDE leadership audit, Seneca was exposed as catering to this
group of students and not having systems in place to support the other students who
now comprise over 90% of our student body (our identified advance program students
only total around 9%).
In the last three years the student population has become incredibly academically,
racially, and socially diverse - a reflection of the exponentially increasing diversity of the
community. The community surrounding Seneca has changed socioeconomically in the
last few years. There is a high rate of unemployment, and a growing population of
students living in low-income hotels, or with extended families due to loss of income
and homes. A high rate of new immigrants exists, and Catholic Charities often place new
residents in the community surrounding Seneca or in our resides areas.
Our students’ needs have become increasingly more challenging as our English
Language Learners (ELL/ESL) population and our Free and Reduced lunch rates of
students have increased. We are approximately 45% Caucasian, 41% African
American and 11% Hispanic. The remaining 4% associate themselves primarily as Asian
or mixed race. We are approximately 53% Male, 47% Female. Approximately 13% of
our students are in the Exceptional Child Education program (ECE). Another 17.6% of
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our students speak English as their Second (or third or fourth) Language. According to
Infinite Campus data, 76.7% of our students are on free or reduced lunch status. This
last statistic is a huge step away from Seneca's traditional standing in the
community. Such diversity can create unique challenges; however, the current staff at
Seneca embraces the differences we see in our students and promote them as an asset
rather than a challenge. Our school has made great strides in the last two years in
providing all students with an environment of high expectations.
In January of 2011, the district appointed a new principal at Seneca and turnaround
efforts began. The new principal’s first major task was to tell 38% of the teaching staff
that they would not return to Seneca in 2011-2012. Additionally, 2 of 3 assistant
principals were re-staffed. Careful selection of new and remaining staff members and
administrators consisted of formal interviews with questions based on the previous
leadership’s deficiencies report. The interview committee sought visionary, innovative,
culturally responsive teachers and leaders.
At its peak, there were 2,000 students on Seneca’s campus. While enrollment had
decreased prior to the application of the PLA label, this new status certainly affected
public confidence, and therefore enrollment, for the following school year. In 20112012, Seneca’s total enrollment was 1,381 students. Through the hard work, dedication,
and commitment of Seneca’s leadership, staff, students, and parents, this downward
trend reversed in just one school year. Today, Seneca serves almost 1,500 students in
grades nine through twelve, surpassing district projections. The school includes students
engaged in Liberal and International Studies, Education, Human Services (which now
includes Pre-Law and Pre-Veterinarian programs), Marine Corps JROTC, Urban Agriscience Technology, Advance Program, students in the English as a Second Language
(ESL) Program, and special needs students (including the Hearing Impaired/Oral
Program.
Together, leadership and staff re-created the mission, vision, motto, and belief
statements of the school to signify unity, a change in direction, and a commitment to
student achievement. Symbolic changes had to occur. The school mascot, officially
changed from “Redskins” to “Redhawks” in the nineties, had not been a prominent or
consistent image since that change occurred. The new principal recognized the identity
crises and developed and promoted one mascot image on all publications and
communications. Suddenly, students knew what a Redhawk looked like. Teachers and
students referred to themselves as Redhawks, and we began to unite as a school family.
“Operation Beautification” launched immediately: The front of the school was painted.
Lockers were painted. College banners were hung. The dress code policy changed to
allow students to wear actual school colors: red and gold. A nice new marquee was built
flashing the good news at Seneca to all who pass. Classroom assignments were changed
to allow teachers of the same content to be near one another; this change invited daily
collaboration and collegiality among teachers. These symbolic changes are now evident
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throughout the school and reflect messages of school pride and high expectations for
all.
The staff of Seneca High School is extremely dedicated to student achievement and
the success of the school. Teachers now collaboratively work, plan, and analyze student
data in professional learning community (PLC) teams. One hundred percent of Seneca’s
faculty is Highly Qualified, and eighty-six percent of teachers hold Master’s degrees.
Diversity, as compared to many schools, is also reflected in the racial make up of our
teaching staff: Asian/Pacific Islander = 1%, Hispanic = 2%, African American = 18%,
White = 79%. Male teachers make up 43 percent of the staff, and females comprise the
other 57 percent. These diverse perspectives enhance our focus on culturally responsive
teaching and more closely represent the student population we serve.
While Seneca High School has seen many positive, productive changes in the last
three years, challenges beyond diversity exist. Full implementation of rigorous standards
based teaching and learning, broadening effective intervention efforts across content
areas, implementation of school wide literacy strategies, and managing the increasing
student population remain areas for continued planning, growth, and professional
development. Some negative public perception persists as a result of PLA identification.
We are working to rebuild our standing in the community and increase partnerships
with the alumni and local businesses. The Instructional Leadership Team has developed
and implemented a plan for continuous improvement that is shared with stakeholders
and regularly monitored for effectiveness. Seneca’s leadership, staff, and students must
continue to produce evidence that we are moving further away from a “PLA” and ever
closer to a highly functioning PLC in order to fulfill our mission of ensuring ALL students
are successful.
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2. Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as
mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school
embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations
for students.
The mission of Seneca High School is to prepare all students for college and career
goals as measured by state academic standards. We are committed to providing an
environment and system of support to ensure all students are successful. Our vision is:
Seneca High School is a positive, caring community where staff members and students
are committed to becoming an exemplary model for success in a global society. This
mission and vision are the driving force behind every decision made at Seneca. We are
working to increase the academic performance of every student, to transform school
culture, and to make data informed decisions. Our staff strives to be an effective
professional learning community (PLC) where students’ individual learning needs are
understood and addressed in each classroom. Seneca High School teachers collaborate
weekly in teams during common planning periods to: identify essential learning targets
for all students; determine how students will demonstrate competency in the state
standards; provide interventions for those students who need more help; and provide
enrichment to those students who master the content.
With student achievement as our primary goal, Seneca's program offerings push
students to succeed at the highest level. Students are placed in one of three levels:
honors, advanced, or AP. In addition, ECE students are placed in collaborative
environments whenever possible. Students begin being indoctrinated with the phrase,
"No excuses, just results" quickly at Seneca. It is a phrase used by teachers and staff to
push students (and one another) to see beyond the obstacles that lie before them-everything from socioeconomic challenges, to troubles at home or with friends, learning
problems, or gaps in their own learning. And as students become accustomed to
hearing it, they use it to motivate and inspire each other. “Failure is not an option at
Seneca High School because we expect students to learn” is another common mantra of
the principal in her addresses to staff, students, parents, and community members.
Implementation of standards-based grading helps address the challenges of students
who struggle. When students see that there will be no penalty for stumbling in the
learning process, such as a low formative assessment grade or a missed assignment, and
that anything less than their best effort will be returned to them to "re-do," they realize
they can be successful in courses that may have been a challenge for them in the
past. At the same time, standards-based grading also takes away the cushion of "just
giving credit" for completed work and holds both teachers and students to the rigorous
level of the national standards. Students and staff speak the language of the new
standards, in learning targets, on assessments, and in discussion of assessment
results. Students know if they are "red" for a standard, they need to work diligently in
class, after school or in intervention to overcome this deficit to become "green."
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Guided by our mission, student achievement is our top priority. Programs that assist
students in meeting or exceeding academic benchmarks include: Seneca College (an ACT
preparatory strategy), HIP (Hawks Intervention Program), and “Lunch and Learns”
(where teachers use their lunch period to work with students on missed assignments,
test re-dos, or standards recovery instruction). We also offer additional academic
courses in English and Math for senior students who did not meet ACT benchmarks as
juniors in order to prepare them for College and Career Readiness Goals. Most recently,
we added an intervention/enrichment period on Fridays to provide additional
instructional time for students in need of intense remediation or engaging enrichment
opportunities.
Seneca’s Hawks Intervention Program, or HIP, is an after-school system of support
designed to move students toward proficiency on specific standards. If a student
struggles with a particular concept during class, their teacher may target the student for
a HIP session based on assessment results. When this occurs, the teacher notifies our
intervention team and the student is scheduled for a HIP session. The teacher will then
notify the student at least two days prior to the session. Once the student is notified,
they are then expected to attend the session to recover the standard. Each HIP session
is designed to focus on one key standard from class in a small group setting. This allows
the instructor and the students to work in a more focused environment. Each HIP
session lasts an hour after school. Students are provided with snacks during the HIP
sessions, and transportation is available if needed. At the end of each HIP session, the
student is provided with the opportunity to recover the standard by re-taking the
original assessment on that topic. This new score on the assessment will then be
substituted for the student’s original score. Seneca staff members choose to take a
proactive approach in helping students master all the key standards in each course, as
directed by our mission, and HIP is a crucial part in this effort.
While our mission focuses on student achievement, it includes an environment and
system of support for students. One of the programs we have for supporting students’
social and academic needs in a positive and caring way is our HAWKS advisory program.
The HAWKS advisory program embodies both the mission and the vision of Seneca High
School. Every staff member, including the principal, serves as an advisor to a small group
of students on Wednesdays. During HAWKS Time, advisors implement lessons that focus
on items related to college and career readiness and positive relationships. The advisor
is a fierce advocate for all of their advisees. As an advisor, teachers aim to be the one
adult in the building that students can go to and talk about issues, whether they are
academic or social. This relationship exemplifies the positive, caring community spoken
of in our vision statement.
Our entire staff, including leadership team members, participates in regular
professional development that emphasizes best practices (including differentiated
instruction and data informed instructional decision-making) and culturally responsive
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teaching strategies. Our goal is to help all students – regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, disability, or academic level – achieve at high levels.
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3. Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of
improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for
improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three
years.
Seneca High School has made tremendous improvements over the past three years.
We have gone from students having little school pride to having students who know the
mission and fight song of the school and who have taken genuine strides to make this
school and themselves better. Over the last three years, we are much more intentional
about where we are going as a school and how we teach. We are also more intentional
about individualized and differentiated instruction to allow for EACH one of our
students to have the opportunity to learn and master the standards.
Perhaps the most notable achievement at Seneca High School is the development of
a culture of high expectations for all students. There is a mindset of achievement and
growth. This includes adults as well as students. This shift is reflected in grouping of
honors students and the inclusion of ECE students. Conversations with students most
often include reference to learning standards, achievement, and post-secondary goals.
There has been great growth in the services for students with disabilities at Seneca.
The administration and special education teachers recognized the need to expand the
co-teaching services. Under the former administration, co-teaching was limited to upper
level English and math, which met the needs of a small percentage of students. The new
leadership oversaw the revision of the master schedule so that co-teaching classes
would occur in all grade levels and in all the core content classes. Seneca went from
three to thirteen co-teaching classes. The entire staff received training on co-teaching
model that included roles and responsibilities of teachers, strategies of highly effective
co-teaching, and lesson development focused on student achievement. A select group
of co-teaching pairs participated in District professional development where they joined
other pairs throughout the district to refine their skills.
The special education department has already begun focusing on improvements.
Using each teacher’s instructional strengths, they have revised the co-teaching pairings.
Incoming students have their services analyzed early to ensure appropriateness.
Rigorous instruction has been incorporated into the more restrictive environments. Selfcontained teachers at all grade levels are participating in co-teaching this year. The
administration is highly focused and motivated in providing the appropriate services for
students with disabilities so that students can meet their educational goals.
In all aspects of the school, we use more data than we've ever used. Data is used to
analyze the things we teach, the way students learn, effectiveness of systems and
policies, and our progress as a school. The use of data gives us an opportunity to make
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data informed decisions (one of our turnaround plan’s “big rocks”) as we move forward.
Our PLC work has created a positive opportunity for teachers to collaborate. This
opportunity ensures that students have a viable and equitable curriculum, no matter
what level. It also gives teachers the opportunity to work smarter and not harder when
it comes to preparing differentiated lessons.
We have also worked hard at reconnecting with alumni. This connection has
benefitted Seneca in several ways. The alumni serve as an important mouthpiece for our
school. Keeping them tuned in and informed helps us disseminate accurate and positive
information about our school. Seneca alumni are becoming more involved as mentors;
raising funds; and planning events to promote school spirit and pride. Bridging the past
to the present also fosters a stronger connection to the community and teaches our
students the proud history of our school.
Seneca was one of the first high schools in the area to have the Advance Program.
We continue this program today and have consistently been one of the top three
schools in the district boasting the highest pass percentage rate on the Advance
Placement exams. In 2010-2011, Seneca’s pass rate was the second highest in the
district at 58.06%. Seneca offers 9 AP courses for students. Additionally, the number of
students taking AP courses has steadily increased from 131 students in 2007-2008 to
180 students in 2010-2011.
With all of our recent accomplishments, we still have goals that we need to
achieve. We need to continue working on school culture and getting more student,
parent, and teacher buy in. We need to unify teachers and continue to work towards
our goal of being a positive professional learning community. We also need deeper
implementation of our career themes and majors to give students relevance in their
course work. We need to continue using surveys for students, parents, and teachers
that deal with academic and personal wellness to ensure we are meeting the needs of
all of our stakeholders as well.
Seneca High School has established SMART goals for improvement. These goals
include: improving our overall average ACT composite score from a 17 to a 20;
increasing the graduation rate from 57% to 75%; decreasing the drop out rate from
2.04% to 1.02%; increasing the attendance rate for all grades from 91.4% to 94%; and
increasing student enrollment in Advance Placement courses by 20%. We have also
developed a student discipline SMART goal and a detailed plan focused on decreasing
the suspension rate from 8.2% to 4.1%. We will continue to analyze and modify our
strategies for effectiveness and continuous improvement.
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4. Provide any additional information you would like to share with the
public and community that were not prompted in the previous
sections.
Another important new focus of Seneca High School is the deeper implementation
of the Freshman Community. Under the leadership of an assistant principal, the
community has intentionally aligned its work with the mission of Seneca High School - to
prepare students for college and career goals. We believe in the philosophy, "Why
wait? Start now!" Every freshman, during the first week of school, determines a career
goal and considers the education needed to make that career a reality. These students
then create a mission statement - a personal commitment to undertaking the steps
needed to accomplish this goal. This mission statement takes life as each freshman
completes a "4+2 Plan" which outlines what steps are needed to achieve their selected
goal. This plan is developed during the first trimester. HAWKS advisors conference with
freshmen in the subsequent trimesters to monitor progress toward these identified
goals. Additionally, the Freshman Community has adopted "5 Keys to Success": Pride,
Involvement, Respect, Responsibility, and Honesty. We believe that if students adhere
to these keys, they will be successful at Seneca, in college, and in life. Finally, freshmen
participate in a graduation commitment ceremony during the first month of
school. This ceremony, which mirrors a graduation ceremony in some respects, is an
opportunity for students to formalize their commitment to successfully graduate from
Seneca High School in four years and become productive members of our community.
We are working to get our freshmen students off to a successful start while we also
are intentionally addressing the behavioral and social needs of all grade level students.
Our alumni association is helping the assistant principals and Youth Services Center
Coordinator develop a new mentoring program for our students with challenging
behavioral issues. We have also created an alternative to out of school suspension with
a restorative discipline philosophy where students who violate school “non-negotiables”
are still held accountable for their class work and future good choices. An on-site
therapist was added to our staff to work with eligible students during the school day to
help remove barriers to learning. The Attendance Committee has developed strategies
to improve attendance with information and incentives for students. More frequent
grade checks by HAWKS advisors will be done this year through progress reports that
will be delivered to advisors 9 times during the year to promote student achievement.
Our mission states that we will “provide a system of support to ensure all students
are successful.” Academic supports (HIP, Intervention/ Enrichment, Seneca College,
Lunch and Learn), personal supports (Counselors, FRYSC, Therapist, Peer Mediators,
Truancy reduction efforts, Behavior Interventions), and the “whole child” support
(HAWKS Time) reflect ways in which our practice reflects our philosophy. We believe,
however, that our programs are only as good as our people. Professional development
sessions led by Solution Tree PLC consultants (C. Erkens, J. Baldermann), as well as by
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experts on culturally responsive teaching practices (C. Johnson, B. Kafele, A.
Muhammed) have significantly impacted the philosophies, decisions, and behaviors of
staff. Embedded professional development opportunities are timely and relevant. Time
with staff is protected and focused on instructional issues. Time is provided for teachers
to collaboratively work and learn through common planning periods and designated
“Data Days” where substitutes are provided for teachers for intensive collaborative
work. During these days, teachers focus on instructional differences related to learning
targets and standards; analyze common data to determine instructional
improvements; and design regroupings of students based on fresh student performance
data.
Another significant step this year is the creation of the Literacy Committee. Last
year’s Program Review work highlighted the need to address both increased teacher
knowledge of adolescent literacy and to improve literacy instruction across all content
areas. A representative from each content area, including Career/technical subjects,
participates in analyzing Program Review results, learning and practicing literacy
strategies, analyzing student work, planning professional development, and evaluating
the effectiveness of the committee's actions in order to increase students’ literacy
abilities.
Most importantly, however, leadership has followed through with monitoring and
supporting the impact of PD sessions on classroom environments and student
achievement. The leadership team and PLC Leaders also regularly participate in
leadership PD. We believe that we are “leading by design” and we strive to be the most
effective leaders we can be. The principal recognizes that her time is best spent in
classrooms, so she invested money in a School Administration Manager who handles
many of the managerial aspects of the building. She also uses a “Time Track” program to
track her daily schedule with the goal of increasing time spent on instruction. The entire
leadership team participates on PLC teams to monitor and support the work of our PLCs.
Leadership team members also participate in regular Learning Walks to order to collect
and analyze data on instructional practices.
Long after the school improvement grant monies are gone, we know we have
invested greatly in human capital. We will be able to sustain our progress through
shared leadership with the Instructional Leadership Team, PLC Leaders, Department
Chairs, and various thriving committees. Seneca will continue to be a school committed
to the success of all students.
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