Chapter Two - San Marcos Unified School District

MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Preface 1 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Preface MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills High School Western Association of Schools and Colleges Focus on Learning Self-Study Report March 23-25, 2009 Brad Lichtman Principal Susan Ford Assistant Principal WASC Coordinator Anthony Barela Assistant Principal Sharon Daoust Assistant Principal Bill Singh Assistant Principal 1 Mission Hills Court San Marcos, CA 92069 (760) 290-2720 www.missionhillshigh.org _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 2 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Table of Contents Preface ……………………………………………………………………………3 WASC Visiting Committee SMUSD Governing Board MHHS Staff and WASC Participants Introduction: Expected Outcomes of Self-Study ………………………….13 Chapter One: Student and Community Profile …………………………….21 Chapter Two: Analysis of Profile Data ……………………………………....57 Chapter Three: Progress Report ……………………………………………..67 Chapter Four: Focus Group Findings Organization ……………………………………………………………………...76 Curriculum ……………………………………………………………………….110 Instruction ………………………………………………………………………..130 Assessment and Accountability ……………………………………………..145 School Culture …………………………………………………………………..164 Chapter Five: Action Plan ……………………………………………………..186 Appendix …………………………………………………………………………198 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 3 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING W.A.S.C. Accrediting Commission for Schools Mission Hills High School March 2009 Visiting Committee Members Chair: Ms. Sharon M. Castro Teacher James A. Garfield High School 5101 E. 6th Street Los Angeles, Ca. 90022 Ms. Susan Bristol Teacher, WASC Coordinator University City High School 6949 Genesee Avenue San Diego, Ca. 92122 Ms. Mei Chang Assistant Principal El Monte High School 3048 N. Tyler Avenue El Monte, Ca. 91731 Ms. Linda S. Colley English Teacher 3355 Rubio Canyon Road Altadena, Ca. 91001 Mr. Stephen Louis Franklin Assistant Principal Bell Gardens High School 6119 Agra Street Bell Gardens, Ca. 90201 Ms. Georgette Torres Principal Granite Hills High School 1719 East Madison Avenue El Cajon, Ca. 92019 Mrs. Carol Tsushima Program Manager Colton-Redlands-Yucaipa Regional Occupational Program P.O. Box 8640 Redlands, Ca. 92375 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 4 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING San Marcos Unified School District Superintendent and Governing Board Superintendent Dr. Kevin Holt, Ed.d. Board President Sharon Jenkins Board Member Beckie Garrett Board Member David Horacek Board Member Jay Petrek Board Member Randy Walton San Marcos Unified School District 255 Pico St. Suite 250 San Marcos, Ca. 92069 (760) 752 -1299 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 5 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills High School 1 Mission Hills Court San Marcos, CA 92069 760-290-2700 www.missionhillshigh.org SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION Brad Lichtman, Principal Anthony Barela, Assistant Principal Sharon Daoust, Assistant Principal Susan Ford, Assistant Principal Bill Singh, Assistant Principal DEPARTMENT TEAM LEADERS Andrew Baker, Math Department Cherryl Baker, Counseling Department Nathan Baker, Science Department Michelle Gray, English Learner Department Jason Hamm, Co-chair Physical Education Department Curtis Hofmeister, Co-chair Physical Education Department Todd Marquet, English Humanities Department Margot McEachern, Special Education Department Jeffrey McNurlan, Visual and Performing Arts Department Jeffrey Montooth, History Humanities Department Ernie Wheeler, Vocational and Career Department Jaime Yorba, AVID Department _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 6 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING WASC LEADERSHIP TEAM Brad Lichtman: Principal Susan Ford: WASC Coordinator; Assistant Principal Focus Group Co-Leaders Organization: John Guseman, Math Teacher Apolo Rios, History Teacher Curriculum: Miguel Ramirez, History Teacher Dan Smuts, Science Teacher, Curriculum Instruction: Julie Christ, English Teacher, Frank Esteban, World Language Teacher Assessment & Accountability: Kyle Billings, Math Teacher Todd Marquet, English Teacher, Humanities Team Leader School Culture & Student Support: Chris Hauser, Physical Education Teacher Jeff McNurlan, Visual and Performing Arts Teacher and Team Leader Additional WASC Leadership Team Participants: Cherryl Baker, Head Counselor Anthony Barela, Assistant Principal Sharon Daoust, Assistant Principal Bill Singh, Assistant Principal Lori Falk, Parent Natalia Bagai, Student _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 7 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership and Staff, and Resources Participants John Guseman – Co-Chairperson Apolo Rios – Co-Chairperson Axford, Jenny Amodo, Amanda Bagai, Natalia Baker, Andy Bradley, Megan Carr, Christina Cobian, Sandra Desmond, Kerri Edwards, Marla Falk, Lori Foster, Carol Guerrero, Alejandro Hofmeister, Curtis Juarez, Jack Kioner, Cassandra Kivett, Amy Lavine, David Lewis, Susan Loftis, Dara Montooth, Jeff Morales, Jonathan Morrison, Erin Palmer, Stewart Parks, Rosemary Powell, Susan Rodriguez-Myers, Pat Gellis, Samantha Sirimanne, Shehan Terrell, Jon Thornburg, Aaron Ward, Carly Classified Math Student Math ROP Special Education Student Parent ELA Parent Classified PLUS Student Athletics Classified PLUS Humanities Athletics VAPA Humanities Humanities Student Special Education Math Parent ELA Classified PLUS Student Math Science Science PLUS Student _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 8 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Curriculum Participants Miguel Ramirez, Co-Chairperson Dan Smuts, Co-Chairperson Benson, Tim Allen, Nick Braun, Brady Butler, Michael Camplisson, Maeve Charles, Jason Crake, Anne Marie Crosby, Neil Delagneau, Sari Edgren, Anthonia Ernest, Joyce Ernst, Suzanne Espinoza, Jacqueline Fisher, Andrea Gomez, Genoveva Lucas, Erin Marion, Brenna Mathews, Cindy McNalley, Beth Mendoza, Steven Miller, Nicole Montiel, Jesse Ndemo, Tuyet Presley, Michelle Ramirez, Miguel Sioson-Ebitner, Lauren Smuts, Dan Southard, Carleen Steitz, Julie Stone, Anthony Termin, Angelika Thompson, Josh Veytser, Alecia Wheeler, Ruth Yorba, Jamie Zonana, Victor VAPA PLUS Student Science Science PLUS Student Humanities Parent Parent ELA Student Counseling ELA Student Math Classified ELA Student Athletics ELA Student Humanities PLUS Student Science ROP Humanities Student Science Classified Humanities Special Education Science PLUS Student World Language Math AVID Student Science _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 9 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Instruction Participants Julie Christ – Co-Chairperson Frank Esteban – Co-Chairperson Baker, Nathan Cain, Serena Cargile, Jason Cavalier, Kianna Christ, Julie Cisneros, Elva Cronemeyer, Zorica Curnow, Melanie Diaz, Janet Dupree, Robert Esteban, Frank Frost, Monique Gallego, Ryan Gray, Michelle Hackbarth, Eddie Hamilton, Brittany Harris, Tess Hoadley, Nick Horrigan, Krista Ishioka, Hilda Kramer, Maria Latour, Lindsay Lawlor, Penny Le, Denise Lozano, Jesus Mahan, Melissa Negrete, Jose Paul, Heidi Redelings, Patrick Reyes, Karla Rios, Adrianna Soto, Elizabeth Taberski, Peter Wanders, Alecia Wismer, Liza Santiago, Marisol Science Student Humanities PLUS Student ELA Classified Parent Classified Student Student World Language ELA Humanities English Learners Humanities PLUS Student Student Humanities ELA Classified Classified Math Parent Classified World Language Parent PLUS Student ELA Math Student Counselor World Language Special Education ELA ELA PLUS Student _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 10 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Assessment and Accountability Participants Kyle Billings, Co-Chairperson Todd Marquet, Co-Chairperson Billings, Kyle Alavez, Navin Barker, Sandra Bingham, Keith Boring, Marcus Charles, Jason Corneilson, Jan Dellorfano, Rob Deloach, Jason Drowns, Shiree Ford, Derrick Getman, Craig Hale, Kathy Hernandez, Jules Hoberman, Soraya Hulsen, Katie Knicker, Aurelia LaPorte, Christine Lavine, Tracy Levias, Paige Marquet, Todd McEachern, Margot Mendoza, Selene Morales, Mayra Newman, Suzanne Parrish, Edward Pope, Gary Raquel, English Resultan, Don Ruehl, Toni Ann Ruiz, Andy Santos, Paige Segal, Angela Stead, Taylor Wheeler, Ernie Winterhouse, Helen Math Student Parent Humanities Math ELA ELA VAPA PLUS Student Classified Special Ed Math ELA Classified Student World Language Classified Math Math PLUS Student ELA Special Education PLUS Student PLUS Student ELA Parent Humanities PLUS Student Science Parent Student VAPA Counselor Student Computer Technology Classified _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 11 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING School Culture Participants Chris Hauser – Co-Chairperson Jeff McNurlan – Co-Chairperson Alvillar, Bill Alex, Arrant Baker, Cherryl Banche, Nick Bieraugel, Kaylee Bonano, Alexis Bostick, Francis Breier, Greg Camera, Beth Clark, Jolene Cook, Jennifer Daoust, Lauren Deleon-Valdez, Linda Dwyer, Nick Ferguson, Angie Garcia, David Giraldo, Rossana Glatt, Kevin Green, Casey Hamm, Jason Hauser, Chris Juarez, Candace Lomayesva, Sharon Lona, Vanessa McNurlan, Jeff Miller, Ryan Montooth, Sara Morales, Monica Putnam, Ken Sanchez, Jose Sestito, Cheryl Simon, Ryan Singh, Bill Smuts, Cindy Weiss Judy Weston, Linda Humanities PLUS Student Counseling Special Education PLUS Student Student Student Special Education Parent Classified Special Education PLUS Student Classified Humanities Humanities Science Classified Science Student Athletics Athletics Parent Parent Classified VAPA Humanities Athletics PLUS Student Athletics Student World Language Student Admin Special Education Special Education Humanities _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Preface 12 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Introduction 13 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Introduction MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Expected Outcomes of Self-Study The involvement and collaboration of all staff and other shareholders to support student achievement. During the WASC Self-Study, shareholder involvement was encouraged in the following ways:  Student group: students were recruited from ASB, PLUS, and AVID to participate in Focus Groups. A general survey about the five Focus Group areas was completed by about 200 representative students in 2007. Students were also queried about lessons by individual teachers.  Parent group: the Parent Association, Parent Volunteers, and English Language Acquisition Council participated as home groups and in Focus Groups. One thousand parents completed a parent survey, and WASC information was available on the website.  WASC Leadership Team: consisted of the Principal, four Assistant Principals, the head Counselor, the ASB Director, a parent representative, a student representative, and ten Focus Group Leaders. The team met monthly and at an all day retreat. The WASC Coordinator (an Assistant Principal) attended five WASC training events.  Classified Staff Group: the classified staff continued monthly meetings and were kept informed in their meetings and through their participation in Focus Groups. All full-time classified staff were assigned to Focus Groups and part-time staff were given the opportunity to participate.  Certificated Staff: All certificated staff participated in Focus Groups.  Home Groups: each department team met on designated WASC late start days to gather information needed by Focus Groups. Staff members indicated interest through surveys in Focus Groups. Focus Groups were created to have a balance of participants from each curricular area, classified, parents, and students. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Introduction 14 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING When Focus Groups began meeting, the WASC coordinator created a template for each group to work from. The template addressed each criteria area question, and also presented sub-area questions derived from the WASC A+ program. By answering each subgroup question, Focus Groups were able to produce detailed and extensive responses to the general criteria questions. After each Focus Group meeting, the WASC coordinator compiled the responses from the groups, which were then reviewed and edited at the next Focus Group meeting. Focus Group meetings began in the spring semester of 2008 and continued through the 2008-2009 school year. Focus groups met on Late Start Tuesdays. In addition to answering criteria questions and compiling evidence, the Focus Groups contributed information to the Critical Needs, the Student and Community Profile, the ESLRs, the follow-up to the WASC initial visit, and the Action Plan. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Introduction 15 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The clarification and measurement of what all students should know, and understand, and be able to do through expected school-wide learning results and academic standards. This second outcome is an area of strength for Mission Hills. The San Marcos Unified School District is extremely focused on California content standards and student achievement, and staff members have worked diligently to raise student achievement, with impressive results. All courses are based on California content standards (where applicable), and core content areas have developed essential standards for focus in instruction. Departments have developed pacing guides and benchmark assessments to ensure student achievement, and assessment results are regularly analyzed in order to inform instruction. Academic achievement, however, is not the sole focus of Mission Hills, although it is our primary mission. We also believe students should develop skills that are not tested by CSTs, so our ESLRs were developed to focus on three important areas:  Academic Preparation  “Real World” Skills  Positive Contribution to the School and Community The result is the “Grizzly Graduation Goals” (G3), which are described in chapters two and three. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Introduction 16 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The gathering and analyzing of data about students and student achievement. Mission Hills has made enormous progress in creating assessments, gathering data, and analyzing data in order to improve student performance. Since the opening of the school, teachers have gathered on Late Start Tuesdays to collaborate, analyze data, and share Best Practices. In addition to the data available from the state, the district provides data reports and trains administrators to analyze and use data results. Over time, all teachers have learned to use the Edusoft assessment analysis program to disaggregate and analyze student results on CSTs and benchmark exams. The availability of collaborative time, on-going data analysis, and attention to essential standards are some of the primary reasons the API has increased 87 points in three years. In going through the "Focus on Learning" process, we have also looked at the results from parent, student, and staff surveys; we have completed peer observations, and we have gotten student input on instructional methods and individual lessons. The results of surveys and peer observation have been so beneficial; we plan to continue annual surveys and to increase the time teachers spend in peer observation. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Introduction 17 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The assessment of the entire school program and its impact on student learning in relation to expected school-wide learning results, academic standards, and WASC/CDE criteria. Through the self-study process, teachers, staff, and parents examined the entire school program and the impact on student learning by using the Focus on Learning criteria guide, rubrics, and the sub-prompts in the WASC A+ program. Over a period of two semesters, the Focus Groups met, compiled data and evidence, and answered criteria prompts and sub-prompts. Students, staff, and parents were surveyed about each of the five Focus Group areas. Survey results, CSTs, the Student/Community Profile, Home Group input, and Focus Group input were all part of the discussion as we examined our academic and support programs. The Focus Groups created a Focus Group Findings report, which underwent several edits. In each section, groups identified areas of strength and areas for growth, and growth areas were considered in the creation of the action plan. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Introduction 18 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The alignment of a long-range action plan to the school’s areas of need; the development and implementation of an accountability system for monitoring the accomplishment of the plan. In order to create a long-term action plan, the WASC Leadership Team and the Focus Groups examined all of the growth areas identified by the five Focus Groups. We also kept in mind the original critical areas of need: the achievement of English Learners and academic support for students who are struggling. During the self-study process, we realized there is a widespread feeling that students who do not plan to attend college need additional support and training. Based on identified growth areas, and in order to align the action plan with the G3, four action plan areas were identified:     Curriculum (G1: Academically Prepared) Instruction (G1: Academically Prepared) Skills Development (G2: Creative and Productive) Community Participation (G3: Connected to the Community) All the WASC participants reviewed the action plan at each stage of development and gave input into the plan areas. The final action plan was approved by the WASC Leadership Team and Focus Group members. The final action plan (chapter five) contains accountability, means of assessment, and timelines. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Introduction 19 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills High School WASC Timeline 2006-2009 Fall 2006 WASC Coordinator and an additional assistant Principal attended WASC training events.* Spring 2007 Staff completed surveys indicating Focus Group interest. Staff members were assigned to Focus Groups. Focus Group Leaders were selected. August 2007 Staff in-service on WASC process. August-December 2007 Student and Community Profile was written and reviewed by all staff. September 2007 WASC Leadership Team began monthly meetings. October-November 2007 Survey was distributed to staff, parents, and students. February 2008 Focus Groups began monthly meetings. March-April 2008 Teachers participated in peer observations. May 2008 WASC Leadership Team at all-day retreat. August 2008 A new parent survey was distributed at registration (1,000 parents participated.) September 2008 WASC Visiting Committee Chair made initial visit. September-November 2008 Focus Groups continued to meet monthly. November 2008 Focus Group Findings report completed. December 2008 Action Plan completed. January 2009 WASC Visiting Committee Chair made second visit; final report mailed. September-February 2009 WASC updates at all-staff meetings. March 23-25, 2009 WASC committee visit. *The WASC coordinator attended a total of five training events in San Diego and Anaheim. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~Introduction 20 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Chapter One Student and Community Profile 21 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Community Mission Hills High School is located in the residential community of San Marcos, approximately 30 miles north of San Diego and 90 miles south of Los Angeles. In the last two decades, San Marcos has changed from a mostly rural, agricultural community into one of the fastest growing cosmopolitan areas in San Diego County. The site of Mission Hills is an old dairy, which continues processing operations to this day. The 43 acre school was soon joined by approximately 70 acres of park land and a large church campus, providing an almost pastoral setting in the midst of the city. Cal State University San Marcos is visible from the school, and Palomar Community College is just two miles to the west. The eleven buildings and athletic fields, built on a hillside, provide students, staff and visitors with beautiful vistas of the surrounding region. A decade in the planning and development, Mission Hills High School opened in August, 2004, as the second comprehensive high school in San Marcos. All of the first Mission Hills 10th and 11th grade students and most of the staff came from an overcrowded San Marcos High School, located 4 miles to the west. The original prediction of 1,200 students in grades nine through eleven was dwarfed by an opening day enrollment close to 2,000. Currently, Mission Hills is home to approximately 2,500 students, over 100 teachers and nearly 200 total staff. The school offers a full complement of courses, including honors and advanced placement, college prep, four vocational academies, and special education. Mission Hills also has a large and successful extra-curricular program, which includes a large proportion of our student body. The staff of Mission Hills is warm, embracing, and helpful. Many teachers are relatively new to the profession, with one quarter employed in the district for three or fewer years. New teachers frequently remark on how friendly and collegial other staff members are. In just a few years, the school has established an open and trusting atmosphere, in which high standards and a nurturing environment are the two foundational values. _____________________________________________________________________________ 22 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING School Purpose Mission Hills High School is committed to helping all students reach their academic potential. The original visioning process for the school produced the following mission statement and articulated core values: Mission Statement Mission Hills High School provides exceptional learning experiences, with high expectations in a supportive environment, in order to meet the academic and social needs of our diverse community. Core Values  We serve the needs of individuals and the interests of a diverse community.  We motivate, respect, and encourage one another. We listen and include.  We challenge our assumptions to ensure constant improvement and meet high expectations.  Our actions and decisions are driven by clearly defined and agreed-upon results.  Our school is defined by experiential learning, personal growth, ethical behavior, and individual responsibility.  Mission Hills High School is our home and family. We are committed to high standards and a nurturing environment for all students. _____________________________________________________________________________ 23 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Students Enrollment The enrollment of Mission Hills has stabilized at approximately 2,500 students, which is close to the school’s designated capacity. Future projections anticipate little change with the possibility of a slight decrease. Approximately one-third (30.3%) of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch and a slightly larger proportion is considered socioeconomically disadvantaged (36%). Demographics: The ethnic makeup of Mission Hills has remained relatively stable, although in recent years, the number of White students has dropped slightly while the number of Hispanic/Latino students has risen slightly. The ethnic makeup of Mission Hills closely mirrors that of California itself. White and Hispanic/Latino student groups are the predominant ethnic groups on campus, with African American and Asian students comprising most of the remainder. # American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Pacific Islander Filipino Hispanic or Latino African American White (not Hispanic) Multiple or No Response TOTALS 2004-2005 % # 2005-2006 % # 2006-2007 % # 2007-2008 % 20 49 9 74 822 67 867 1 2.6 0.5 3.9 43.1 3.5 45.4 21 72 16 105 1,028 85 1,113 0.9 3 0.7 4.3 42.1 3.5 45.6 20 94 12 95 1,061 91 1,036 0.8 3.9 0.5 3.9 43.8 3.8 46.8 20 102 13 103 1,170 97 1,032 0.8 4 0.5 4.1 46 3.8 40.6 0 1908 0 100 0 2440 0 100 12 2421 0.5 100 5 2542 0.2 100 _____________________________________________________________________________ 24 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Enrollment by Ethnicity 2007 - 2008 Ethnic Breakdown American Indian/Alaskan Native: 0.8% Asian: 4.0% Pacific Islander: 0.5% Filipino: 4.1% Hispanic/Latino: 46.0% African American: 3.8% White: 40.6% Other/Declined to State: .2% 2008 Parent Education Levels Based on data obtained for STAR answer documents, approximately two-thirds of Mission Hills High School parents have at least some college background. Less than one-fourth of parents have not graduated from high school. Graduate School - 12% College Graduate - 21% Some College - 25% High School Graduate - 16% Not a High School Graduate – 24% _____________________________________________________________________________ 25 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Primary Languages: Mission Hills has approximately 13 student languages represented on campus where 15.5% of all students are designated as English Language Learners. The most predominant languages spoken by students are English and Spanish. # 1 Spanish 2 Arabic 3 Burmese 4 All other non-English 5 Farsi (Persian) 6 Filipino (Pilipino or Tagalog) 7 Gujarati 8 Hebrew 9 Mandarin (Putonghua) 10 Vietnamese 11 Russian 12 Serbo-Croatian (Bosnian, 13 Polish 14 Armenian 15 Ilocano 16 Italian 17 Khmer (Cambodian) 18 Korean 19 Lao 20 French 21 Thai 21 German EL Totals 2004-2005 % 258 94.2 4 1.5 2 0.7 2 0.7 1 0.4 # 2005-2006 % 291 93.6 4 1.3 1 0.3 4 1.3 7 2.3 # 2006-2007 % 318 92.7 2 0.6 1 0.3 5 1.5 1 0.3 # 2007-2008 % 388 94.2 2 0.5 1 0.2 5 1.2 1 0.2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0.3 0.3 0 0.3 0 7 2 1 0 2 0 2 0.6 0.3 0 0.6 0 7 1 1 0 1 0 1.7 0.2 0.2 0 0.2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 274 0.4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 311 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 343 0.3 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 0 0.3 0.3 0 100 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 412 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0.2 0 0.2 0 0 100 _____________________________________________________________________________ 26 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills High School Teaching Staff Staff Characteristics: The SMUSD has high standards for teacher proficiency and credentialing. 100% of teachers are credentialed in their subject areas. One third of our teachers have graduate degrees. The SMUSD devotes significant resources to continuing professional development for all teachers, including two-year training for all new teachers in the Essential Elements of Instruction and a two-year BTSA induction process. Teaching Staff Education Levels 2004-2005 # Doctorate Master's Degree +30 2005-2006 % # 2006-2007 % # 2007-2008 % # % 1 1.3 2 2.1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 2.9 19 24.1 24 25.3 28 27.7 32 31.1 41 51.9 40 42.1 45 44.6 41 39.8 Bachelor's Degree 18 22.8 29 30.5 25 24.8 26 25.2 Less than Bachelor's 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Not Reported 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 79 100 95 100 101 100 103 100 Master's Degree Bachelor's Degree +30 TOTALS Avg. Years in Educ Avg. Years in Dist. 13.4 11.5 11.7 11.2 9.5 8.5 8.3 7.9 _____________________________________________________________________________ 27 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Teachers by Ethnicity Mission Hills has been able to hire a number of staff members who represent the ethnicity of our students. In 2007-2008, we had only one African American teacher; however, nearly 10% of our teachers identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino. There are currently two female and three male administrators; three of the administrators are white, one is Latino, and one is Latino and East Indian. Of the four counselors, one is Asian, two are Latina, and one is White. 2004-2005 # 2005-2006 % # 2006-2007 % # 2007-2008 % # % American Indian or Alaska Native 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Asian 0 0 1 1.1 1 1 2 1.9 Pacific Islander 2 2.5 3 3.2 2 2 2 1.9 Filipino 1 1.3 1 1.1 2 2 2 1.9 Hispanic or Latino 7 8.9 8 8.4 11 10.9 10 9.7 African American 1 1.3 2 2.1 2 2 1 1 White (not Hispanic) 68 86.1 80 84.2 82 81.2 83 80.6 Multiple or No Response 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 2.9 TOTALS 79 100 95 100 101 100 103 100 _____________________________________________________________________________ 28 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Academic Programs Class Sizes: In core curricular areas, class sizes average 33 or fewer students. However, average class size is impacted by support classes and specialized courses like CAHSEE, ELD, and SDAIE classes, in which enrollment is intentionally lower. In addition, unlike many districts, SMUSD includes Special Education Resource classes in the allotment of regular FTEs. Since Special Education classes must be maintained at a smaller size, the class sizes in other curricular areas are adjusted accordingly, resulting in some classes being significantly larger than the class size average. Mission Hills High School English* Math+ Social Science Science Number of Classes 87 69 77 60 Average Class Size 29.5 31.3 33 31.2 * Includes ELD, SDAIE, and other specialized intervention classes +Includes CAHSEE Support and SDAIE Classes AP/Honors Program: One of the most noteworthy features of this new high school is the extensive and successful AP and honors program. 13 AP courses are supported by 12 honors, or preAP, courses in the six major discipline areas. An exciting and innovative development at Mission Hills has been the establishment of numerous programs that offer simultaneous high school and college credit. One of these is Biochemistry, taught jointly with CSUSM and the first of its kind in the state, using the college textbook and course outline of the university. Last year, of 79 students who completed biochemistry, 100% received college credit for the course. Over 130 students are currently enrolled in that program. One result of this impressive achievement is that fewer students take an AP science course. However, the school’s qualifying rate was still 46%, a notable achievement for a school with our demographics. During the 2005 – 2006 school year, 442 students were enrolled in one or more AP courses. Of these students 417 students participated in AP testing with an administration of 891 individual subject matter tests. Results from these examinations yielded 445 tests with passing scores (a score of 3 or better), nearly fifty percent of tests administered. In 2006-2007 the percentage of scores of 3 or better increased by 7.6% to 57.5%. In 2007-2008, the number of passed tests rose to 59.8%. _____________________________________________________________________________ 29 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING AP Test Results for 2007 -2008 Test Takers # of Tests 455 863 Score >=3 537 62.20% Score = 5 90 10.00% Score = 4 185 19.80% Score = 3 262 30.00% Score = 2 297 24.00% Score = 1 119 14.00% Score = 4 164 19.80% Score = 3 224 27.10% Score = 2 204 24.60% Score = 1 148 17.90% Score = 4 137 15.40% Score = 3 228 25.60% Score = 2 275 30.90% Score = 1 171 19.20% AP Test Results for 2006 -2007 Test Takers # of Tests 422 828 Score >=3 476 57.50% Score = 5 88 10.60% AP Test Results for 2005 -2006 Test Takers 417 # of Tests 891 Score >=3 445 49.90% Score = 5 80 8.90% 2008-2009 Enrollment in AP by Course Biology Calculus ELA Language ELA Literature Government Physics Psychology Spanish Language Spanish Literature Statistics Studio Art U.S. History World History Total 33 86 126 89 89 52 64 21 25 67 14 126 127 919 Special Education Mission Hills currently has 225 students designated as students with disabilities: 151 RSP and 74 SDC. We offer a full-range of services (with the exception of students who are designated as Severely Emotionally Disturbed; these students are placed at San Marcos High School). Additionally, some of our Special Education students are designated under multiple disabilities. Mission Hills recognizes the need for Special Education students to receive additional support and therefore recently added an additional Functional Skills class in order to lower the student to teacher ratio and ensure adequate support for all students. _____________________________________________________________________________ 30 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Students with disabilities are included as much as possible in the life of the school. Students are placed in the least restrictive environment possible, including mainstreaming students in regular education classes. Teachers of the Severely Handicapped regularly take their students to extra-curricular events, such as Homecoming and Prom, and our Severely Handicapped class publishes a regular newsletter, which is distributed to our school community. The Functional Skills students work in our student store, learning job skills. Functional Skills students are also planting a garden, which they will tend. Mission Hills has a nationally recognized Best Buddies program, with 150 students in the program, 32 of whom are Functional Skills students, and the rest are volunteers from our regular educational program. Enrollment by Disability DISABILITY 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 Mental Retardation 11 14 5 18 Hard of Hearing 3 4 3 6 Deaf 0 0 0 0 Speech or Language Impairment 12 13 16 18 Visual Impairment 0 1 1 0 Emotional Disturbance 6 8 5 9 Orthopedic Impairment 4 3 2 9 Other Health Impairment 18 24 27 37 Specific Learning Disabilty 126 134 154 123 Deaf-Blindness 0 0 0 0 Multiple Disability 3 3 0 1 4 5 2 9 1 1 2 0 Autism Traumatic Brain Injury AVID: SMUSD has long had a strong commitment to the AVID program. In fact, increasing student enrollment in AVID courses has been one of the standards by which principals are evaluated. The site AVID Coordinator is a teacher who receives a period release in order to oversee the program. Courses offered include AVID 1, 2, 3, and Senior Seminar. AVID classes are actively involved in promoting college attendance, and former AVID students often return to Mission Hills as AVID tutors. _____________________________________________________________________________ 31 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Total number of students enrolled in AVID and percentage of the student population: 2004 n/a 2005 177 9.28% 2006 2007 228 9.33% 304 11.80% 2008 318 12.50% 2008-2009 AVID by Grade Level 100 97 89 80 71 60 61 40 20 0 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade Academies: When Mission Hills opened, one of its most innovative features was the establishment of multiyear Career and Technical Education elective pathways. These four academies offer simultaneous elective credit at Mission Hills and Palomar Community College and are designed to enlist students who might not be on a traditional four-year college track in order to train them for well-paying careers. The original academies were Culinary Arts, Fire Technology, and Criminal Justice, followed a year later with a Health Careers program. The Health Careers program was developed in partnership with Palomar/Pomerado Hospital, seeking to enlist more students in pursuing medical careers. Mission Hills has been able to hire highly qualified and motivating ROP instructors who connect with students and help them to meet their career goals. _____________________________________________________________________________ 32 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 2008 – 2009 Academy Enrollment Grades 9 - 12 Year 1 Criminal Justice Year 2 Total 58 20 78 134 59 193 Fire Technology 44 35 79 Health Careers 54 18 72 Culinary Arts Total Enroll. 422 _____________________________________________________________________________ 33 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Student Support Counseling/Guidance: The guidance department contains 4 counselors and a school psychologist. Of the 4 counselors, 2 are bilingual in Spanish. The counseling office also has 2 full-time bilingual classified staff. In addition, a full-time, bilingual teacher on special assignment oversees all of the English Learner programs. Our counselors are gifted and compassionate professionals who effectively balance the responsibilities of caring for students’ academic and emotional needs. Towards those ends, they have developed the following programs. PLUS Program (Peer Leaders Uniting Students) Mission Hills High School is one of the first high schools in San Diego County to implement the PLUS program to empower, support, and connect students, uniting them in building understanding about individualism and diversity. The program, developed by a group of educators to help address specific issues regarding school safety, uses the dynamics of a “team” philosophy to institute a network of communication for schools to address school safety on many levels. PLUS provides ongoing plans, which enable schools to address issues affecting the learning environment of students. Implementation of PLUS activities creates a positive campus culture that establishes an atmosphere for all students to achieve academic success. In our second year of PLUS, 38 students are enrolled in the PLUS course, with an additional 30 participating as volunteers. PLUS students are also members of Focus Groups, School Site Council, and ASB and participate in PLUS forums with students who are invited to participate in the all-day events. In 2008-2009, 9 forums are planned. Unplugged groups Unplugged is a weekly counseling group that meets on-site for the duration of one class period for approximately eight weeks. The group addresses topics such as self-esteem building, communication styles, decision-making skills, anger management, and peer pressure, with the goal of increasing student resiliency. The groups meet every Monday (girls) and Tuesday (boys) and alternate periods every week. The two group facilitators are licensed therapists from North County Family Counseling Specialists who have considerable experience working with youth in San Marcos schools. _____________________________________________________________________________ 34 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Gear Up (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs): Funded by a federal grant, and in partnership with Palomar Community College, the goal of Gear Up is to increase the number of low-income students prepared to enter and succeed in high school and postsecondary education through partnerships between schools, colleges and universities, the private sector, and community organizations. Gear Up has an office on campus, a full-time director, and many tutors who assist in classrooms. Gear Up also runs our after school tutoring program, with an average of 60 students a day attending. Migrant Education: Migrant Education is a federally funded program authorized through the “No Child Left Behind Act.” To qualify, students must have at least one parent who works in an agricultural, lumber, or fishery related job; the family must have moved during the past three years; families must meet with a program outreach worker to establish eligibility. Migrant Education provides supplementary services to migrant students and their families. Mission Hills has a part-time Migrant Education Coordinator on campus who works with administrators, counselors, and teachers to assist students who qualify for the program. Mission Hills has 45 students identified as Migrant Education students. Testing Data PSAT The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test is offered each fall to Mission Hills students enrolled in 9th, 10th, and 11th grade and is generally geared towards college-bound students. All students are encouraged to take the PSAT in order to gain much needed exposure to college admissions tests and to prepare for the SAT-I taken during the 2nd semester of his/her junior year. Almost 1,000 students participated in the 2007 PSAT administration (October, 2007); 270 ninth graders, 574 tenth graders and 142 eleventh graders. Over the past 3 years, Mission Hills High School has had 3 students qualify as finalists for the National Merit Scholarship. SAT Of the 467 12th grade students enrolled during the 2006-2007 school year (last available data), nearly half participated in the SAT-I college entrance examination. Based on the data collected by the College Board, the average composite l scores were as follows; verbal 492; math 502, and the writing average was 495. When compared with the average scores of other test takers in San Diego County and in California, Mission Hills students perform slightly below the reported average. _____________________________________________________________________________ 35 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Achievement Data: Mission Hills has seen steady and impressive growth in the areas of standardized testing over the last 3 years. At the conclusion of its first year, the school did not receive an official API due to a single teacher’s testing irregularity; however, the unofficial API that year was 690. From that initial testing period, we have increased in the last 3 years by 87 points to our current API of 777. As impressive as this accomplishment is, we believe our student achievement will continue to rise, particularly in our significant subgroups. Based on the growth target for our school of a 5% difference between 800 and the 2007 Base API of 738, our school far exceeded our overall growth target. We also met all subgroup growth targets except for Special Education students. Although Mission Hills does not receive any Title I monies, we have met all our Federal Accountability growth targets. API RESULTS 2005 690 * YEAR SCORE 2006 728 2007 738 2008 777 *unofficial API Subgroup API African American (not of Hispanic origin) American Indian or Alaska Native Number of Students Included 2007 Base 200708 Growth Target 200708 Growth Met Subgroup Growth Target? Numerically Significant? 2008 Growth 71 No - - - - - 8 No - - - - - Asian 79 No - - - - - Filipino 72 No - - - - - Hispanic or Latino 823 Yes 711 665 7 46 Yes 9 No - - - - - 701 Yes 832 794 5 38 Yes 699 Yes 707 651 7 56 Yes English Learners 574 Yes 688 612 9 56 Yes Students with Disabilities 155 Yes 518 504 15 56 No Pacific Islander White (not of Hispanic origin) Socioeconomically Disadvantaged _____________________________________________________________________________ 36 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Federal Accountability (AYP) ELA 2005 2006 % Proficient Schoolwide 57.5 YES 62.4 YES 62.6 YES 62.6 YES White (not of Hispanic origin) 73.2 YES 76.3 YES 79.2 YES 79.2 YES Hispanic or Latino 36.8 YES 44.6 YES 42.1 YES 42.1 YES Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 29.6 YES 39.4 YES 39 YES 39 YES 22 NO 32.4 YES 22.2 YES 22.2 YES 17 N/A 17 N/A English Learners Met Students with Disabilities % Proficient 2008 GROUPS Met % Proficient 2007 Met % Proficient Met Federal Accountability (AYP) Math 2005 2006 % Proficient Schoolwide 53.8 YES 58.7 YES 62.6 YES 60.1 YES White (not of Hispanic origin) 68.1 YES 70.1 YES 76.1 YES 79 YES Hispanic or Latino 34.6 YES 44.3 YES 43.9 YES 39.3 YES Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 29.7 YES 38.6 YES 42.5 YES 41.2 YES English Learners 24.2 YES 37.4 YES 29.3 YES 31.3 YES 14.9 N/A 26.8 Students with Disabilities Met % Proficient 2008 GROUPS Met % Proficient 2007 Met % Proficient Met _____________________________________________________________________________ 37 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills has had steady growth in academic areas in the last four years. With a few exceptions, all subjects and grade level scores have increased, some of them dramatically. Geometry, at 10th and 11th grade, has remained static. Summative Math and Biology have dropped slightly at the 11th grade level, but those numbers represent relatively small constituencies. Teachers are continuing to collaborate to improve scores, particularly for areas that have seen less improvement. In spite of rising test scores overall, we need to continue to target students who are performing at Far Below Basic, Below Basic, and Basic (See following table). _____________________________________________________________________________ 38 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Percent of Students Scoring Proficient or Above by Grade Level Mission Hills High School CST Results 2004-2008 ELA Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 2004-2005 47% 36% 37% 2005-2006 53% 42% 37% 2006-2007 55% 47% 42% 2007-2008 61% 52% 51% General Math Grade 9 12% 11% 11% 16% Algebra I Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 16% 5% 7% 22% 12% 3% 20% 10% 6% 39% 17% 12% Geometry Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 29% 8% 5% 27% 6% 7% 26% 9% 2% 35% 8% 7% Algebra II Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 60% 30% 7% 53% 18% 3% 74% 36% 15% 85% 46% 19% Math (Summative) Grade 10 Grade 11 58% 36% 53% 33% 66% 34% 67% 30% Biology Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 27% 15% 54% 47% 22% 66% 39% 26% 32% 53% 41% 50% Chemistry Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 NA 22% 8% NA 35% 20% NA 47% 27% NA 56% 47% Earth Science Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 23% 23% 19% 14% 18% 11% 18% 28% 22% NA 40% 43% Physics Grade 11 51% 54% 42% 66% World History Grade 10 34% 32% 41% 47% US History Grade 11 40% 44% 52% 67% _____________________________________________________________________________ 39 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The following table illustrates content areas scores for the 2008 CST admission. ELA/HSS CST 2008 100% 90% Advanced 33% Advanced Advanced 25% 22% Advanced 11% Advanced 38% 80% Proficient Proficient 70% 60% Proficient Proficient 28% 27% Proficient 27% 29% 28% 50% Basic 40% Basic 30% 20% 10% Basic 25% 25% 27% Basic 18% 23% Below Basic Below Basic 14% 12% Far Below Basic Far Below Basic 9% 10% 17% ELA 10 ELA 11 World History US History Advanced 8% Advanced 8% Below Basic Below Basic 14% 7% ELA 9 Below Basic 7% 10% Far Below Basic 0% Basic Far Below Basic Far Below Basic 9% Math CST 2008 100% 90% Advanced 1% Proficient 14% Advanced 1% Proficient 27% Advanced 1% Proficient 15% Proficient 30% 80% 70% Basic 32% Basic 43% Basic 33% Proficient 30% 60% Basic 36% 50% 40% Below Basic 36% 30% Below Basic 25% Below Basic 41% Below Basic 20% 20% 10% Far Below Basic 16% 0% General Math Basic 36% Far Below Basic 4% Far Below Basic 9% Far Below Basic 6% Algebra I Geometry Algebra II Below Basic 20% Far Below Basic 6% High School Math _____________________________________________________________________________ 40 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Science CST 2008 100% 90% Advanced 19% 1% Proficient 24% Advanced 20% Advanced 19% Proficient 29% Proficient 33% Proficient 30% 80% 70% Advanced 11% Basic 25% Basic 32% Basic 42% Ad9anced 8% Pr57cient 30% 60% Basic 31% 50% 40% Below Basic 14% 30% Below Basic 9% Below Basic 3% Below Basic 15% 20% 10% Far Below Basic 18% 0% Life Science Far Below Basic 10% Biology Basic 26% Far Below Basic 4% Chemistry Far Below Basic 136% Earth Science Below Basic 9% Far Below Basic 0% Physics School-wide, students in 11th grade under-perform in comparison with other grade levels. Part of this can be attributed to students’ lack of motivation to take testing seriously by the time they reach 11th grade. In addition, 11th graders enrolled in some lower level courses are often repeating the course and have struggled with the content. In addition, Latino students, English Learners, the Economically Disadvantaged, and Special Education students have not shown as much improvement as White students. We are targeting interventions to help improve the scores of students in our significant subgroups. _____________________________________________________________________________ 41 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The following table summarizes scores for all Mission Hills students, as well as significant subgroups, on the 2008 Content Standards Tests. Each column gives the percentage of students who scored in the top two performance categories (Advanced and Proficient) for each exam. 2008 CSTs Percentage scoring Proficient or Advanced by Ethnicity ELA 9 ELA 10 ELA 11 General Math Algebra I Geometry Algebra II High school Math World History US History Biology Chemistry Earth Science Physics Entire Population 61% 52% 51% 16% 29% 17% 43% 38% 45% 67% 49% 52% 41% 66% % Proficient and Above Socioeconomically White/Non- Hispanic/Latino Disadvantaged Hispanic 40% 80% 45% 34% 68% 34% 30% 64% 35% 13% 31% 9% 23% 34% 26% 12% 21% 12% 37% 42% 37% 27% 31% 49% 36% 41% 35% ** 44% 59% 77% 60% 57% 49% 87% 22% 31% 55% 35% 37% 36% 50% Disabilities 8% 8% 0% 7% 12% 0% ** ** 15% 13% 2% ** 10% ** _____________________________________________________________________________ 42 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING CAHSEE CAHSEE scores have improved significantly since the first year, and now, the group of students who do not pass the ELA CAHSEE in the 10th grade census is comprised almost exclusively of English language learners and Special Education students. Of students who must pass the CAHSEE to graduate (those without an I.E.P.), fewer than 10 students each year do not graduate because of CAHSEE. In 2008, 90% of 10 th graders passed the Math and 87% passed the ELA portions of the CAHSEE. CAHSEE Passing Rates for Math and ELA by Program for all Grades 2007-2008 Math Subgroups All Students Special Education English Learners Tested ELA # % Tested 834 644 77 848 # 625 % 74 100 36 36 107 35 33 230 107 47 266 97 36 Redesignated Fluent-English Proficient 135 128 95 127 124 98 Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 392 263 67 422 257 61 Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 440 379 86 424 366 86 _____________________________________________________________________________ 43 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 2006-2007 909 692 76 ELA # 905 655 115 39 34 117 35 30 212 114 43 250 71 28 Redesignated Fluent-English Proficient 132 241 86 123 116 94 Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 403 241 60 413 216 52 Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 499 447 90 486 436 90 Subgroups All Students Special Education English Learners Math # Tested % Tested % 72 2005-2006 Math Subgroups All Students Special Education English Learners Tested ELA 683 # 491 % 72 Tested 699 # 506 % 72 63 17 27 65 20 31 157 54 34 178 50 28 Redesignated Fluent-English Proficient 65 62 95 61 61 100 Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 272 142 52 273 136 50 Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 407 349 86 421 368 87 _____________________________________________________________________________ 44 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING CELDT There was a significant change in the way the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) was scored during the 2006-2007 test administration. A common scale was developed which spans from kindergarten through twelfth grade. Additionally, skill areas were divided and new performance level cut scores were also established for each grade and proficiency level. Therefore, comparing data from the prior year is an invalid measurement of growth. However, we can compare our growth from our 2006-2007 scores to our 2007- 2008 scores since the same scale scores were used for these two test administrations. This gives us an accurate picture of how our students’ scores improved over a 2 year span. Based on these data, Mission Hills saw tremendous gains in the number of students who met the state CELDT criterion. This means that there was an increase in the number of students scoring at Early Advanced and Advanced. % of Students Scoring at Early Advanced and Advanced: 2007-2008: 45% 2006-2007: 28% Overall, we saw fewer students scoring at the Beginning and Early Intermediate levels. This is an additional indicator that Mission Hills English Learner students are making progress in their English language development as measured by the CELDT. Our growth can be attributed to the site’s dedication of meeting the needs of all students and, in particular, the needs of English Language Learners. Over the past two years, our site has focused on providing our teachers with GLAD and SDAIE training and sharing best practices. Our teachers are able to analyze CELDT data and use it to inform their instruction. Our goal for the 2008-2009 school year is to increase the percentage of students scoring at the Early Advanced and Advanced levels, although we had a particularly large infusion of new enrollees who speak little or no English. In addition, we would like to see a gain in the number of students advancing one level per academic year. _____________________________________________________________________________ 45 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills Compared to City, County and State Averages Percentage of Students Scoring at each CELDT Level: It is important to note that the goal is to have a higher percentage of students at the Advanced and Early Advanced levels and a lower percentage at the Beginning and Early Intermediate levels. Overall CELDT Scores MHHS Advanced 7% Early Advanced 42% Intermediate 35% Early 12% Intermediate Beginning 4% San Marcos 10% 30% 36% 16% 8% County 7% 28% 37% 17% State 8% 28% 39% 17% 10% 9% Percentage of Students Scoring at Early Advanced or Advanced (meeting CELDT criteria in all four of the domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing): MHHS: 45% District: 41% County: 33% State: 33% Based on these data, Mission Hills CELDT Scores were above city, county and state averages. We had more students scoring at the Early Advanced and Advanced levels and fewer students scoring at the Early Intermediate and Beginning levels. For English Learners, the goal is to have each student score at Early Advanced or Advanced in all of the domains (listening, speaking, reading and writing). This is one of the criteria used for reclassification. Based on these results, our 10th and 12th graders scored above the state average while our 9th and 11th graders scored below the state average. This could be attributed to the number of ELD I’s and II’s at each grade level. The largest percentage of our English Learners scored at the Intermediate level. For the coming academic year, our goal will be to advance the students scoring at the Intermediate level to Early Advanced or Advanced level. _____________________________________________________________________________ 46 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Students Meeting CELDT Criterion # Students % Students Number tested 2007-2008 175 45% 386 2006-07 100 28% 2005-06 200 63% 2004-2005 204 66% 351 315 309 CELDT Scores for 2007-2008 Grades 9 Performance Level Advanced Early Advanced Intermediate 10 11 12 Total 0 5 9 12 26 0% 4% 12% 16% 7% 47 56 29 32 164 40% 49% 37% 43% 42% 52 36 24 22 134 44% 31% 31% 29% 35% 14 13 12 6 45 12% 11% 5% 8% 12% 5 5 4 3 17 4% 4% 5% 4% 8% 118 115 Skill Area Mean Scale Scores 78 75 386 587.3 Early Intermediate Beginning Number Tested Listening 561.3 577.8 582.8 Speaking 511.6 545.7 522.7 535 Reading 544.8 574.6 576.4 581.3 Writing 544.4 569.1 547.1 541.4 CELDT Scores for 2006-2007 Grades 9 Performance Level 10 11 12 Total 9 7% 6 7% 3 4% 3 6% 21 6% 22 17% 30 34% 24 29% 17 33% 93 26% 61 48% 31 35% 36 43% 17 33% 145 41% 27 21% 16 18% 12 14% 10 20% 65 19% 9 7% 6 7% 8 10% 4 8% 27 8% 128 89 Skill Area Mean Scale Scores 83 51 351 Advanced Early Advanced Intermediate Early Intermediate Beginning Number Tested Listening 574.4 604.6 599.9 615.2 Speaking 538.6 576.6 568.2 592.0 Reading 569.8 583.4 588.9 581.3 Writing 560.7 569.2 568.8 541.4 _____________________________________________________________________________ 47 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING CELDT Scores for 2005-2006 Grades 9 10 11 12 Total 3 10 10 10 33 3.00% 10.00% 17.00% 19.00% 10.00% 58 54 25 30 167 59.00% 52.00% 42.00% 57.00% 53.00% Performance Level Advanced Early Advanced Intermediate Early Intermediate Beginning 27 26 15 9 77 27.00% 25.00% 25.00% 17.00% 24.00% 8 9 6 4 27 8.00% 9.00% 10.00% 8.00% 9.00% 3 4 4 0 11 3.00% 4.00% 7.00% 0.00% 3.00% 99 103 60 53 315 100.00% 100.00% Skill Area Mean Scale Scores 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% Number Tested Listening/Speaking 518.7 522.8 529 542.2 Reading 533.6 542.3 542.1 558.4 537.9 Writing 535.1 535.9 525.2 Grade Distribution _____________________________________________________________________________ 48 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The following is the grade breakdown by letter grade for the last three semesters. On average, each student received 6 letter grades; a few students received 5, and others received 7. In 2008-2009, a number of teachers implemented a system for equitable grading practice, using a four point scale rather than the 10 point “Zero F” scale. The result in first semester grades for 2008-2009 is an overall drop in the percentage of students receiving a D or F for a final grade. The number of failing grades has been cut in half, from 6% to 3%. School year: 07/08 Student count GRADE Semester: 01 Total 9 10 11 12 661 645 586 606 2498 Grand Total LETTER GRADE GRADE A 9 10 11 12 1172 1144 1081 1119 4516 Grand Total B 1189 1045 1080 996 4310 C 845 915 784 708 3252 D 433 456 378 246 1513 F 297 305 192 73 867 I 5 5 N 13 1 13 8 35 P 54 51 78 191 374 W Grand Total 4003 3918 3609 3347 14877 1 3 1 5 Approximately 15% of all grades were D and F. 6% of final grades were F. School year: 07/08 Student count GRADE Semester: 02 Total 9 10 11 12 655 622 561 603 2441 Grand Total LETTER GRADE GRADE A 9 10 11 12 Grand Total 1252 1215 1128 1092 4687 B 1133 1038 977 928 4076 C 845 822 762 666 3095 D 398 411 326 223 1358 F 262 229 159 37 687 N 7 5 5 17 P 52 35 92 206 385 W 2 3 1 6 Grand Total 3951 3758 3445 3157 14311 Approximately 14% of all grades were D and F. 5% of final grades were F. _____________________________________________________________________________ 49 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL School year: 08/09 FOCUS ON LEARNING Semester: 01 Student count: GRADE Total 9 10 11 12 Grand Total 665 648 590 546 2449 Letter Grades given (by Grade level) Count of STUNO LETTER GRADE GRADE 9 10 11 12 Grand Total 1 1 A 1524 1235 1285 1179 5223 B 1206 1208 1003 854 4271 C 762 885 770 508 2925 D 326 387 305 230 1248 F 90 123 132 60 405 I 1 1 1 4 7 N 4 1 5 P 100 47 92 194 433 W 3 3 Grand Total 4009 3894 3588 3030 14521 Approximately 11% of all grades were D or F. 3% of final grades were F. _____________________________________________________________________________ 50 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Graduation Rates and College Entrance During our first graduation year (2006), 495 Students enrolled as 12 th graders, of which 441 students graduated. The following year (2006-2007), we began the school year with 469 students enrolled in the 12th grade. On the last day of school there were 444 12th graders, and 426 students graduated. In 2008, 569 students graduated from Mission Hills. Of those seniors, 179 requested transcripts be sent to 4 year colleges, and 151 requested transcripts for 2 year colleges. 128 seniors reported acceptance to colleges. While these numbers do not accurately reflect the actual number of students who go on to attend college, they do indicate 58% of graduates had definite plans to attend college. In May of 2008, a Gear Up survey was given to 522 Mission Hills seniors. The survey reported that 94% of seniors (493) indicated they intended to go to college after graduation. Of students who did not plan to attend college immediately after graduation, 10 students planned to go into the military. 61% of college-bound students planned to attend community college. UC/CSU A-G Requirements In order to increase the number of students accepted to and attending 4 year college, Mission Hills has worked to increase the number of students completing A-G requirements. Of the 426 students who graduated in 2008, a little more than half of the graduates (227) met the UC/CSU (A-G) requirements. In recent years, elective courses have been aligned to meet A-G standards, and students are strongly encouraged to complete A-G requirements. 2007-2008 Graduates with UC/CSU Required Courses (A-G Requirements) by Ethnicity Ethnicity American Indian or Alaskan native Asian Pacific Islander Filipino Hispanic or Latino African American White (not Hispanic) Multiple/No Response Total 2007-2008 # Grads with # of Grads UC/CSU Required Courses 0 16 5 14 177 12 200 0 426 0 13 4 14 66 5 117 0 222 Percent % 0.0% 81.2% 66.7% 100.0% 37.3% 41.7% 58.5% 0.0% 52.1% _____________________________________________________________________________ 51 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Student Attendance and Discipline Mission Hills encourages school attendance through an incentive program, an attendance office that carefully monitors student attendance, a “lock-out” for students who are tardy to class, and administrators who routinely meet with students about attendance issues. Administrators assign Saturday School for truancy, and all the Assistant Principals regularly attend SARB hearings. In 2007-2008 32 students were referred to the SARB panel. Average Daily Attendance 96.20% 96.20% 96.00% 95.80% 95.60% 95.40% 95.20% 95.00% 94.80% 94.60% 94.40% 95.70% 95.50% 95.10% 2004-2005 Month August September October November December January February March April May June AVERAGE 2004-2005 97.30% 96.60% 96.00% 95.90% 95.60% 95.80% 95.80% 95.30% 95.80% 95.60% 98.90% 96.20% 2005-2006 2005-2006 96.50% 95.90% 95.20% 94.70% 96.30% 94.60% 94.90% 95.20% 92.10% 94.30% 96.10% 95.10% 2006-2007 2006-2007 97.10% 96.60% 96.40% 95.30% 96.20% 94.80% 95.00% 95.10% 95.20% 95.00% 95.60% 95.70% 2007-2008 2007-2008 97.50% 96.40% 96.10% 95.50% 95.80% 94.40% 95.30% 95.00% 95.00% 94.10% 95.60% 95.50% _____________________________________________________________________________ 52 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Suspensions In 2003-2004, all SMUSD high school students had the choice of one comprehensive high school, and San Marcos High School had over 3,000 students attending. In that year, there were 267 suspensions. A new administration at San Marcos High School implemented a new behavior code and stricter rules for behavior, including wellcommunicated consequences for behavior infractions. Mission Hills opened the following year, and in our first year, we had 196 suspensions for nearly 2,000 students. Since the initial year, as students have become more aware of the consequences of their behavior, the number of suspensions has declined. In addition, while San Marcos High School used to experience incidents of fighting regularly, the number of fights at both schools has declined significantly. The behavior code clearly explains offenses that may or will result in suspension. Some behaviors have mandatory numbers of suspension days, e.g., a fight results in a five day suspension. Other suspensions are based on progressive discipline and may vary from one to five or more days of suspension. Students who participate in fights or have drug or alcohol incidents are referred immediately for transfer or expulsion after the second incident. Suspensions 300 267 250 196 208 200 129 150 100 50 0 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 Transfers The SMUSD has an excellent alternative education program through Twin Oaks High School and Foothills High School independent study program. Students who are credit deficient or who have major discipline problems are referred to Twin Oaks or Foothills. In 2007-2008, 98 students were transferred to the two alternative schools. _____________________________________________________________________________ 53 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Expulsions Mission Hills has relatively few expulsions for a school with 2,500 students. The school has a clearly defined behavior code, and in the fall, administrators visit each English class to remind students about important behavior issues. Most students understand the consequences for such behaviors as fighting, intimidation, possession of contraband, and defiance. Mission Hills uses progressive discipline, and usually, a student who is recommended for expulsion will have had many opportunities to improve his or her behavior (except in cases of mandatory expulsion). District personnel also work with the families of students who are recommended for expulsion, and often will place a student in an alternative school setting with a stipulated expulsion or an in-lieu-of expulsion. Expulsions 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 17 15 14 8 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 Mission Hills students are generally well behaved and respectful. Administrators and teachers have worked together to remediate student behavior without resorting to administrative referrals. For example, teachers understand that they are responsible for classroom discipline, which includes setting clear behavior standards. When students have behavior problems, teachers work with the student, then the parents, to try to resolve issues. After those interventions, if a student continues to be disruptive or defiant, teachers write a referral to an assistant principal. The administrator warns students that a second referral will result in a drop/fail from the class, loss of credit, and the student being assigned to in-school-suspension for the remainder of the semester for that period. Students rarely receive a second referral in a class. Some behaviors result in an immediate referral without interventions; for example, directing profanity or obscenity to a teacher, or if the teacher feels personally intimidated or threatened by a student. The following chart is distributed to all teachers, and clearly explains how to apply progressive discipline in their classrooms. _____________________________________________________________________________ 54 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING MHHS Classroom Discipline Chart Prior to any discipline interventions, make sure you have established classroom expectations and clearly communicated those with students and parents. You may request help or counsel at any time prior to writing a referral. Stop by the AP office or make an appointment with an assistant principal. What to do when a student is disruptive or defiant: Do you feel threatened or intimidated or has the student directed obscenities or profanities directly at you? Yes  Send the student directly to the Assistant Principals Office: if you need assistance, call 2721 or 2720. NO  Apply Teacher interventions, e.g., correct the behavior privately, assign a teacher detention, etc. If the behavior does not change:  Make a parent contact. Document the conversation. If the behavior does not change: Have you completed the steps listed above, including a documented parent contact? Yes  Write a first referral to the Assistant Principals Office. Write a brief description of the behavior; keep the description factual and unemotional. Note previous attempts to remediate behavior, including the date of the parent contact. The Assistant Principal will warn the student that a second referral will result in a drop/fail from the class. If the behavior does not change:  Write a second referral to the Assistant Principals Office. The student will be drop/failed from the class. (If you do not wish the student to be drop/failed, speak with an assistant principal prior to writing the referral.) _____________________________________________________________________________ 55 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Administrators often meet with the student, teacher, and parent to resolve any classroom issues and help students be successful. An SAS (Student Assistance Services) team meets weekly to put interventions in place for students who are struggling academically and socially. Teachers regularly contact parents and meet with students about classroom issues, and administrators schedule meetings with teachers, students, and parents to intervene and resolve behavior issues. In 2007-2008, out of 3,519 behavior referrals, only 47 were crime related while the majority of the remaining 3,472 were for relatively minor disciplinary issues. The following chart is a summary of the types of issues for which students were referred to the Assistant Principals. Some referrals may have contained more than one discipline reference; for example, “Disruption” is usually included on all referrals, and “Defiance” is frequently included as well. 2007-2008 Discipline Referral Summary Defiance Habitual Tardies to Class Disruptive Behavior Truant from Class Failed to Attend Saturday School Inappropriate Dress Truant from School Use of Profanity/Obscenity Altercation Fighting* Gang Related Unexcused Absence Excessive Roughhouse Possession/Use of Controlled Substance Intimidation Damage to Property Threatening Another Person Theft Graffiti Failed to Serve Detention Possession of Stolen Property Possession/Use of Tobacco Possession/Use of Dangerous Object Possession/Use of a Weapon *This represents total number of students involved in all incidents. 488 440 343 288 223 119 99 60 58 42 33 32 30 28 21 14 9 8 8 7 5 4 3 1 _____________________________________________________________________________ 56 Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter One MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Chapter Two Analysis of Profile Data 57 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Process: The Mission Hills High School self-study process began in the spring of 2006 under the leadership of Principal Brad Lichtman and Assistant Principal and WASC Coordinator Susan Ford. During staff meetings, staff members heard initial presentations about the WASC process and their participation in the process. Each staff member was surveyed and asked to list three choices for Focus Group participation. The administrative team created five teams, using staff requests as a guide. Each Focus Group team contained members from each curricular area. Ten Focus Group leaders were chosen to lead the five groups. Rather than assign additional responsibilities to department Team Leaders, ten teachers were chosen to lead, and department Team Leaders were assigned to Focus Groups. In the fall of 2007, the initial data were gathered for the Student and Community Profile, and the data were presented in an initial Profile report. Additionally, a survey was created representing each of the five Focus Group areas. The survey was distributed to staff, students, and parents, and the results were disseminated to staff and parent groups. With the survey data, the input from stakeholders, and the Profile data, the WASC leadership team began to meet to identify critical needs. Initially, two critical needs were identified: the academic achievement of English Language Learners and support for students who are not achieving academically. These two critical needs were addressed in many ways during the Focus Group work. As the WASC process progressed, additional information emerged about the original Critical Academic Needs. For example, the achievement of students with disabilities became a focus, as we determined that Special Education teachers were not receiving enough support and that Special Education curricula were not reflecting our school-wide standards-based approach. The action plan addresses the need for more training and collaborative time for Special Education teachers and core content teachers and the need to revise the curriculum to support essential standards. The original need to support students who are struggling academically has resulted in a focus on our significant subgroups, although the strategies and action plan _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two 58 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING we have developed will positively impact the learning of all students. As we have moved through our process, we have been encouraged about the performance of English Learner students, and our WASC process has helped us to identify where to direct our efforts in order to continue to improve their academic performance; for example, we have already begun to train more teachers in SDAIE techniques. We will also be working to align ELD curriculum more closely with essential ELA standards and to ensure mainstreamed English Learner students are receiving support to meet the ELD standards. Survey Analysis As we prepared for our first self-study, we decided to survey all constituent groups, asking questions about each of the five criteria areas. We examined a number of surveys from other schools that had completed the WASC process, and in the fall of 2007, we distributed a sixty question survey to students, parents, teachers, and classified staff. We chose classes of students to survey, which represented a widerange of Mission Hills High School students. For example, we surveyed A.P. classes, Special Education, College Prep classes, ASB, and English Learner classes. We distributed the survey to all staff members and solicited parent participation at parent groups, on the website, and at school-wide events. We were disappointed with the number of parents who completed the survey (fewer than one hundred), so in the fall of 2008 we created a shortened survey (twenty-five questions) and distributed it in registration packets. That parent survey yielded over one thousand responses (English and Spanish). Survey highlights are summarized in following pages, and complete survey information is available in the appendix. The first survey had four possible responses: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, and Strongly Disagree. When we disaggregated the data, we realized it was more useful to analyze responses in two categories: Agree and Disagree. In looking at survey data, we were pleased with how positive the results were. We noted there were commonly held perspectives among the four groups, and when opinions diverged, we were interested in why different groups would vary in their perspectives. For example, students (predictably) were the only group who disagreed with “A school-wide dress _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two 59 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING code is important for a positive learning environment.” In response to “Technology is an integral tool in the learning process for all students,” students agreed, while teachers disagreed – a result that probably reflects the technology divide between generations. The strongest area of agreement across all four groups was that “MHHS staff members are committed to the school’s core values of “high standards and a nurturing environment.” We interpreted that result to mean that our constituents believe that not only do we declare those two values, but also that we demonstrate high expectations in a supportive and caring way. We have listed the top responses in which respondents disagreed, although for most of those responses, the percentage that agreed with the statement was still greater than the percentage of those who disagreed. For example, one of the strongest areas of disagreement from classified respondents was with the statement “Students are proud of the school and behave appropriately on campus”; yet the number of employees who agreed with the statement was still far greater than those who disagreed (68% agreed; 32% disagreed). In contrast, the one area in which the number who disagreed with a statement was greater than those who agreed was the statement “Non-college bound students at MHHS are effectively prepared for life after high school” (67% of teachers disagreed and 52% of classified employees disagreed). This perception that less successful students need more attention was a recurring theme in discussions and Focus Group analysis. Over time, we realized the term “college-bound” was ambiguous and needed clarification. We have since identified two separate issues: the ten to twenty percent of students who do not intend to attend college, and the students who plan to attend community college but who will not matriculate or transfer to a four-year school – the community college drop-outs. Support for both groups is addressed in the action plan. For our second parent survey, the questions still focused on the five criteria areas, but with fewer questions and a better distribution system, we were able to gather data from a much larger group of parents. For this survey, we simplified the responses to “Agree,” “Disagree,” and “No Knowledge.” Again, we were pleased by how positive the responses from the parents were. All of the questions were answered favorably by a large majority of parents, although the lowest positive responses were again related to _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two 60 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING the “Non-college bound” students. In response to the statement “Students who struggle academically receive extra support and academic interventions,” 14.8% of respondents disagreed, and 10% of respondents disagreed that “students at MHHS are effectively prepared for life after high school” Still, well over 50% of respondents answered both questions favorably. We also discussed the issues that were answered as “No Knowledge.” For example, 12% of parents answered “No knowledge” to a statement about how parents can get involved at Mission Hills, which could indicate a need for information or a lack of time or interest on the part of parents. In response to the statements about students who struggle or about how well-prepared students are, 25% to 34% of parents had no knowledge. Because of the large majority of the positive responses about how well Mission Hills communicates with parents (90% agreement), we believe there is not a problem with parents finding out about the issues they care about. One conclusion about the “No Knowledge” responses is that some parents lack specific information about all of the programs and supports offered at Mission Hills, perhaps because many students have never needed the assistance provided outside of class by staff members, counselors, and administrators; therefore, many parents have never checked into the available information. Overall, the survey results show a favorable impression by the majority of parents about the school, our communication, our staff, our programs, and our school culture. Survey results were shared with Focus Groups, and the groups discussed and analyzed the results. Both of our surveys and survey results are included in the appendix. We plan to continue the process of surveying constituents regularly, and we have planned a school-wide student survey for the spring of 2009. The following tables summarize significant survey data. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two 61 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills 2007 School Survey Highlights Students agreed more strongly with… Students disagreed more strongly with…       “MHHS communicates with staff, parents, students, and the community through a variety of sources such as newsletters, web pages, emails, and all-calls.” (90%) “MHHS staff members are committed to the school’s values of high standards and a nurturing environment” (88%) “Elective courses are based on appropriate standards and offer real educational value.” (87%) “Technology is an integral tool in the learning process for all students.” (86%) “Emergency procedures are well organized and understood by staff and students.” (85%)     “Non-college bound students at MHHS are effectively prepared for life after high school.” (45%) “A school-wide dress code is important for a positive learning environment.” (41%) “All students have access to technology tools.” (40%) “Teachers, parents, and students are involved in decision-making and school improvement” (36%) “Sufficient attention is given to the needs of students are academically below average.” (34%) Teachers agreed more strongly with… Teachers disagreed more strongly with…       “Teachers are examining their own teaching practices in order to improve their own instruction.” (98%) “Teachers and staff are readily available to meet with parents.” (95%) “MHHS staff members are committed to the school’s values of high standards and a nurturing environment.” (95%) “MHHS effectively communicates student academic progress to parents and students.” (94%) The counseling department meets the guidance needs of minority students and special education students. (94%)     “Non-college bound students at MHHS are effectively prepared for life after high school.” (67%) “A sufficient variety of relevant elective courses are offered to students.” (49%) “All students have access to technology tools.” (44%) “Technology is an integral tool in the learning process of all students.” (39%) “Teachers have adequate resources to help them improve instruction.” (37%) Classified staff agreed more strongly with…  “MHHS staff members are committed to the school’s values of high standards and a nurturing environment.” (100%)  “MHHS communicates with staff, parents, students, and the community through a variety of sources such as newsletters, web pages, emails, and all-calls. (100%)  “Teachers are empowered to be creative, and they are encouraged to take initiative to improve student achievement.” (100%)  “MHHS courses adequately prepare students for the challenges of college.” (100%)  “Students are knowledgeable about the courses and pathways available to them and are active in the course planning process.” (100%) Classified staff disagreed more strongly with…  “Non-college bound students at MHHS are effectively prepared for life after high school.” (52%)  “Students are proud of the school and behave appropriately on campus.” (32%)  “Emergency procedures are well organized and understood by staff and students.” (30%)  Sufficient attention is given to the needs of students who are academically below average. (29%)  “Sufficient attention is given to the needs of students who are academically below average.” (28%)  “Students and staff feel physically and emotionally safe and secure in all areas of the campus.” (26%) Parents/Community members agreed more strongly with…  “MHHS staff members are committed to the school’s values of high standards and a nurturing environment.” (100%)  “Education at MHHS promotes the growth of higher order thinking skills, such as problem-solving, analyzing, and synthesizing information.” 100%)  “All students have access to a rigorous curriculum aligned with district and state standards.” (97%)  “The vision for student achievement is understood and shared by all staff members.” (95%)  “Decisions are made based on whether they will improve student achievement.”(95%) Parents/Community members disagreed more strongly with…  “Teachers have adequate time and resources to collaborate to improve student performance.” (31%)  “Teachers, parents, and students are involved in decision-making and school improvement.” (28%)  “Teachers have adequate resources to help them improve instruction.” (21%)  “Teachers redesign and modify courses on an ongoing basis to ensure that their programs are standards-based and rigorous.” (19%)  “Multiple measures of assessment (in addition to testing) are used to measure student progress.” (19%) _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two 62 MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills High School 2008 Parent Survey Highlights Of 1,055 total responses: Greatest Number of Positive Responses:  91% believe students understand course expectations and know how to be successful in school.  90% believe MHHS communicates well with parents.  90% believe MHHS has a wide range of student activities.  86% believe that students consider MHHS a safe place.  85% believe classes at MHHS are relevant, challenging and engaging.  83% believe parents are encouraged to get involved at MHHS.  82% believe students have an appropriate amount of homework and that homework is relevant and helpful. Greatest Number of Negative Responses:  15% believe students who struggle academically do not receive enough support.  10% believe requests for communication are not handled within 48 hours.  10% believe administrators have not been helpful in handling student issues.  10% believe students are not well-prepared for life after high school.  10% believe office staff are not helpful.  9% believe it is difficult to get information about how students are doing in class.* Least Amount of Parent Knowledge:  34% were unsure if students are well-prepared for life after high school.  30% did not know about support for student health and social issues.  30% had no knowledge about administrator support for student issues.  27% did not know if students are adequately prepared for college.  26% did not know if struggling students could receive extra support.  23% did not know if student feel connect to the school and know where to go if they need help or support. *This survey was conducted before the Edline grade reporting system was made available to parents. 63 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Implications of Profile Data: Through review of profile data, surveys, and input from shareholders, we were able to draw the following conclusions:  Mission Hills has communicated well the school’s two foundational values – high standards and a nurturing environment.  Mission Hills students have steadily and significantly improved their academic performance as measured by CELDT, CAHSEE, STAR, and AP testing.  Mission Hills provides a rigorous college prep curriculum with many opportunities for students to take advanced courses.  Mission Hills has a number of supports in place to help students achieve academically; however, some parents do not have knowledge about support programs.  Mission Hills has a well-qualified and caring staff.  Mission Hills does a good job communicating with families.  Mission Hills has a well-enforced behavior code.  Mission Hills is considered safe by students and staff.  Students in subgroups – low socio-economic status, students with disabilities, Latino, and English Learners – continue to improve but still lag behind other students.  Students who do not plan to attend college need additional options for post high school careers.  Many students are involved in community service through their own initiative or because of involvement in on-campus programs; however, more students need to be aware of opportunities to give back to the community.  Teacher collaboration has resulted in significant achievement gains for students. 64 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING ESLRs (Grizzly Graduation Goals): Most schools will have no difficulty focusing on the academic achievement of students. After all, we are judged publicly by how well our students demonstrate mastery of standards. But by solely focusing on academics, we limit how well we train students in other crucial skills, i.e., the skills they will need to be successful in life and careers. These “non-tested” skills also promote student success in academic areas. Therefore, after our first goal of Academic Achievement, we expect our students to be “Creative and Productive,” i.e., that they will develop the communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and other skills required in our increasingly complex and diverse global community. The third goal of “Connected to the Community” addresses the need for each student to understand how he or she fits into the larger world and the importance of contributing to the community around them. This goal is perhaps the most removed from the purely academic pursuit, but it is a goal that will help students develop into positive contributors and will enrich their lives. The process of developing our ESLRs is described in the next section: “Progress Report.” 65 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Grizzly Graduation Goals: G3 Grizzly Graduates will be G1: Academically Prepared:    Demonstrate proficiency in all core content and performance standards Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening, and speaking Complete graduation requirements As measured by:       Classroom work Benchmark exams Semester grades Teacher observation Student Survey Graduation G2: Creative and Productive     Tackle problems with creativity and innovation Work collaboratively to complete projects Use technology effectively to access, analyze, evaluate, and disseminate information Recognize, analyze and apply solutions to problems in everyday and academic life As measured by:      Teacher observation Group and individual presentations Completion of research projects and other assignments Participation in collaborative work Student Survey G3: Connected to the Community:     Participate positively in school and community groups Demonstrate self-discipline and mature interpersonal skills Demonstrate understanding of complex social issues Complete community service projects As measured by:       Classroom participation Teacher Observation Participation in extra-curricular activities Completion of research assignments and class assignments Completion of community service projects Student Survey 66 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Two MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Chapter Three Progress Report 67 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Three MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Progress Report Critical Areas for Follow-up From November 2005 1) The administration and staff need to complete their current effort to promote comprehensive literacy strategies for all students in all classes. One of the goals of the SMUSD has been to promote comprehensive literacy strategies throughout the district. One advantage of having a unified district is that schools articulate among levels, particularly between the middle and high school levels. For example, for three years, a Humanities Council has been meeting monthly to do vertical teaming. One result is an increased focus on preparing students at the middle school for their CAHSEE tests. Another of the SMUSD goals has been to increase the emphasis on essential vocabulary. In 2006-2007, Mission Hills administrators did frequent “walk-throughs” in classrooms to observe the amount of time spent on teaching essential vocabulary. Many teachers have developed “word walls” with key vocabulary terms. This is an area to continue to improve: all core curricular areas need to agree on common vocabulary students need to learn at each level and to use powerful vocabulary teaching techniques to ensure student mastery. To increase the amount of time students spend writing, writing and reflection have been incorporated into content areas such as art, music, and dance, and English teachers maintain portfolios of student writing. The focus on writing continues in Humanities classes. For example, Humanities students write a “proficiency” essay after each unit, synthesizing information learned in both History and English classes. This year, Humanities teachers will examine the types of writing students are doing in their classes to ensure students are being prepared for the types of writing they will need to do in college. All secondary Humanities teachers in the district are participating in a revision of the Humanities curriculum. One of the aims 68 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Three MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING of the revision is to focus on the kinds of writing students will be required to do for standardized tests and in college. Since the initial WASC visit, Mission Hills has added a Literacy class for freshmen who struggle with reading at grade level. There are also now five sections of “Read 180” reading classes for mainstreamed English Language Learners. This year the Humanities team will begin a textbook adoption process for English/Language Arts. To prepare for choosing the best texts, Humanities teachers will meet throughout the year, evaluating the current texts and required writing, to ensure that students are being adequately prepared, particularly in expository reading and writing. Action Needed: Continued work on identifying and teaching technical and academic vocabulary essential to each curricular area. 69 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Three MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 2) Using assessment results as a guide, the instructional staff will develop powerful differentiated instructional strategies that will engage and improve student learning and mastery of content standards as described in the major school needs section of the school’s report. All curricular areas have developed essential standards – those that students are expected to master. All core academic areas have also developed common, standardsaligned benchmark exams. After each benchmark exam, and after CST results are in, teams meet to discuss results. All teachers access their students’ scores in Edusoft. Teams do item analyses and compare results on individual standards. Teachers collaborate on best practices, e.g., a teacher whose students did well in an area will assist other teachers in how to teach that standard or design activities to improve student performance. An area of growth is to encourage more opportunities for teachers to collaborate and share best practices. Teams have become adept at using Edusoft to disaggregate student achievement data to inform instruction. As a result of a standards-based focus, teams like the Math department have made changes in their assessment practices. Math students now take a cumulative exam, and if a student shows mastery of standards, the student is able to pass the course with at least a “C,” regardless of the grade to that point. Students now know if they fall behind, they may still successfully complete the course. The SMUSD provides more on-going training to teachers and administrators than most districts. In addition to the BTSA program, all new teachers train for two years in the Essential Elements of Instruction, a research-based methodology for effective instruction. Using the EEI model, teachers learn to be self-reflective about their instruction. Administrators participate in multiple trainings each year to become more effective trainers and evaluators. Mission Hills also now has five teacher-trainers who have been trained in EEI and who are able to provide instructional support and modeling for other teachers. With the addition of a new English Learner Coordinator last year, Mission Hills has a strong English Learner team, including ELD and SDAIE teachers. Those teachers work together to develop curricula that will support students acquiring English and becoming 70 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Three MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING proficient in standards. The rapid rise in CAHSEE scores among English Learner students demonstrates the effectiveness of the English Learner programs. The development of a data-driven culture has led to marked improvement in all major standardized tests, including CSTs, CAHSEE, and CELDT. As benchmark tests have been developed to link assessment to essential standards, teachers have been able to target instruction so that student performance has steadily improved. Action needed: All teachers need additional training in EEI strategies. All teachers need more time to collaborate on teaching practices and differentiation of instruction. In particular, all teachers need to incorporate more SDAIE strategies in their instruction. 71 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Three MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 3) All shareholders should be involved in a process to develop a set of expected school-wide learning results (student learning goals) that are directly related to academic standards which identify what Mission Hills students should know and be able to do when they graduate. For the first full WASC self-study, we wanted to develop learning results that were practical, measurable, and attainable. We also wanted to focus on limited areas, i.e., development of academic skills, the use of “real world” or “workplace,” creative skills, and ways for students to connect positively and give back to their community. To encourage the staff and other constituents to think about our school’s mission and our group of students, we took a number of steps:  We distributed the initial Student/Community profile to staff and parent groups.  We surveyed staff, students, and parents for input in the five criteria areas.  We distributed the survey results to home groups and parent groups for comment.  We started an online discussion about our critical needs and learning results (these are addressed in the critical area for follow up number four).  The WASC Leadership Team developed a draft of the ESLRs, which were renamed as G3: Grizzly Graduation Goals. The proposed G3 were shared with the Parent Association, ELAC, ASB, and the entire staff.  After input from constituents, a final draft of G3 was created and distributed to Focus Groups.  A G3 poster was designed, and staff members collaborated on ways to inform students and emphasize the Grizzly Graduation Goals.  The action plan was written to refine the graduation expectations and support the attaining of all three goals by Mission Hills graduates. Action Needed: As we move forward, we need to make the G3 expectations part of our culture and ensure that our students are progressing toward the G3 goals. 72 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Three MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 4) The administration and staff should begin a process to identify the school’s critical academic needs in order to develop a comprehensive professional development plan that addresses these needs. Mission Hills High School is a diverse school, whose demographics closely mirror those of the state of California. The majority of our school is composed of approximately equal numbers of White and Latino students, with the remainder identified as mostly Asian and African American. We also have a significant percentage of English Language Learners, most of whom speak Spanish. As one might expect, the achievement of our Latino and English Learner students has lagged behind that of the rest of our population, and early in our history, we identified the achievement of Latino and English Learner students as a focus area. Each year, the Single Plan has included action items related to improving our students’ performance in these subgroups. Through surveys and analysis of the information in the Student and Community Profile, and after reviewing prior school and district goals, two areas were initially identified as critical needs: 1) Improving the achievement of English Language Learners 2) Providing support for student who are not achieving academically As the Focus Groups met and worked through their criteria questions, common themes emerged (these will be addressed in the Action Plan):  Sub-groups are improving, but there needs to be continued focus on subgroups, particularly English Language Learners and students with disabilities.  Support needs to be provided to students who are not college-bound or who struggle academically, including informing them about career options and pathways. 73 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Three MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL  FOCUS ON LEARNING Teachers need and want additional training and professional development in powerful instructional strategies, particularly for non-native speakers of English.  Students need to grow in their connection to the community, particularly in the area of personal responsibility and in service to others. The Action Plan addresses the identified needs of Mission Hills students to achieve academically, and the creation of a comprehensive professional development plan. 74 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Three MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Chapter Four Focus Group Findings 75 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership and Staff, and Resources Introduction Opening a second high school in San Marcos was a long-time goal and dream for the community. Ten years before the school opened, San Marcos Unified School District Governing Board members, community members, staff, parents, and students began giving input into what the vision should be for the new high school. Two years before the school opened, a design team was formed to create a vision and set the course for what the new high school would become. San Marcos High School teachers and staff, members of the San Marcos community, and SMUSD middle school students (who would become the first freshman class of Mission Hills High School) participated, along with the new Principal, in the visioning process. By the time of the school’s opening, Mission Hills had a clearly stated vision and purpose: Mission Hills High School is a place where all students can achieve, and where the core values are high standards and a nurturing environment. Fundamental to the vision of the new school was a leadership structure that invited shared decision-making and stressed the accountability of all shareholders. In line with this, the concept of teams was emphasized, with department chairs renamed as “Team Leaders” who take on the responsibilities of curricular and instructional leadership. In that capacity, they serve to mentor teachers, analyze data, and work closely with site and district administrators to positively impact student achievement. One of the byproducts of a distributive model of leadership is positive morale, as most teachers and support staff feel they have a meaningful voice in the important issues they face. This has proved especially important as the new school confronted complex challenges relative to opening a large and modern facility and establishing new norms and traditions. Positive staff morale has also had a significant impact on the 76 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING student body, as evidenced by a full range of indicators, from academic performance to the success of extra curricular programs. Another key element affecting the school is its positive relationship with the San Marcos Governing Board, which is well respected in the community, and with Mission Hills constituents. The board has a long history of stability and positive working relationships with San Marcos employees and supports the educational goals of Mission Hills High School. Board members not only understand how issues impact student achievement, they also provide support for sites to achieve academic goals. With the support of the district, Mission Hills teachers have established a weekly collaborative time. Over the last five years, teachers have used collaborative time effectively and have become adept at analyzing benchmark data, and teams have improved their ability to revise instruction, curricula, and assessment to improve student performance. In five years, the staff has changed tremendously, with approximately one third of the staff having taught five or fewer years. The district provides extensive professional development for new teachers and veteran teachers who are new to the district, and site administrators are trained to teach instructional methodologies. Mission Hills High School has made enormous gains in achievement in a short period of time. With a strong staff, distributed leadership, and professional collaboration, we believe we have laid foundations for excellent student achievement, and we will continue to improve our ability to offer students the best possible education. 77 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A1a: To what extent does the school have a clearly stated vision or purpose based on its student needs, current educational research and the belief that all students can achieve high levels? Findings As Mission Hills began the WASC self study process, staff members were queried in the spring of 2007 for their areas of interest when Focus Group meetings would begin. Based on their requests, each staff member was assigned to a Focus Group, and Focus Group leaders were chosen – two for each Focus Group. Rather than assign Team Leaders (Department Chairs) as Focus Group Leaders, the distributive model of leadership was extended to draw in other teacher leaders. The initial WASC visit took place in 2005, when a WASC committee visited Mission Hills High School. In their report, one of the action items for the new school was to create Expected School-wide Learning Results. For this important and historic step in defining the mission and values of Mission Hills, in the fall of 2007, we developed a survey based on the sorts of surveys other schools have used in their WASC processes. Surveys were distributed to all staff members, to parents, and to 200 students representing a cross section of all the students on campus, including ASB, College Prep classes, Advanced Placement classes, Special Education, and ELD. Evidence WASC Initial Visit report Focus Group Member Lists Fall 2007 Survey Fall 2007 Survey Results and Summary Student and Community Profile ESLR Draft Online Forum Discussions Parent Association ELAC Critical Academic Needs Summary Grizzly Graduation Goals G3 Posters For the first parent survey, 100 parents completed the survey, from both the Parent Association and the English Learner Advisory Council, and results were consistent among the parents. (An additional survey was given in the fall of 2008 in order to continue to gather input from parents and other constituents, and approximately 1,000 parents participated.) One result of the first survey was the discovery that Mission Hills’ two values of “high standards and a nurturing environment” are clearly understood by the Mission Hills community and constituents. The results of the Fall 2007 surveys were compiled and summarized and were distributed to Focus Group members, Home Groups, and the parent organizations 78 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING for comment. At the same time that constituents were being surveyed, an initial Student and Community Profile was written based on data available in the fall of 2007. In the Student and Community Profile, all the data about our students and their achievement levels are available. The SCP was distributed to staff, Home Groups, and Parent Groups for comment and input on critical needs. Based on the achievement data of our students, two Critical Needs were initially identified: support for students who are not achieving academically and support for English Language Learners. The next step in the process was for the WASC Leadership Team to propose three areas of focus for the ESLRs to all the WASC groups. Three areas were identified: academic achievement, real-world skills that would translate into the workplace, and connection to the larger community outside of the high school setting. These three goals were summarized as Academically Prepared; Creative and Productive; Connected to the Community. The goals were designed so they may be measurable and achievable. Drafts of the ESLRs, now renamed Grizzly Graduation Goals (or G3) were distributed via hard copy and in an online forum discussion to staff members. A draft was also distributed to parent groups and to the ASB for comment. Home Groups, Focus Groups, and parent groups all made comments and gave input to the content and wording of the ESLRs. After revisions, the final G3 were distributed, and in October, 2008, posters were created and displayed in each classroom. The Grizzly Graduation Goals represent the goals and ideals for each student – that they achieve academically, that they develop the skills that will help them achieve throughout life, and that they understand the importance of participating positively in the larger community. 79 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A1b: To what extent is the school’s purpose supported by the Governing Board and the central administration and further defined by the Grizzly Graduation Goals and academic standards? Findings The San Marcos Unified School District has grown tremendously in the last few years, adding several schools, most notably the second high school in the district, Mission Hills High School. Recently, the district underwent a “visioning” process with constituents from the entire district and community. The district’s new mission statement is: The San Marcos Unified School District is an innovative and collaborative community providing an unparalleled educational experience. Through an engaging and supportive environment, all students are challenged, inspired, and poised to excel. The Governing Board has a policy of working with the school and community to develop educational goals and objectives that are relevant to the lives and futures of students. The board is also committed to providing necessary resources to accomplish the goals. The Grizzly Graduation goals are aligned with the district priorities. Evidence SMUSD Website SMUSD Core Belief Poster Grizzly Graduation Goals SMUSD Board Policy California Content Standards District Professional Development Calendar Late Start Calendar The Grizzly Graduation Goals are:  Academically Prepared (G1)  Creative and Productive (G2)  Connected to the Community (G3) The district goals include:  Acquire the essential skills of reading, writing, computing, speaking and listening [G1].  Develop and apply skills to think creatively, make decisions, solve complex problems, reason, analyze and utilize the knowledge gained [G2].  Promote student learning through shared decisionmaking and greater involvement of staff, parents, and community members [G2 and G3]. The California Content Standards are the guide for academic achievement, and all Mission Hills core curricula are designed to help students achieve the content standards. In addition, the district has facilitated 80 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING the defining of essential standards for all secondary students to achieve. The district has also worked with the teachers’ association to create a schedule that has built-in weekly collaborative time on Late-Start Tuesdays. Much of the academic growth reflected in rising test scores can be attributed to teachers having time to work collaboratively. 81 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Mission Hills has developed a strong sense of identity and has a strong sense of shared purpose. 2. The school and the Governing Board enjoy a positive and supportive relationship, characterized by mutual trust. 3. Mission Hills teachers are well qualified and continue to grow professionally. Areas for Growth: 1. The Grizzly Graduation Goals need to become part of the Mission Hills High School culture. 2. There is a need to continue to expand opportunities for various groups to participate and have input into life of the school, including all students, parents, and community members. 3. In an uncertain budget climate, the school district and school will need to be creative and resourceful. 82 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A2a: To what extent does the Governing Board have policies and bylaws that are aligned with the school’s purpose and to what extent does it support the achievement of the G3 and academic standards based on data-driven instructional decisions for the school? Findings The SMUSD Governing Board strongly supports academic achievement and the school’s graduation goals and provides training and resources for schools. The board annually reviews all CST data and monitors the progress of students toward standards of expected achievement. The district sets annual goals for all the sites (Performance Indicators), which are included in the school’s Single Plan. The district goals are also part of teachers’ goal setting for the evaluation process. The district is very supportive of the sites’ purpose and achievement of academic standards. In the past two years, the district has added district positions to support the sites, including a Director of Secondary Curriculum and a Director of Professional Development. The district also supports the professional development of site administrators with annual training in instructional strategies, and a number of Mission Hills administrators have attended conferences to explore current educational research. Evidence District Goals Performance Indicators District Personnel District Accountability Report Card District Professional Development Calendar Professional Development Summary EEI Edusoft PLATO Software Benchmark Exams The district provides a data management program, Edusoft, to disaggregate and evaluate assessment data in Course Catalogue order to improve student achievement. This year, the Edjoin district is also providing 15 software licenses for credit recovery for students. Mission Hills also purchased PLATO software to help students master CAHSEE standards; the software is available to Special Education and CAHSEE support classes and to students enrolled in credit recovery classes. Based on district support and faculty commitment and professionalism, teachers have greatly improved their focus on collaboration to improve student achievement. Teams (departments) have created benchmark assessments based on essential academic standards, 83 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING and those assessments are regularly evaluated for their effectiveness in helping students achieve mastery of standards. In the last few years, the focus on standards-based instruction has increased at the district and site levels. Nearly all elective courses are College Prep, and with the exception of pre-Algebra (Essentials of Algebra), all core curricular courses are College Prep and UC approved. Mission Hills High School has been very successful in hiring talented and qualified teachers. The Superintendent and Governing Board support the attraction and retention of the best teachers by allowing site-based hiring practices. The Team Leaders (Department Chairs) are actively involved in selecting new teachers. 84 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A2b: To what extent does the Governing Board delegate implementation of these policies to the professional staff? Findings The SMUSD Governing Board has a long history of positive relationships with the community and district employees. The board supports the mission of the school and provides the necessary resources for the academic achievement of its students. The board seeks to provide an environment where all staff feel appreciated and empowered to promote continuous improvement throughout the district. Board policy states that the board will “provide for effective communications and negotiations with the employee associations.” The board also provides “a continuing program of in-service education involving certificated, classified, and administrative staff, as well as members of the community.” At the district level, district administrators meet bi-weekly with all the principals in the district. The meetings are designed to help principals build capacity in curriculum and instruction. Evidence SMUSD Board Policy Principals’ Council Secondary Curriculum Council Assistant Principals’ Meeting EEI District Professional Development Calendar Team Leaders Team Leader Meeting Agendas Team Leader Retreats All secondary curricular areas are represented in bi-monthly Secondary Curriculum Council meetings, in which administrators who are assigned to curricular areas report back about regular meetings with all representatives from all secondary schools in each curricular area. The SCC considers proposals for new courses, articulation, and issues that are raised in the curricular meetings. Administration Responsibilities SSC Bylaws SSC Budget Self-Help File All secondary Assistant Principals meet monthly with the Director of Secondary Curriculum. The meetings are used to update A.P.s on issues in the district and to provide training in administrative areas. The SMUSD delegates the direct leadership and management of Mission Hills High School to an administrative staff. Mission Hills has a stable administrative staff with five site administrators. The Principal and two Assistant Principals opened Mission Hills; two of the current Assistant Principals have been hired in the last two years. One Assistant Principal went 85 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING through San Marcos schools and graduated from San Marcos High School. The administrative team works well together, both to manage the school and to function as instructional leaders. The team also has a balance of curricular experience, with credentials in Social Science, English, Music, Computer Technology, and Science. All of the administrators function as instructional leaders. The four Assistant Principals oversee the work of all the departmental teams on campus, meeting with Team Leaders regularly to evaluate data, set goals, and plan team meetings. Mission Hills has a structure of distributed leadership, i.e., Team Leaders work closely with site administrators to develop policy and work toward student achievement goals. Team Leaders lead their departmental teams in examining data and collaborating on strategies to improve student achievement. Site instructors and administrators, in cooperation with district administrators and the other comprehensive high school, make decisions about curriculum and assessment. Each year, the Mission Hills Leadership Team has had annual or semi-annual retreats in which site leaders formulate objectives, procedures, and strategies and address the complex academic and social issues of the high school. Most of the discretionary monies to support instruction come from the School and Library Instructional Block (SLIB) grant. The School Site Council oversees the disbursal of those monies. A large proportion of the annual grant goes for release time for teachers to collaborate on curriculum, instruction, and assessment, or for teachers to attend conferences to improve their instructional practice. The SMUSD provides professional development to all new teachers, particularly in strategies for effective instruction. All administrators and all new teachers receive training in the research-based “Essential Elements of Instruction” (EEI), a system of instructional strategies designed to improve student performance. All new teachers, in addition to participating in BTSA, complete a two-year training in EEI and are evaluated based on EEI 86 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING strategies and the California Standards for the Teaching Profession. The district also provides release time for teachers to work together. District support has provided multiple release days for teachers to collaborate on revising curricula, creating district-wide assessments, and identifying essential standards. Approximately 30 teachers have participated in all day district-wide benchmark assessment writing. Mission Hills High School supports the goals of the Governing Board and the SMUSD, and teachers are informed about policies and procedures. Information and district and school forms are available at any time to teachers on the district website and in a “self-help” area. 87 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A2c: To what extent does the Governing Board regularly monitor results and approve the single school-wide action plan and its relationship to the Local Educational Association (LEA) plan? Findings Although Mission Hills High School is responsible for creating and accomplishing site goals, the Governing Board annually reviews the school Single Plan. District office personnel work with site administration on the format and content of the Single Plan, which is then presented to the Superintendent and Governing Board. The board encourages the site to develop a school plan designed to meet the specific needs at the site. The board may approve or disapprove the school plan as necessary in order to fulfill the district’s mission and accomplish the board’s adopted goals and/or comply with legal requirements. The Governing Board supports data-driven instructional decisions. Over the last four years, student achievement data have shown continuous improvement, as measured by CAHSEE, CSTs, CELDT, and district benchmark assessments. The Superintendent and the Governing Board set Performance Indicator goals for academic achievement, and the Principal’s twice-annual evaluations with the Superintendent are based on Performance Indicator results. Evidence MHHS Single Plan Student and Community Profile Performance Indicators CST Results Benchmarks Principal’s Reports for Superintendent Site Administrators Administration Responsibilities Observation Site administrators support the vision and goals of the SMUSD. San Marcos recently underwent a “Visioning” process, and the Principal and Mission Hills staff and a parent representative were part of the visioning committee. The SMUSD gives discretion to the school site to manage the school and achieve academic goals, but district administrators also provide support and guidance for the site. 88 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. A positive and supportive district office staff and Governing Board. 2. A strong administrative team, with extensive curricular and instructional experience. 3. A model of distributed leadership, with competent and creative Team Leaders. 4. Excellent teaching staff, including many teachers hired in the last four years, and a strong and valued support staff. Areas for Growth: 1. Staff need additional training and modeling in EEI strategies in order to continue to implement the school’s EEI goals for Active Participation, Writing Clear Objectives, and Monitor and Adjust. 89 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A3a: To what extent based on student achievement data, does the school leadership and staff make decisions and initiate activities that focus on all students achieving the G3 and academic standards? Findings One of the values of the Mission Hills culture is distributed leadership. As the distributed leadership model has taken effect, student achievement has improved, and teams have worked together to meet academic goals. When the time came to choose Focus Group Leaders, rather than rely on Team Leaders, who already carried a great deal of responsibility, the Principal chose other teachers on campus. Two leaders were chosen for each Focus Group; this team met monthly and also led the Focus Group meetings. Evidence Student and Community Profile WASC Leadership Team Team Leaders Team Leader Reports Team Leader Meetings All curricular teams elect a Team Leader who represents their interests and gives input into the overall governance of the school. Team Leaders have a monthly meeting with administrators; the group also includes a parent representative. Team Meetings Each team has a site administrator assigned to that area. Each curricular area is represented at the district level by a district administrator who meets with representatives from each secondary school in subject area councils and who reports back to the Secondary Curriculum Council. Team Leaders meet regularly with the administrator overseeing each area; the administrator reports to the Principal, who reports to the Superintendent. School Calendar Subject Area Councils Secondary Curriculum Council The administration team of Mission Hills meets weekly with all the administrators, the ASB Director, the Athletic Director, and the head custodian to discuss school issues and give updates. Classified employees meet monthly with the administration team to have input, share concerns, and be updated on the issues of the school. Two parent groups, English-speaking (Parent Association) and Spanish-speaking (English Learner Advisory Council), meet monthly with administrator input. 90 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL The Leadership class (ASB) is represented by the ASB director, and students meet regularly with an administrator to discuss events, concerns, and have input. ASB students conduct weekly business meetings to consider funding requests and oversee the ASB budget. School Site Council consists of teachers, parents, classified employees, students, and administrators and meets monthly to oversee the site budget and approve and oversee the Single Plan. The Single Plan is also reviewed by the Parent Association. Recently, the format of the Single Plan was revised to align with WASC criteria area goals. FOCUS ON LEARNING ASB Constitution and Budget Administration Responsibilities School Site Council Single Plan Master Schedule STAR VIP Attendance Incentives Student achievement results have driven scheduling decisions; for example, Algebra support classes are added at the semester when students are not performing well in their classes. CAHSEE support, Literacy, and READ 180 are all classes created to aid student achievement. Gear Up Gradequick Edline Website Scheduling decisions have been made in order to support student achievement, e.g., the AVID coordinator has been given a release period, and class sizes of support classes are kept low to provide more assistance to struggling students. One new program that MH has initiated this year is the STAR VIP program. Students who achieve “proficient” or “advanced” in three areas or who go up one level in two areas are VIP scholars. Those students receive special privileges during the year, including special lines at major school events and drawings for school gear or other items. We believe the VIP program helped students to take CSTs seriously. Since students need to be in school in order to learn, Mission Hills students also have attendance incentives to encourage attendance. These incentives include drawings for Grizzly gear and other prizes. The Gear Up program has been given a prominent place on campus. They provide classroom tutors and an afterschool tutoring program in core curricular areas. Classes have been added to the master schedule to 91 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING support academic achievement, including Academic Success, CAHSEE Prep, Literacy, READ 180, and Algebra Support. Parent involvement is extremely important for student success. To encourage parental support and input, Mission Hills has placed a parent in the Team Leaders group. The parent representative plays an equal role with other Team Leaders. Teacher/leaders are able to understand better the parents’ perspective, while the parent reports back to the Parent Association about the direction of the school. In response to parent input, Mission Hills has added online grade reporting in the fall of 2008, so parents can be more involved in how their students are performing. A new district website includes RSS feed and mobile alerts and keeps parents informed about school events. Teachers can easily make announcements, upload documents, and link students to online resources. 92 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A3b: To what extent do the school leadership and staff annually monitor and refine the single school-wide action plan based on analysis of data to ensure alignment with student needs? Findings The Single Plan goals for the last four years have been based on analyzing data and setting goals for academic achievement. As a result, our API has risen 87 points in three years. Examining data results is a district and site goal. Teams regularly analyze benchmark exam data, and the district provides support and reports for teams to analyze CST data. The Single Plan school goals have focused in on critical academic needs; in particular, the first goal addresses the achievement of English Language Learners. A second goal is to improve instruction by focusing on teaching strategies (the Essential Elements of Instruction). The instructional techniques are directly related to student achievement. The third goal, which has been to align all assessment tools to essential standards, also supports student mastery of standards. Evidence Single Plans: 2004-2007 API Edusoft Reports School Calendar Late Start Days EL Coordinator Team Leader Meetings Release Day Summary SSC Budget With approximately 30 “Late Start” collaborative days, the Mission Hills staff has had significant time to analyze data and collaborate on student achievement. Most of the collaborative time has been dedicated to disaggregating Edusoft data and revising curriculum and instruction to support student learning. Late start days have also been used for professional development, e.g., presentations by the English Learner Coordinator to curricular teams and all-staff meetings focused on instructional techniques. Monthly Team Leader meetings are predominantly focused on student achievement issues. School Site Council meets monthly and oversees the Single Plan, the Safety Plan, and the SLIB grant. One of the priorities of SSC is professional development, including release days for teachers to do curriculum writing and work on strategies to support student mastery 93 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING of standards. Teachers are committed to taking necessary release time to work on improving student achievement, and this priority is supported by the administration. 94 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. The collaborative model has been highly successful in improving academic achievement. 2. Teachers have been effective at examining data, setting goals, and adjusting instruction to improve student performance. 3. Veteran teachers mentor newer teachers, and new teachers have brought energy and effective instructional strategies to the staff. Areas for Growth: 1. Focus on areas of academic achievement where students are under-performing. 2. Continue to focus on EEI and incorporate more EEI strategies into daily teaching practice. 95 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A4: To what extent does a qualified staff facilitate achievement of the academic standards and the G3 through a system of preparation, induction, and ongoing professional development? Finding Mission Hills has a large number of applicants for teaching positions, e.g., up to 150 candidates for teaching openings for spring hiring. SMUSD is known for its supportive working environment and competitive salary and benefit package. Staff members have close relationships with their colleagues, and MHHS is considered a desirable place to work. Mission Hills and the SMUSD have longstanding and clear practices for hiring employees. All classified and certificated positions are posted on the “Edjoin” website. Job announcements are also posted in employee work areas. The district office does an initial screening for credentials, then an administrator and the Team Leader or a classified employee screen for interviews. Interviews are usually held at MHHS with a panel consisting of administrators and teachers or classified employees. All applicants answer the same group of questions for their positions. Finalists are screened to verify qualifications, including checking references. The Principal forwards the name of the finalist to the Assistant Superintendent who makes job offers to candidates. Evidence Master Contract Edjoin Interviews SARC Evaluations EEI BTSA Summer Academies Faculty Handbook Administrator Responsibilities Master Schedule The district office staff continually monitors professional development and credentialing requirements. Mission Hills continues to be at 100% in teachers teaching in their credential areas. In addition to hiring practices already described, the SMUSD has clearly defined processes for ongoing teacher evaluation. All teachers in the first three years of employment are evaluated each year. Thereafter, tenured teachers are evaluated bi-annually for the first ten years of employment. Teachers who have been employed by the district for ten years may be put on a five-year evaluation cycle. All teachers who are being evaluated meet in the fall with an administrator to set goals. Administrators observe teachers and meet with them afterward to 96 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING analyze the lesson. The formal evaluation report is based on the California Standards for the Teaching Profession and the Essential Elements of Instruction. Teachers meet with administrators for a final evaluation conference, and the form is forwarded to the district to be kept in the teacher’s permanent file. Mission Hills teachers have an expectation that administrators (site and district) will regularly visit their classrooms. Administrators do regular “walk-throughs” in classes, as well as longer, formal and informal class observations. All new teachers complete a required two-year training in EEI, as well as completing state BTSA requirements. In addition, new teachers are mentored by teachers in their departments and by an assigned administrator. New teachers also meet as a group monthly for lunch with the admin team. Mission Hills has five on-site EEI Teacher/Leaders, who help to train other teachers in EEI strategies. SMUSD has provided voluntary professional development for teachers through summer academies. Teachers have also spent significant summer time in curriculum writing projects. In addition to formal professional development, teachers collaborate in team time and in informal settings with peer-to-peer dialogue on standards, student achievement, curriculum, and instructional practice. Most staff members have diverse teaching assignments, i.e., they teach a combination of classes for students of all ability levels, with no teacher “owning” a teaching assignment. Teaching assignments are not based on seniority. Newer teachers may teach advanced courses, including A.P. classes. When the master schedule is created, team members submit teaching assignment requests to the Team Leader. The Team Leader, the Assistant Principal, and the Principal communicate with teachers about preferred teaching assignments, but the master schedule and 97 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING teaching assignments are driven by student need and sign-ups for courses. Based on the number of sections allocated by the district, areas of interest, and qualifications, final teaching assignments are made. Teachers who teach courses for the first time, for example, A.P. or AVID, routinely attend trainings, usually in the summer. The SMUSD Master Contract and the MHHS Faculty Handbook outline responsibilities and procedures for the staff. Administrators oversee all operations of the school, and all staff members have a chart of administrator responsibilities. All administrators have an “open door” policy, and every staff member has access to the “decision-makers” on campus, including Team Leaders, assistant principals, and the principal. Team Leaders meet regularly with administrators on school and department issues. When Mission Hills opened, staff members had the benefit of the newest available technology: each teacher had a laptop computer, and over the first two years, all teachers acquired an LCD projector, and a number of teachers also have “Smart boards.” In 2008-2009, each teacher received a new laptop computer, and older laptops were “recycled” for student use on COWs (Computers on Wheels). Newer teachers easily adapted to using technology for communication and in the classroom. Some veteran teachers were unused to using technology, but over time, all teachers now are comfortable using at least basic software applications. Teachers have also advanced in their ability to use software applications like grading programs and Edusoft, but there is still a need for teachers to become more comfortable with existing software and for the entire faculty to become comfortable using online grade reporting, which was added in fall 2008. Classroom Observation Outlook Email Edusoft Administrator Responsibilities School Calendar English Learner Coordinator Mission Hills has a good internal communication system in place. Staff now communicates via email, phone calls, and in face-to-face conversations.. Staff members are encouraged to refer issues and problems to the assigned administrator in a non-public setting. 98 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills has regular all-staff meetings to communicate with staff members, and administrators oversee curricular areas. Teachers communicate with Team Leaders and their colleagues at team meetings. Team Leaders regularly communicate teacher concerns to administrators in formal and informal settings. Team Leaders also discuss school issues at monthly Team Leader meetings. Team Leaders attend yearly retreats with the administration to communicate and plan to achieve school goals. All teachers participate in late start collaboration time. Teachers also meet informally, and on their own time, in grade level meetings. Teams analyze data and devise interventions to improve student performance. Teachers examine test data for their own students and take responsibility for devising action plans. The SMUSD has implemented a program to train teacherleaders to work with their colleagues on EEI strategies. Mission Hills has five teachers participating in the training. These teachers attend district trainings and are observed and coached by district administrators. The English Learner Coordinator mentors teachers in SDAIE instructional techniques. The district English Learner Coordinator observes in SDAIE classes and assists administrators and staff with instructional strategies. Administrators mentor teachers informally, and formally, through the evaluation process. Administrators also conduct trainings at all staff meetings, reviewing EEI techniques and strategies. The administration works with Team Leaders to strategize, evaluate the effectiveness of processes, and create action plans. Team Leaders regularly share successes and challenges in their curricular areas. Team Leaders collaborate to improve student learning. Team Leaders meet periodically with administrators to review data and go over department action plans. During All-Staff meetings, the administrators present 99 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING information on school-wide issues based on reviews of performance data. The administration plans staff meetings and professional development based on student achievement data. 100 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. The EEI model is research-based and proven to improve student mastery. 2. Newly hired teachers have brought energy and the latest teaching strategies to an established staff. 3. Higher teacher expectations have contributed to the achievement gains of students. Areas for Growth: 1. All teachers need to continue use of EEI strategies. 2. More teachers need to use Edline to post assignments online, and parents need to continue to be educated about how to access grades and assignments online. 101 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A5: To what extent are leadership and staff involved in ongoing research or databased correlated professional development that focuses on identified student learning needs? Findings Because of the commitment of the SMUSD and San Marcos teachers, Mission Hills has always had regular collaborative time through Late Start Tuesdays. Teams have been able to use that time for sharing best practices, examining achievement data, and revising curricula and instruction. Mission Hills teachers have scheduled at least ten release days each year, in which teachers have worked on revising curricula and writing benchmarks. Evidence Team Day Agendas CST Results Release Day Summary SSC Budget Edusoft Mission Hills High School and the SMUSD have dedicated significant resources to providing release time for teachers to collaborate and write curricula and assessments. For example, the School Site Council has approved all requested release time for teachers. Most release time has been used for curriculum writing and benchmark writing. This has had a measurable impact on students achieving mastery of CSTs. Some of the ways teachers have used release time include:  Collaboration Among Special Education teachers  Benchmark writing in Humanities, Science, and Math  EEI training for teacher-trainers  Grade level release days in Humanities (annual)  Humanities curriculum revisions (district-wide)  Release days for VAPA teachers  Team Leader retreats (annual)  Training for instructing English Learners Conference Request Summary District Office Personnel List District Professional Development Calendar Team Leader Retreat Notes Many teachers have attended conferences, funded by SSC or the district, for example:  AP Summer Institutes  AVID Summer Institutes  “Sound Grading Practices” Since the inception of Mission Hills, the focus has been on Professional Learning Communities, which was the impetus for creating regular collaboration time. This year, all district administrators have been reading Whatever It 102 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Takes (Dufour, Dufour, Eaker, and Karhanek), and the Mission Hills Team Leaders are also reading and discussing the book and how to improve as a Professional Learning Community. Each year, the Team Leaders have met in off-campus, all-day retreats to discuss educational priorities and strategize how to continually improve as a learning community. The district has made a substantial commitment to training new teachers in EEI. In 2008, the district hired a full-time administrator for a new position – Director of Professional Development – who works with teachers and administrators. All new teachers go through a two-year process, working with a site administrator and a district trainer. Teachers go to Saturday trainings in instructional strategies. All new administrators receive intensive training, and veteran administrators have on-going training. By every standardized measurement, Mission Hills students have been improving their achievement. This year, our API is 777, a 39-point improvement over the previous year, and an 87 point increase over three years. Additionally, the A.P. Qualifying Rate is 46%, significantly above the county and state levels for schools with similar demographics. CELDT scores also are above the district, county, and state levels, due to the work of our English Learner Coordinator, ELD teachers, SDAIE teachers, and Regular Education teachers who have received training and who collaborate for improved student achievement. By graduation day the last four years, all Regular Education students who are not English Learners have passed the CAHSEE. Mission Hills has had fewer than 10 Regular Education students fail to pass the CAHSEE each year, and all of those have been English Learners. The pass rate for 10th graders is currently 87% for ELA and 90% for Math – up from the original pass rates of 82% for ELA and 84% for Math. For a school with our demographics, and with an English Learner population of approximately 15%, these pass rates are very encouraging; however, Mission Hills teachers are API AYP AP Qualifying Rate Student and Community Profile CELDT Test Results CAHSEE Test Results AP Test Results Course Syllabi and Curricula District Professional Development Calendar Late Start Days Master Schedule 103 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING committed to bringing up the scores, especially of English Learners. One of the reasons CAHSEE scores have improved so dramatically over the last four years has been the commitment of our teachers. For example, the CAHSEE Math and English support class teachers have been the same two teachers since the classes were created. Those teachers have taken ownership of the support classes, attending trainings, working with curriculum, and supporting mainstream Math and English teachers. The Math and English teams have revised curricula to support student mastery of CAHSEE standards, e.g., the Algebra classes and 10th grade English classes focus heavily on CAHSEE standards. The 9th grade History class curriculum has been revised to support ELA standards. Several teachers have attended county CAHSEE trainings, including Math, English, and History teachers, and Mission Hills Humanities teachers have collaborated with middle school Humanities teachers on CAHSEE preparation starting at the middle school level. 104 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Late-start days have provided essential and effective collaborative time. The school culture is built around the importance of collaboration, data analysis and professional development. 2. When teachers have targeted subjects to improve achievement, test scores have consistently improved. 3. Mission Hills has a very strong teaching staff, and teachers continually seek to improve their instruction through collaboration and professional development. Areas for Growth: 1. Mainstream teachers need more direction and training in identifying the areas where English Learner students and Special Education students need support and providing differentiated instruction to help students master standards. 2. Mainstream teachers need training in SDAIE strategies and need to incorporate those strategies into instruction, and SDAIE and ELD teachers need release time for collaboration. 105 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING A6: To what extent are the human, material, physical, and financial resources sufficient and utilized effectively and appropriately in accordance with the legal intent of the program(s) to support students in accomplishing the academic standards and the G3? Findings Mission Hills is a data-driven school, and decisions for the use of human, material, physical, and financial resources are made on the basis of what will best support the learning and achievement of students. Evidence SMUSD Budget MHHS Budgets Master Schedule Each year, the SMUSD gives budgets to sites, including staffing budgets (FTEs). The Principal has some limited input into specialized areas of the staff budget working with the district to identify unique school needs, e.g., the district provides additional course sections for CAHSEE prep classes and ROP classes. The SMUSD provides monetary allocations; the Principal has some discretion in administering those monies. The model in the district is site-based leadership, so sites are not told how to spend all monies. For example ROP sections and English Learner monies are provided, and the Principal works with Team Leaders to allocate those resources. The Principal communicates with the district on the allocation of all categorical monies, cooperating with the district Director of Special Programs. The district provides FTEs for ROP classes. This year, we have 22 ROP sections funded by the district in Business, Culinary, Health Careers, Fire Technology, Criminal Justice, Graphic Design, and TV Production. When the school was built, site leadership (including administration and Team Leaders), agreed on a formula to distribute site monies (based on shareholder consensus). The formula divides money between school administration and the departments, the latter based on the number of sections and program needs. Department teams decide how to spend their funds. Budgets are reviewed annually and adjusted as needed. The Principal and the Office Manager administer the site administration budget. Allocations are based on past practice and current need. The office manager has 106 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING significant discretion to meet school needs. The budget includes providing upgrades and replacements for furniture and technology, purchasing materials and supplies, and paying copy machine expenses. In addition to the site budget, Mission Hills programs are supported by A.P. and GATE funding, state P.E. and V.A.P.A. grants, and the SSC SLIB grant. All budgets are overseen by the Principal to ensure monies are spent appropriately to support school priorities. Mission Hills is a four-year-old school, with well-organized classroom space, including offices and shared “pods” for teachers. Mission Hills custodians have a cleaning schedule, and the district maintains the facility. The SMUSD provides textbooks and supplements for all students. All teachers have laptops and LCD projectors if desired. When the first, four-year-old teacher laptops needed to be replaced, the Principal lobbied for new laptops rather than the less expensive desktop computers. The Principal was able to supplement district monies with technology grant monies in order to continue to provide the more useful laptops for teachers. Classroom Observation MHHS Cleaning Schedule Textbook Adoption Schedule Classroom Observation Edjoin SMUSD Board Policy Mission Hills budgets provide for adequate lab materials for lab classes. All students have textbooks and materials in compliance with law. Students have access to technology in computer labs, the library, and the Information Resource Center in the library. In the past, teachers have reported difficulty in getting computer lab time for classes; this year, an additional lab is designated for Special Education classes, and more Computers on Wheels will be available, thanks to the purchase of newer computers for teachers. Single Plan Mission Hills has a large number of applicants for teaching positions, e.g., up to 150 candidates for teaching openings for spring hiring. SMUSD is known for its competitive salary and benefit package. The district has hired a full-time administrator to oversee professional development for SMUSD teachers. The SMUSD and teachers have agreed to a Late Start Day schedule, which allows for weekly collaborative time. 107 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The San Marcos School Governing Board has policies in place to oversee the use of resources and long-range planning in order to support student achievement. For example, the SMUSD Governing Board:  Articulates educational philosophy and goals and approves instructional objectives  Adopts graduation requirements and standards for student achievement  Decides which educational programs to offer  Adopts courses of study  Reviews and evaluates the instructional program The Governing Board oversees and approves school plans in order to fulfill the district’s mission and comply with legal requirements. The Superintendent oversees progress toward the district’s vision and goals and implementation of comprehensive plans. The Mission Hills High School Single Plan is designed to help students achieve academic mastery. The Principal submits the Single Plan to the School Site Council, to the Superintendent, and to the Governing Board. 108 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Mission Hills has had sufficient resources to hire qualified educators. 2. The classified staff is competent, hard-working, and supportive of the school’s mission. 3. The positive reputation of the school has made it a desirable place to seek employment. 4. We base decisions about resource allocation on what’s best for students – student need drives the decision-making culture. Areas for Growth: 1. The coming school years may present significant challenges for hiring and nurturing a well-qualified staff due to the state budget crisis. Part of the on-going plan will include how to continue to nurture a well-qualified staff with fewer resources. 2. Due to budget constraints, the custodial staff, the library staff, and the counseling staff have been cut. Staff members in those areas have assumed additional responsibilities to compensate for the drop in personnel. 109 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Curriculum Introduction At Mission Hills High School, one of our core values is “high standards” for all students. Mission Hills staff encourage students to take challenging courses and to prepare for college and life after high school. Mission Hills offers courses for every ability level, ranging from programs for the severely disabled and those requiring training in functional skills to nearly twenty college level courses. Nearly all core and elective courses are aligned to either state or national standards with the objective to provide all Mission Hills students with the skills needed for success in college and the world of work. Mission Hills offers thirteen Advanced Placement courses, with a series of honors classes provided at lower levels to prepare students for success in the AP program. A consistent policy of open access to higher level courses ensures widespread enrollment across demographic lines. In fact, the Mission Hills AP Qualifying Rate remains consistently high relative to schools with similar demographics. In addition to College Board-aligned Advanced Placement, Mission Hills students may also opt to enroll in courses aligned to California State University, San Marcos and Palomar Community College. The popular CSUSM Biochemistry class is the first of its kind in California and proving to be a tremendous success. Students may also opt to enroll in one of four CTE (Career Technical Education) pathways that offer credit through Palomar College. These four academies, in Fire Technology, Criminal Justice, Health Careers, and the Culinary Arts, give the traditional “students in the middle” an experience of rigorous coursework aligned to collegiate and professional standards, while preparing them for potential careers. While we recognize that not all Mission Hills students will attend either a four year university or community college, the culture is designed to promote college as the 110 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING primary option. Consistent with that philosophy, a college-going culture is promoted through a strong AVID program, electives that meet A-G requirements, an active College and Career Center and weekly “College Days.” With the advent of the “PACE Promise” (which guarantees admission to CSUSM and financial support to students who qualify), students now have an added incentive to prepare for college. All tenth graders visit CSUSM and learn about the PACE program. In order to qualify for PACE, tenth graders take the PSAT, and eleventh graders must pass the Early Assessment Program exam included in STAR testing. All core subject areas follow state standards and those that have no state guidelines follow subject specific standards. Our core-subject departments have created pacing guides and benchmark and final exams that are linked to essential state standards. The exams are created using an online program that allows each department to create questions tied to specific state standards where students may need additional practice or instruction. Congruence between skills and content with state and course standards is reinforced by the use of lesson plans, textbooks and classroom materials that are geared specifically towards meeting those standards. Collaborative time for curriculum review and evaluation are also provided to Mission Hills High School teachers weekly with Late Start Days in addition to various release days for both department and grade level meetings. Some of our departments have integrated disciplines in order to provide a more relevant curriculum for students such as our Humanities program, which combines parts of our English and History courses. Teachers in the Humanities program are provided with opportunities to collaborate on projects, and the literature is chosen and paced to coordinate with the History chronology. Over the next two years, the Humanities program will be reviewed and improved to more effectively help students achieve content mastery. Mission Hills High School offers a variety of support programs to ensure that students meet academic standards and the Grizzly Graduation Goals. For example, AVID helps students achieve high school and post-high school goals; SDAIE and ELD courses support students for whom English is a second language; Literacy, READ 180, 111 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING and Algebra Support and Geometry Support classes provide additional enrichment while students remain in regular standards-based classes. The English and Math curricula have been revised to support students’ mastery of essential standards, particularly those on the CAHSEE. Mission Hills has a strong pass rate for the tenth grade CAHSEE – in 2008 ninety per cent of tenth graders passed the Math test and eight-seven percent passed the ELA test. With an English Learner population of fifteen percent, those results are very encouraging. Students who do not pass the CAHSEE as tenth graders are enrolled in CAHSEE prep classes, and in each senior class, fewer than ten Regular Education seniors did not graduate because they were unable to pass the exam, and all of those were beginning English Language Learners. Though Mission Hills High School offers its students a substantial range of courses and classes, some teachers, parents, and students have pointed out that more should be done to support students whose goals after high school do not include going to college or a university, and there could be additional career and vocational courses in the school curriculum. The action plan in chapter five addresses the need for students to have adequate academic support and career pathways. In spite of a high student to counselor ratio, counselors meet individually with each student annually to review progress toward graduation and sign up for courses for the following year. All courses are open to all students who meet prerequisites for the course, and students are encouraged to challenge upper level courses. In the past, students have used Coin 3 software to update their four year plans for graduation, and this year, we began using a new software program, Career Cruising, to assist students with course selection. Information about all courses is in the Mission Hills course catalogue, including courses that meet A-G requirements. Students with special needs, e.g., those with 504 plans or I.E.P.s, meet annually with a support team consisting of teachers, parents, counselors, and administrators, to review the student’s plan and make appropriate course changes. Resource teachers work closely with Regular Education teachers to support students’ learning plans. 112 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The Grizzly Graduation Goals were chosen because of their practical application in preparing students to succeed academically, to develop “real world skills,” and to have a positive impact upon the community outside of the high school. Some of the “Real World” skills in the second Grizzly Graduation Goal, “Students will be creative and Productive,” are already embedded in the curriculum. For example, students work collaboratively in all curricular areas, and most curricular areas require students to produce work using technology. However, Mission Hills will be addressing additional ways to teach students the G2 skills in the action plan. The third graduation goal, “Connected to the Community,” is an area for growth – this year, seniors began doing a community service project in their government classes, and all AVID students complete community service. Students who are involved in extracurricular programs are intensely involved in the life of the school and life beyond high school; however, there are many ways connections to the community can be developed in the future. 113 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING B1: To what extent do all students participate in a rigorous, relevant, and coherent standards-based curriculum that supports the achievement of the academic standards and the expected school-wide learning results (G3)? [Through standards-based learning (i.e., what is taught and how it is taught), the expected school-wide learning results (G3) are accomplished.] Findings Academically Prepared: Grizzly Graduation Goal 1: Evidence Grizzly Graduation Goals Mission Hills and the SMUSD have spent great time and energy focusing in on state content standards. Over the last several years, teachers have become more aware of and comfortable with their content standards and have worked hard to align courses and teaching to the content standards. State Content Standards A rigorous, standards-based curriculum is available to students. Courses are open access, and any student who desires can challenge a course at any level if he or she meets the prerequisites. Edusoft Course Catalogue Master Schedule Classroom Observations Essential Standards Benchmark Assessments All core content area classes are standards-based and common benchmark assessments are based on standards. UC Website Mission Hills has revised curricular offerings to encourage maximum completion of A-G requirements. Textbooks SMUSD Textbook Adoption GearUp In content areas, the emphasis is placed on all students mastering essential concepts and skills, for example, English and Math classes focus on essential skills for students to pass the CAHSEE exam, and support classes are available for students who need additional help. When textbooks are adopted, they are evaluated for their emphasis on standards. The SMUSD has a textbook adoption process and schedule, and secondary textbooks are common to both high schools. Syllabi Pacing Guides PACE Promise Late Start Days Release Day Summary EEI Conference Summary Benchmark assessments and final exams are written to help determine the extent to which students have mastered content standards. The Edusoft program Articles Rubrics 114 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL assists teacher in evaluating how students are doing in mastering content standards. FOCUS ON LEARNING Advanced Placement Biochemistry Mission Hills offers a large array of courses, including some of the most advanced and challenging collegelevel courses available. Academies Mission Hills upper level courses are open access; however, students are held to a high level of accountability, e.g., students must enroll concurrently in both English and History A.P. courses; A.P. students must take the A.P. exam to receive the higher grade point; Biochemistry students must complete CSU requirements; academy students must satisfy Palomar College requirements. English Language Learners receive support in achieving standards through SDAIE classes and strategies, through support classes, and tutoring. English Learner teachers receive training in SDAIE strategies and attend trainings such as GLAD and CABE. Special Education students receive support through monitoring teachers, support classes, IEPs, Special Education aides in mainstream classes, and smaller class size in resource classes. AVID classes prepare students for college and assist them in getting accepted to four-year colleges. SDAIE Classes Professional Development Summary GLAD Monitoring Teachers IEPs Classroom Observation Master Schedule AVID Gear UP, a partnership with Palomar College, operates a daily tutoring program before and after school for all students. A Student Assistance Services team meets weekly to design interventions for students who need additional support to be successful; this includes English Learners, Special Education, and Regular Education students. Students use a variety of skills across curricular areas, and a number of courses use an integrated approach. For example, Visual and Performing Arts teachers require reflective writing; many curricular Gear Up SAS Portfolios Classroom Observation Essential Standards Edusoft Syllabi Pacing Guides 115 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING areas teach “reading” through textbooks. Science teachers reinforce Math techniques; Math and Science teachers reinforce technical reading. All core curricular areas reinforce reading and interpretive skills needed for standardized testing. All curricular areas follow state standards for their subjects (when available). Curricular areas particularly focus on “blueprints” linking standards to standardized testing. The teachers in the district have collaborated to create “Essential Standards” in a number of areas and are continuing that work for all core courses. PACE Promise Core curricular areas have created common district benchmark exams and final exams linked to standards. UC Website Core curricular areas use common department-wide pacing guides. Late Start Days EEI Conference Request Summary Books and Articles Pathways EEI BTSA All college prep courses meet requirements for UC admission and are UC approved. Students are encouraged to complete A-G requirements, and students in ELD and AVID classes have “Pathways” to follow to ensure college readiness. Elective course offerings are A-G approved in all core academic areas with the exception of support classes and Essentials of Algebra. With the inception of the PACE Promise, all Mission Hills students will have added incentive to complete college entrance requirements, with the promise of CSUSM admission and financial aid available. Mission Hills teachers have devoted a great deal of time to collaborative work on Late Start days, and particularly in release time, to plan, revise curricula, and create assessments. This includes multiple release days for Math, Science, Art, World Language, Humanities, and P.E. Teachers write daily standards-based lesson objectives on the board. The objectives are outcomebased and are often in the format of “Students will be able to” with an observable action. 116 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills teachers are committed to developing professionally. Some of the trainings and conferences our teachers have attended include:  World Language teachers regularly attend CABE training.  A number of our teachers have attended AVID summer institutes.  Humanities teachers have attended GLAD trainings.  A.P. teachers (and aspiring A.P. teachers) attend summer and winter institutes.  Several Mission Hills teachers and an administrator regularly go to language school in Mexico to improve Spanish-speaking abilities.  Several Math, History, and ELA teachers have attended CAHSEE training, offered through the San Diego County Office of Education.  Several teachers and an administrator attended a conference in Portland on “Sound Grading Practices.”  Several A.P. teachers are A.P. readers, evaluating A.P. essays for the College Board. Team Leaders have read several books and articles and discussed topics related to improving as a school. Team Leaders read The Earth Is Flat and Good to Great and discussed them at Team Leader retreats. Team Leaders have also read and discussed articles on linking assessments to standards and challenging the concept of the “zero F,” and they have led discussions about assessment practices in their curricular teams. Team Leaders are currently reading Whatever It Takes and discussing how to improve as a Professional Learning Community. Creative and Productive: Grizzly Graduation Goal 2 Science Summer Interns College and Career Center One of the Grizzly Graduation Goals, “Creative and Productive,” is designed to help students access real world applications to a standards-based curriculum, in Academies all academic areas, and in extra-curricular activities. Yearbook Some of the offerings available to students are:  Science students have opportunities to be 117 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL        summer interns. Students can talk with professionals in the community on Career Day. Academy students are taught by professionals who have worked in those careers. Students are linked to Palomar College and careers beyond high school. Journalism and yearbook students learn writing and publishing, preparing them for careers in journalism or other areas of publishing. Students in TV production conduct interviews, film commentary and news, and produce a daily broadcast to the entire school on MHTV. ASB students manage a large budget, conduct business meetings, organize and plan large school-wide events, campaign and run for office, and meet regularly with school administrators. Government students can volunteer to work in voter polling stations. Special Education students can participate in “Workability.” FOCUS ON LEARNING The Silvertip MHTV ASB Budget and Bylaws Workability Program Classroom Observation Rubrics Humanities Curriculum Grade Level Teams One of the goals for graduates is that they learn “real world” skills. After students graduate, they will need to be able to work creatively and collaboratively with others. Mission Hills students are accustomed to working collaboratively to synthesize information and create projects. Students regularly make presentations in classes, both individually and in collaborative groups. Students also need to be responsible individuals – able to work independently and evaluate their own work. Mission Hills students regularly use grading rubrics to guide their work. Students do collaborative problem-solving work in all curricular areas. Mission Hills has a large and varied extra-curricular program, in which students can learn to be part of a team, working together for a common purpose. Students are encouraged to be actively engaged in 118 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING standards-based learning through collaborative work, peer coaching, individual responsibility, and reflection on their own results. Connected to the Community: Grizzly Graduation Goal 3 As the Mission Hills High School culture has developed, a goal has been to increase the connections between the community and the school. Academies Biochemistry PACE Promise Mission Hills now has several dynamic relationships Syllabi with the community and institutions of higher education. Students may enroll in one of four two-year District Professional academies, which offer concurrent high school and Development Calendar Palomar College credit: Culinary Arts, Fire Technology, Criminal Justice, and Health Careers. Salute to Veterans Day A CSUSM course, Biochemistry, is taught at Mission Hills by a Mission Hills Science teacher. Students receive CSU credit for successful completion of the course. The PACE Promise provides support for students to gain admission to CSUSM. In 2007-2008, senior Government teachers added a community service project as part of the course requirements, and the staff is looking at ways to expand student community participation. All AVID students participate in community service as part of their course requirements. Students In A.P. Statistics include a community component in their research. Mission Hills teachers have articulated and collaborated with feeder middle schools in V.A.P.A., Humanities, Science, Math, and World Language in release days and after school, resulting in revised instruction and curricula at the middle schools. Secondary Curriculum Council at the SMUSD shares information and encourages collaboration between 119 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING middle and high schools. Teachers use guest speakers to connect class work with the real world; some of the guest speakers have included Congressman Mark Wyland, ACLU representatives, election representatives, and members of the U.S. military. Special Education students learn about life skills and real world finances. Students do community service hours; for example, Special Education students make sandwiches for the homeless. Tenth grade students may submit an essay in order to be chosen to attend “A Salute to Veterans” Day, featuring guest speakers from the community and active duty military personnel. 120 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Mission Hills teachers have always collaborated to create curricula that are standards-based and assessments that are connected to standards. 2. Efforts by teachers, administrators, and support staff have resulted in substantial gains in student achievement over the past four years. Areas for Growth: 1. A number of students, especially English Learners, are not demonstrating proficiency in content standards. 2. More students need to complete A-G graduation requirements. 3. Community service and involvement need to be expanded and become more a part of the school culture. 4. Students need more experience integrating skills of speaking and technical reading and writing into their regular coursework. 5. More emphasis needs to be placed on students learning how to set goals, manage time, problem solve, and manage projects. 121 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING B2: To what extent do all students have access to the school’s entire program and assistance with a personal learning plan to prepare them for the pursuit of their academic, personal and school-to-career goals? Findings Mission Hills High School is committed to students achieving at the highest levels possible. Students are encouraged to take courses that will challenge them and help them grow academically. Mission Hills has a strong and caring counseling department. All students have an assigned counselor, who helps students select appropriate courses and fulfill graduation requirements. Unfortunately, due to state budget cuts, Mission Hills lost a full-time counselor this year, and counselor caseloads are high. However, the counselors still meet individually with each student annually to discuss the student’s educational plan, including academic, personal, and school-to-career. Students may enroll in any classes for which they have met prerequisites, and students are encouraged to take challenging classes. Evidence Counseling Department Course Request Forms Course Catalogue Academies College Tuesdays A-G Posters AVID College and Career Center Master Schedule PACE Promise When Mission Hills began, the “student in the middle,” Secondary Curriculum the one bound for community college, was a priority Council for the school community. In order to give students a focus and an experience of success at the postsecondary level, four academies were created. These academies provide access to students who are typically under-represented in post-secondary schools, giving students a college-level experience leading to well-paid careers. The school is also working with the SMUSD to explore the expansion of career and technical education at the secondary level. A college-bound culture is promoted with A-G posters in classrooms, and Tuesdays are “College Day,” when staff members wear shirts promoting colleges and universities. A strong AVID program and a College and Career Center, assists student in applying to colleges and seeking financial aid. Mission Hills offers a wide variety of opportunities to support and promote the success of college-bound 122 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING students, including college level courses in A.P., the academies and Biochemistry. The PACE Promise will enable more students to gain admittance to CSUSM and will provide funding for college expenses. Articulation between the middle schools and high schools in VAPA has focused on how to expand career pathways. For example, Mission Hills has recently hired an art teacher who will expand the art program to include Metal Smithing and Jewelry Making under the ROP umbrella. Counselors check student grades at the conclusion of the first semester and student placements are changed if necessary. Teachers, parents, and counselors have input into a student’s course selections. Students utilize counseling software to update and review their fouryear plans. Special needs students have individual learning plans; class sizes in resource classes and special day classes are smaller, and Special Education classes have instructional aides. Regular Education classes with large numbers of Special Education students have instructional aides assigned to the classes. Semester Grade Reports Course Request Form Counseling Software IEPs Classroom Observation 504s Counseling Department EL Coordinator ELD Curriculum Students with 504 plans have annual update meetings. Teachers are informed about all accommodations, and plans are monitored by an administrator. English Language Learners are supported by bilingual counselors, a full-time English Learner Coordinator, and a part-time Migrant Education Coordinator. ELD and SDAIE classes accelerate English language fluency. The READ 180 class provides additional support for 80 to 100 English Learners who are in mainstream classes. Our entire ELD curriculum is standards based; all instructional materials used in our ELD classes are 123 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING aligned to the ELD standards. Last year, our ELD teachers met to identify essential ELD standards and reworked our ELD curriculum to focus on meeting these standards. The teachers also are developing instructional calendars that will help them plan for the year. We also purchased a new curriculum for ELD 1 and ELD 2, Shining Star by Pearson Longman. This curriculum is also standards based, aligned to our state ELD standards. This curriculum will be used in conjunction with the Write Institute curriculum, which focuses on writing. The AVID program assists students in challenging rigorous courses and provides academic support. AVID works with students the entire year to prepare them for college and to monitor grades and progress in A-G courses. Last year, 92% of AVID seniors went to four-year colleges. AVID 124 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. A varied course offering of college prep, vocational prep, and college level courses. 2. A college-bound culture. 3. Support systems for students to prepare for college and assist with the admission process. 4. All teachers are beginning to use online grading; all families received information about how to use online grades to assist students in order for parents to become effective partners in their students’ education. Areas for Growth: 1. Students need additional information, training, and support in skills needed for successful careers and for life after high school. 125 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING B3: To what extent are students able to meet all the requirements of graduation upon completion of the high school program? Findings Mission Hills students are supported academically in many ways to help them meet graduation requirements. All students who do not pass the CAHSEE as sophomores are evaluated for enrollment in a CAHSEE support class. Students enrolled in CAHSEE support classes are pulled for individual tutoring by a CAHSEE tutor. Evidence CAHSEE Pass Rate CAHSEE Class Enrollment CAHSEE Budget Master Schedule READ 180 READ 180 classes and a Literacy Academy support 9th grade students who are identified as needing additional ELA support. Literacy Academy Algebra Support Students who are failing Algebra are placed in second semester Algebra Support classes while remaining in their regular Algebra classes. ELA and Math teachers have revised curricula to focus on CAHSEE prep and CAHSEE standards to assist students in passing the CAHSEE as sophomores. ELA 9th and 10th Grade Curricula Math Curricula AVID Counseling Calendar Mission Hills has a strong AVID program, with AVID I, II, and Senior Seminar. We have an AVID Coordinator with a period release to oversee the program. AVID classes provide accountability and support for students, including progress reports, notebook checks, communication with teachers, and application to colleges. Counselors meet annually with each student to ensure progress toward graduation. The English Learner Coordinator meets with seniors who are English Learners to ensure graduation requirements are met. Counselors also meet annually with 11th grade students who are at Far Below Basic in ELA and Math and 12th graders who have not passed the CAHSEE; students review an Academic Review form. All 12th grade students who have not passed the CAHSEE are Secondary School Counseling Grant Master Schedule CAHSEE tutoring PACE Promise Progress Reports Gradequick Edline Summer School “Zero F” Article Math Syllabi 126 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING enrolled in intervention programs. SAS Referral The PACE Promise informs students about college admission and offers financial assistance to attend CSUSM. Students receive mailed progress reports approximately every 5-6 weeks. The school policy is to inform parents and students of a “D” or “F” grade in time for the student to bring the grade up. Seniors who are in danger of failing a course at the semester receive certified letters in the mail informing them. Parents may check online grades through Edline. Migrant Ed Office SMUSD Board Policy SIS Reports PLATO Software Summer school classes are available for students who need to repeat classes. The Team Leaders have spent much time discussing equitable grading practices, including the use of the “zero F.” Many teachers have piloted grading systems based on a four point grading scale. All teachers use the Edline grade reporting system. Students in Math may retake failed chapter tests. Students in Humanities may rewrite proficiency essays. Any staff person may refer students to SAS who are struggling academically or socially. Students identified as “Migrant Education” have oncampus support through a Migrant Education Coordinator, who works with administrators, counselors, and teachers to assist struggling students. Migrant Education students have access to the PASS program for credit recovery. Seniors who are at risk of not graduating meet with counselors, who provide counseling and alternatives for credit recovery, including adult school, Palomar College, and online courses. This year, Mission Hills is also adding an after-school and zero period credit recovery program, targeting students at risk of not graduating. 127 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The SMUSD board has a policy in place to transfer students to the district’s alternative high schools if they get so far behind in credits that they are not on track to graduate. Students who get caught up in credits are allowed to return to Mission Hills. When administrators meet with students for discipline or other issues, they check attendance and grades. If students are struggling, they may meet with parents, refer students to SAS, contact teachers and counselors, or suggest other interventions. 128 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Several systems are in place to monitor student achievement by support staff, teachers, counselors, and administrators. 2. The use of data has improved over time so student weaknesses are being identified much earlier so teachers can work on individual weaknesses. 3. Mission Hills has a well-qualified and caring staff that collaborate effectively to help students meet graduation requirements. Areas for Growth: 1. Mission Hills is exploring additional opportunities to recover credits besides repeating the entire semester of a course, including linking credits to mastery of standards. 2. Teachers need to effectively use online grading options; parents need to be informed about how to access assignment and grade information online. 129 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Instruction Introduction At Mission Hills High School, we recognize the importance of the highest quality instruction in improving student achievement. We have been able to hire an excellent teaching staff - highly trained, enthusiastic, and extremely collaborative - and as a result, we have seen continuous improvement in student performance. One of the strengths of the SMUSD and Mission Hills is our understanding and application of the Essential Elements of Instruction, which has given us a common language and a research-driven methodology. New teachers are trained for two years in EEI, and all formal observations are based on evaluating instruction based on the EEI model. EEI training helps teachers to write objectives and design activities that teach to those objectives, to encourage active participation strategies, and to lead students to mastery of the standards. One of the accomplishments of the last four years has been that teachers have collaborated to improve instruction, to revise curricula to more closely match state standards, and to create assessments that are aligned to standards. All departmentwide tests in curricular areas are processed into Edusoft, giving teachers access to specific data about each standard and each student’s performance, and teachers have willingly shared strategies for improving instruction. The achievement of English Learners has been a focus for four years, and improving the performance of English Learners has been a school-wide goal. To improve instruction to English Learners, the English Learner Coordinator has worked with curricular teams on SDAIE strategies, and SDAIE Humanities teachers have participated in extensive GLAD training. We also have a strong ELD program. While our English Learners do not perform at the same level on standardized tests as Englishspeaking students, we have made enormous progress in the last four years, as 130 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING demonstrated in our CELDT, STAR, and CAHSEE scores. We are continuing our focus on English Learners, and part of our action plan is to give all teachers additional strategies to help the English Learners in their classes. Mission Hills High School has a culture of continuous improvement, and teachers are eager to grow professionally. In addition to the district and site training on improving instruction, many teachers attend conferences and trainings to improve their instruction, e.g., AVID, A.P., ELD, SDAIE, CAHSEE, CABE, and other professional development opportunities. Significant monies have been allocated to allow teachers to collaborate during release time and attend trainings to focus on instructional issues. When the school opened, all teachers received a laptop computer, and since then, all teachers may also use an LCD projector. Several teachers have Smartboards in their rooms. This fall, all teacher laptops were replaced with a newer version. Teachers have become increasingly comfortable using technology to enhance instruction and in creating assignments that require the use of technology. 131 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING C1: To what extent are all students involved in challenging learning experiences to achieve the academic standards and the Grizzly Graduation Goals (G3)? Findings Instructional Practice: One way Mission Hills has demonstrated commitment to all students being involved in challenging learning experiences is by setting an annual school goal that “students be actively engaged in the learning process.” The district model for instructional practice, the Essential Elements of Instruction, focuses on active participation as a crucial element in student learning. All courses are open to all students who are able to complete prerequisites. Evidence Single Plan EEI Course Catalogue Essential Standards Evaluations Classroom Observation Course Syllabi Administrators regularly observe in teachers’ classrooms and discuss active participation strategies with teachers individually and in staff meetings. Rubrics Bell Schedule Courses are standards-based, and core curricular areas have developed or are developing “essential standards” for students to achieve. Teachers write their daily objectives on the board; these are outcome based, e.g., “students will be able to…” Some teachers require students to re-state or write a summary of the learning for the day. This year, we have a school-wide focus on monitoring student understanding and adjusting instruction. All curricular areas give students written course objectives and grading standards. Departments have worked in collaborative time to align course expectations. With the alignment of the teaching of English and History into a Humanities approach, students are able to study thematic units, reinforced in both ELA and History. Humanities teams have developed rubrics for essays and projects that students use to evaluate their own 132 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING work. Other disciplines have rubrics for assignments and projects. All teachers receive training in the Essential Elements of Instruction. Evaluations are based on EEI, which are research-based strategies for improving student learning. The modified block schedule allows extended time for in-depth instruction, labs, and reinforcement of learning. Special Needs Students: In order to help students with special needs achieve at their highest levels, Mission Hills provides support for mainstreamed Special Education students; students with special needs receive modifications on assignments and instruction, e.g.:  Student with auditory processing issues may use books on tape, note-takers, or printed lecture notes.  Students with 504s or IEPs may receive reduced assignments and additional time.  Visual learners are targeted with word walls, graphic organizers, and power point presentations. IEPs Team Meetings Observation Special Education Curricula Special Education teachers have been collaborating with their counterparts in mainstream classes. For example, they participate in some curricular team meetings and are working on aligning curricula to essential standards. English Language Learners: The achievement of English Learners is an on-going focus, and Mission Hills actively works to meet the needs of English Learners by providing high-quality instruction. English Learner achievement is improving as measured by CSTs and CELDT, and our students score above the district, county, and state in CELDT. Using Edusoft has enabled teachers to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their students, and teachers are seeing the relationship between Student and Community Profile Edusoft Classroom Observation EL Training Materials GLAD 133 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL instruction and student achievement. All teachers have identified English Language Learners in their classes and standards that students are having difficulty with and most have collaborated on instructional methods to address those needs. Mission Hills has a new English Learner Coordinator who works closely with SDIAE and ELD teachers and provides training and resources for all mainstream teachers. SDAIE classes are provided when there is sufficient student enrollment; these classes normally have fewer students than mainstream classes. FOCUS ON LEARNING Master Schedule District Professional Development Calendar Single Plan Master Schedule Conference Request Summary Course Catalogue SDAIE ELA and History teachers attended GLAD training and use the GLAD strategies in their classrooms. Mission Hills recognized that mainstreamed English Learner students needed additional support, so in addition to ELD classes, we now have five “READ 180” support classes, utilizing the Read 180 software. Advanced courses: Mission Hills provides a large variety of accelerated courses, in which students can earn college credit, i.e., 13 A.P. courses and Biochemistry, for a total of 33 sections. Honors or A.P. courses are available in ELA, History, World Language, V.A.P.A., Math, and Science, preparing students for college-level coursework. Students in honors or A.P. Humanities are concurrently enrolled in the same level in both classes. Master Schedule Observation Syllabi Course Catalogue School and Community Profile A.P. teachers are committed to providing a high level of coursework and instruction, and teachers routinely attend A.P. summer institutes. The A.P. Qualifying Rate has increased since the opening of the school and is currently 46%. For the demographics of the school, this is impressive, especially since the number of students enrolled in Biochemistry (130 in 2008-2009) pulls from the number of students who 134 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING complete A.P. Science courses. Performance Electives: Many students participate in performance groups such as marching band, concert band, dance, and drama. All performance classes are standards-based, and performance groups have been highly successful in competitive performances. Career and Technical Education: Mission Hills High School has been innovative in the creation of four career academies, which were developed to provide college-level instruction and experience with practical skills common in the real world. These classes have high percentages of students from student populations that are typically under-represented in colleges. Instructional practices model those found in post-secondary training programs and are standards-based and rigorous. Academy classes are taught by professionals who worked in the area in which they teach and who have ROP credentials. Master Schedule Academies Master Schedule The SMUSD supports career and technical education, and the Director of Special Programs works closely with our teachers and administration to provide a high quality program. With the hiring of new Art and Graphic Design teachers, we are poised to expand career and technical offerings for more career pathways for students Library and IRC: Mission Hills has a modern and well-equipped library with a large and functional Information Resource Center. The IRC has state of the art video conferencing. The library is highly used before and after school and at lunchtime by students, and during the school day by classes. Library Use Schedule Unfortunately, budget cuts led to the elimination of the school librarian position, but a well qualified and highly functioning support staff enables the library to continue to be an excellent resource for our students. 135 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Mission Hills has a strong and inclusive program of upper level courses. 2. There has been continual overall improvement in student achievement. 3. Mission Hills teachers are committed to improving instruction. 4. The focus on EEI has resulted in improvement in teaching strategies. Areas for Growth: 1. Special Education teachers need to continue to align their curricula with essential standards and collaborate with Regular Education teachers to improve the performance of their students. 2. All Regular Education teachers need to spend additional time identifying English Learners and Special Education students who are not making significant progress on essential standards and collaborate on strategies to assist those students. 3. All teachers need additional training in SDAIE strategies and need to implement those strategies in their classrooms. 4. ELD and SDAIE teachers need time to collaborate on curriculum and best practices. 136 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING C2: To what extent do all teachers use a variety of strategies and resources, including technology and experiences beyond the textbook and the classroom, that actively engage students, emphasize higher order thinking skills, and help them succeed at high levels? Findings Mission Hills High School is positioned well with resources and training to deliver instruction that actively engages students, emphasizes higher order thinking skills, and helps them succeed at high levels. Evidence Master Schedule Classroom Observation PLUS Program We have a relatively young staff – about half of the BTSA teachers are in their first five years of teaching. Newer teachers share research-based strategies learned in Edusoft their teacher training and credential programs. Veteran teachers are generous with their time and Student Essays resources and help to mentor new teachers. Syllabi Our teachers are committed to providing assistance to students to help them achieve at high levels. In addition to class time, teachers are available before and after school or at lunch for students who need additional help. Teachers also provide support for students in many additional ways; some of the ways teachers and staff support student learning include:  The counseling team provides PLUS forums, encouraging peer assistance for students.  SDAIE teachers (and mainstream teachers) use SDAIE strategies to assist students.  Teachers in BTSA choose Focus Students and provide them with additional coaching.  Students in Science classes work in labs with teachers providing oversight and direction.  Science teachers use laptop computers to tutor students – the programs adjust to student levels based on their responses.  Teachers design review activities based on student need, e.g., teachers use quiz results, Edusoft data, and classroom observation to determine areas for review.  Many teachers scaffold instruction, building on prior knowledge; for example, English teachers use the Jane Schaeffer method of teaching essays, building understanding of thesis ELD Curricula Course Catalogue Literacy Materials Academies 137 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL      FOCUS ON LEARNING statements, supporting evidence, commentary, and conclusions. ELD classes use the WRITE Institute materials for teaching writing. Humanities projects involve topic selection, writing drafts, and revising for a final draft. Students learn to think through a topic, make research decisions, synthesize information, and evaluate their own work. Humanities teachers teach students to evaluate their own work using acronyms like SOAPSTONE, PERSIAN, RAFT, and SIFT. Many English teachers do “Writers’ Workshops,” in which students can focus on improving as writers. Special Education students in Functional Skills and Severely Handicapped classes learn to do laundry, cooking, sewing, and cleaning with considerable one on one support. Mission Hills has a dynamic relationship with institutions of higher education, impacting course creation and classroom instruction. Some of the ways the relationship has developed include:  The first two years the school was open, CSUSM student teacher classes were held at Mission Hills.  For three years, a group of teachers met monthly with CSUSM professors to collaborate on literacy and active participation strategies. Their work was shared with departmental teams.  Mission Hills and CSUSM teachers collaborated to create a high school Biochemistry class, which allows students to earn CSU Science credit. For 2008-2009, 135 students are enrolled in the class.  Mission Hills has a long-term relationship with Palomar College through the academies and the Palomar College English Learner department. Literacy Materials Master Schedule Course Catalogue CSUSM Materials 138 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Technology: As a new school, we were able to create a new culture in which technology is valued and regularly used in instruction. All teachers have laptop computers and LCD projectors, and most use computers for daily instruction. Teachers routinely require students to use technology to create projects and complete assignments, and our students are comfortable using technology. Teachers use a variety of strategies and software to utilize technology, including discussion boards on the internet, webquests, probeware, and Plato CAHSEE support. Beginning in 2008-2009, we added 15 PLATO credit recovery licenses and 30 students are enrolled in credit recovery English and History. FOCUS ON LEARNING Internet-based Assignments PLATO Software Online Textbooks and Tools Student Assignments Syllabi Library Use Schedule Other ways that teachers and students use technology include:  World Language teachers use online textbooks (when available) where students access activities.  AP Spanish students find articles on the internet and write essays about the articles.  Students use online tools, e.g., dictionaries, to edit their work.  PE students and academy students demonstrate the use of life saving technology such as heart rate monitors.  Students use graphing calculators in advanced Math classes.  Students may access hotMath.com for help at home.  Students routinely create power point presentations.  Science students utilize probeware.  Students complete webquest assignments investigating scientific quandaries.  Science students gather up-to-date information from online databases and utilize NASA online tools to complete labs.  Students manipulate telescopes to observe stars.  Special Education students are assessed on 139 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL     FOCUS ON LEARNING mastery of CST standards and work in computer labs on targeted standards. Students use the Internet to research stocks and publicly traded companies, and also practice stock purchases. Special needs students use touch screens, switches, and alternative augmented communication. Students also do research on stories using multimedia resources. World language students use Internet resources to create “storybooks.” Students do listening assignments from the radio and television to increase comprehension. 11th graders explore possible careers using a new software program, “Career Cruising.” The Mission Hills library is heavily used by classes to research, use technology, collaborate and create learning products. EEI With the Essential Elements of Instruction as the foundation for instructional methodology, Mission Hills Classroom Observation teachers have a common language and understanding of the kind of instruction that helps students be actively engaged, using higher order thinking skills. The EEI focus for the last two years has been formulating appropriate and clear lesson objectives and using active participation strategies. While teachers will continue to work on objectives and active participation strategies, this year, the school focus will be on “Monitor and Adjust,” in which teachers continually check for understanding and adjust instruction based on student feedback. Mission Hills teachers encourage continual student engagement and thinking at high levels in many ways:  English teachers spend a great deal of time providing written feedback on student writing. Many teachers meet individually with students to go over individual assignments.  Teachers provide a consistent daily structure, with established routines, traditions, and Classroom Observation Art Detective Grizzly Games AP Source Documents 140 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL       expectations. Many teachers provide daily warm-ups, which reinforce concepts students are learning and provide practice in standardized test formats. All AVID teachers, and many mainstream teachers, require students to use Cornell notetaking strategies. Students use Cornell notes to review concepts learned in class. Students work individually and collaboratively with other students on assignments and projects. Students participate in class discussions, Socratic seminars, and discuss controversial and complex topics across the curriculum. The Art Detective project requires Humanities students to choose art from the Renaissance, create questions, research, organize, and apply the information in an MLA formatted essay. Students must use several sources, e.g., the internet, books, journals, etc. PE classes end their year with Grizzly Games: students must problem-solve in large groups and individually to complete activities (trolley races, chariot races, etc.) Students in Science classes must debate controversial contemporary issues in Science. Students in AP History and language classes focus on source documents and frequently do document analysis and annotation. Humanities classes are adding more analysis of expository texts. Any attempt to train students to think at higher levels must also train them to think beyond the textbook and connect their learning to the world beyond the classroom. Mission Hills students use what they are learning in the classroom to develop skills and plan for the future.   FOCUS ON LEARNING Students in PE classes develop leadership abilities by student-managing after-school football and basketball teams. Students work as trainers for athletic teams, gaining knowledge and skill in responding to sports injuries. After-School Teams Athletic Events Academies Recycling Program ASB Student Representatives 141 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL    FOCUS ON LEARNING Students in academies are in partnership with Palomar College and the community as they prepare for careers in culinary, health professions, fire, and law enforcement. Through an on-campus recycling program, students learn about conservation issues in the real world. Students in ASB learn leadership skills and are liaisons to the administration, the district office, the Governing Board, and the community. Student representatives participate in school board meetings, WASC leadership, and School Site Council. Multiple students from AVID and ASB are Focus Group members. Students need experiences beyond their own culture in order to understand the world at large. In World Language classes, Spanish students and English Language Learners interview each other about their lives and experiences. French students explore French culture, e.g., “French cheese day,” students taste cheeses and write commentaries in French. Spanish students do a similar project with cacti. Spanish students explore “Dia de los Muertos,” researching the holiday, decorating sugar skulls and eating “pan de muerto.” Syllabi Classroom Observation College and Career Center Special Education Classes San Diego county is home to many military families, and many Mission Hills students have family members on active military duty. Military recruiters are frequently on campus talking to students about their interests and careers in the military, but even students who are not interested in the military are encouraged to take the ASVAB to discover aptitudes. Counselors help students think beyond the high school to possible careers. They hold an annual career fair for students to meet with employers and community members. Students in Functional Skills and Severely Handicapped classes take field trips to local shops and learn how to ride the bus. Special Education students are involved in “Workability,” hearing guest speakers, having work experience, and taking trips to 142 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Palomar College. Seniors do economic and community service projects in government classes. Seniors also research and discuss current events and how they relate to the government issues they are studying. They also research controversial societal issues and the current events surrounding them. 143 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. A standards based curriculum provides the focus for student learning, emphasizing the need for all students to master standards. 2. EEI techniques such as active participation and directive questioning strategies help students think at the highest levels. 3. Mission Hills has many programs in place that help students connect learning across curricular areas and to the larger world beyond the classroom. 4. Our teachers are creative and look for a variety of ways to engage students and get them thinking at the highest levels. Areas for Growth: 1. Teachers need to consistently use EEI strategies and questioning techniques that promote higher level thinking. 2. Students need to understand how to explore vocational training and careers. 144 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Assessment and Accountability Introduction At Mission Hills, we recognize the importance of examining data to improve instruction and in creating assessments that accurately reflect student mastery of content standards. Mission Hills teachers have embraced accountability and have become adept at examining their students’ results. One of the primary explanations for the dramatic increase in student test results has been the value our staff places on individual accountability. From classroom teachers and team leaders to the principal and other support staff, Mission Hills employees understand the impact each person can have on student performance. Data are shared publicly and individuals and teams seek solutions by working together. In this process, the success of the entire organization rests on individual accountability. At the beginning of each school year, staff members analyze a wide variety of data from the previous year’s test results and create achievement objectives for the upcoming year. Team leaders and administrators work together to formulate action plans, which are then coordinated with the principal and district staff. The Principal works directly with the Superintendent to ensure that these objectives align with district priorities and are supported by the allocation of resources. The Superintendent evaluates the Principal twice a year to evaluate the school’s progress toward attainment of site and district goals. Weekly Late Start Team Days are used to analyze data and develop curricula and instructional strategies. In addition to regular collaboration time, SLIB monies and other grants are used to release teachers throughout the year for collaborative work. Five years ago, the SMUSD adopted the Edusoft data management system for disaggregating and evaluating student achievement data. Edusoft has become the primary method for analyzing how formative assessments have impacted student achievement. As data analysis has become an essential tool for improving student 145 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING performance, Mission Hills teachers have done well with a steep technology learning curve. From the first year, when some teachers were still not comfortable using email to communicate, teachers have advanced tremendously with technology and now are comfortable using Edusoft to evaluate their students’ performance. All core curricular areas have created common benchmark exams for each course or grade level, based on content standards. After each benchmark exam and after CST results arrive, teams evaluate the data to determine areas of focus for the coming year or on which standards students need additional help. Teachers use the Gradequick software program and the Edline grade reporting system to organize their assessments and provide timely communication. Regular progress reports are mailed to parents along with final semester grades. Students who are in danger of receiving a D or F in a class receive notification in time for the student to bring up the grade. Prior to STAR testing, parents receive a letter explaining the purpose and value of STAR testing and showing a sample student report. Parents are encouraged to call or email teachers about student progress, and many teachers initiate contact with parents. CST scores are reported to the community via the newspaper, links on the Mission Hills and SMUSD websites, and in the SARC. The registration packet contains information about grades and how to contact teachers, counselors, and administrators. The Superintendent and district principals have conducted three annual “Education Summit” meetings for parents and community members, sharing achievement results. Parents are invited to “Shadow a Grizzly Day” to see their students in their classes and to “Back to School Night” where they can initiate contact with teachers. All tenth graders are encouraged to take the PSAT, and counselors have an information night, explaining how to interpret the results. Teachers in Humanities have been working on shared rubrics for teachers and students to assess student work, and grade levels have met to norm grading standards for projects and essays. Art and English teachers use portfolios to collect and assess student work. Teachers also assess student achievement through EEI “active participation” and “monitor and adjust” strategies. 146 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING The SMUSD supports the achievement of academic standards and provides financial resources and administrative support for teacher collaboration and curricula and benchmark writing. The district also provides additional FTEs and financial support for CAHSEE Prep classes and CAHSEE interventions. All teacher observations and evaluations are based on the EEI model, designed to improve student mastery by improving instruction. The district invests a great deal of time and other resources in training new teachers in EEI strategies. Team Leaders meet monthly and in yearly retreats to discuss issues related to student achievement and to determine how to move the school forward to improve achievement. Mission Hills has made tremendous strides in using data effectively to target instruction, and student achievement has steadily improved over the last four years, and we expect to see continuing gains in the future. 147 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING D1: To what extent does the school use a professionally acceptable assessment process to collect, disaggregate, analyze, and report student performance data to the parents and other shareholders of the community? Findings Teachers uses a number of formal and informal assessment methods to evaluate student learning. Evidence Edusoft Team Days In order to help teachers collect, disaggregate, analyze, and report student performance data, the SMUSD acquired the Edusoft data management system in 2004 and began training teachers to use the program. At first, buy-in was slow, but for the past several years, teachers in core curricular areas have embraced the use of Edusoft and have developed their ability to utilize data to inform instruction. Especially in the last two years, teachers have used CST and benchmark data to set the agenda for collaboration. Several teachers have attended SDCOE training on how to interpret testing data. All CST data are available to the public via the SARC, the district website, state websites, and in local newspapers. Dennis Johnston Training SARC MHHS and SMUSD Websites Classroom Observations Syllabi Pacing Guides Benchmarks Teachers in core curricular areas have revised curricula and instruction and the way that they use assessments. Most teachers are now familiar with the difference between formative and summative assessment, and they are investigating issues of equity in grading practices. Teachers have collaborated to identify essential standards and create pacing guides and common benchmark assessments to determine student mastery of standards. Parents are important partners for student success, so we seek to involve parents as much as possible. Parents are encouraged to be active and well informed about how their students are doing. Parents are informed about the workings of the school and how to assist their children academically through the letters sent home, the website, all-calls, Websites Parent Letters School Calendar All-Call Scripts Marquee 148 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL parent newsletters, parent organization meetings, the marquee, 8th Grade Parent Night, “Shadow a Grizzly” day, Back to School Night, and A.P. Parent Night. Parents also contact administrators and counselors for information and assistance with student issues. Students can take weekly walk-around progress reports to teachers for weekly updates on assignment completion, grades, and class participation. FOCUS ON LEARNING Walk-around Progress Reports Gradequick Edline Progress Reports Counseling Calendar Staff Handbook Teachers use a computer grading program, and grade reports can be printed out or emailed to parents, or parents can access online grade reporting. Students may also access grade information online. Progress reports are mailed home to parents every 4-6 weeks. Parent Survey Results Parent Letters PACE Promise School Calendar D/F notification letters are sent home automatically to notify parents in time for students to improve their grades prior to final grades. Parents may contact teachers at any time, and most teachers return parent communication within 24 hours. Assistant Principals and counselors also assist parents in communicating with teachers. Parents receive mailed notification of high stakes standardized tests, and reports are mailed home. Parents receive letters and test results for students who need to retake the CAHSEE exam informing them about interventions and upcoming test dates. As part of the PACE Promise preparation for admission to CSUSM, students are encouraged to take the PSAT. PSAT results are mailed home to parents, and counselors have a meeting to explain PSAT scores to parents and students. In addition to teachers, other staff members help monitor the progress of students and assist them whenever possible. Counselors and administrators meet regularly with 149 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL students and check attendance and grades. When administrators interview students on discipline referrals, they check grades and attendance and communicate with parents as needed. FOCUS ON LEARNING SIS Reports Administrators Eligibility Requirements Gear Up Office The Athletic Director examines grade reports to determine eligibility for sports. Coaches often talk with Tutoring Schedule teachers about student progress and encourage students to do well in class. Migrant Ed Office Gear Up identifies failing students and uses this information in a before and after school tutoring program. Parents sign a contract to enroll their students in the Gear Up program. Counseling Office Small Group Schedule The Migrant Education Coordinator works with students and families who are identified as Migrant families. The School Psychologist is an active partner with counselors, administrators, and families. She also makes frequent referrals to outside agencies and services. The Counseling Office provides a number of small groups for students that meet weekly about shared issues in order for students to be more successful academically. Parent permission is required for students to participate. Counselors and teachers use assessment data to determine the placement of students in courses. For example, CAHSEE scores are used to determine if students should be placed in support classes; CST scores are used to place students in ELA support classes. Annual Physical Fitness test results are communicated to parents, and students who have not passed the fitness test are enrolled in P.E. classes until their scores improve. Edusoft Course Catalogue Master Schedule Physical Fitness Tests Syllabi Performance groups include performance standards in their assessments, and requirements for participation in performances are communicated to 150 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING parents and students. Mission Hills has programs to recognize academic achievement, including C.S.F., National Honor Society, AVID honor roll students, valedictorian and salutatorian, and the “honor grad” program. Honor grads enter the field first at graduation and wear distinctive sashes to identify their special status. CSF NHS AVID Honor Graduates Students in A.P. classes take A.P. tests, and the SCP results are part of the Student and Community Profile. VIP Students are encouraged to do their best on STAR and other CSTs, and the VIP program was developed to encourage students to do well on tests. The API is published on the marquee and in the newspaper, and students are consistently reminded by teachers to do their best to demonstrate mastery of standards. API 151 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. There is a great deal of buy-in and high levels of expertise in teachers using Edusoft data effectively. 2. The culture supports the use of assessment to inform and adjust instruction. 3. Curricular areas use common syllabi and pacing guides and benchmark assessment. 4. Mission Hills has frequent grade reports and informs parents of student grades in time for students to improve their grades. Areas for Growth: 1. Continue to revise and improve assessments over time to help student achievement. 2. Increase the use of formative assessments to improve instruction. 3. Continue to educate parents on how to access information about student performance. 152 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING D2a: To what extent do teachers employ a variety of assessment strategies to evaluate student learning? Findings Teachers assess student achievement in a number of ways; teachers use diverse assessment strategies to evaluate student achievement based on learning styles, e.g., portfolios, presentations, collaborative work, homework, exams, discussions:  Many teachers have warm-up or “bell-work” assignments that are based on emphasized standards.  All core curricular areas have created benchmark assessments linked to standards, which are given to all students enrolled in a course. Teachers work together by course or grade level to determine how to modify instruction.  Teachers routinely assess class participation, group work, tests and quizzes, and essays and projects in order to assign student grades.  Art teachers collect student work in the form of portfolios and finished art pieces.  English teachers have students collect their writing in portfolios.  Math students set personal benchmark goals for the next exam. This process also involves parents.  Math students may retake some chapter exams to demonstrate mastery of standards.  Many teachers assign projects in which students utilize technology and create multimedia presentations.  P.E. teachers conduct the creative and exciting spring “Grizzly Games” to assess student performance on physical challenges.  The academies use authentic assessments such as creation and presentation of a multicourse meal, fire-fighting, and law enforcement physical activities and demonstration of lifesaving techniques. Mission Hills has been exploring equitable grading practices, and many teachers have piloted the use of a grading scale that rewards effort without Evidence Classroom Observation Edusoft Syllabi Student Portfolios Student Work Grizzly Games Academies Gradequick “Zero F” article 153 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING excessively penalizing failure, i.e., a system based on a four-point grading scale. “Sound Grading Practices” Conference Several teachers and an administrator traveled to Portland, Oregon to attend the “Sound Grading Practices” conference. Syllabi Students in all courses receive course syllabi, which explain course objectives and grading requirements. Parents may attend Back to School Night in the first month of school, where teachers communicate course expectations. School Calendar Classroom Observation EEI Teachers routinely use formal assessments, such as tests, quizzes, and assignments. Teachers also assess student understanding through EEI strategies of Active Participation and Monitor and Adjust. 154 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. EEI strategies provide many ways for teachers to informally assess students. 2. Teachers use a variety of assessment strategies to assess student performance. 3. Teachers clearly communicate course expectations and grading guidelines. 4. Teachers are investigating how to use more equitable grading practices. Areas for Growth: 1. Increase teacher use of daily informal formative assessments. 2. Increase the use of EEI techniques and assessment strategies. 155 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING D2b: To what extent do students and teachers use these findings to modify the teaching/learning process for the enhancement of the educational progress of every student? Findings Teachers analyze student data in a number of ways. All chapter, unit, benchmark, and final exam results are in Edusoft and are disaggregated by subgroup, including English Language Learners. Teachers meet after benchmarks to monitor overall progress in a grade level or course. All curricula are standards-based, and lessons are designed toward mastery of standards. During class time, question and answers are based on the day’s objective and are designed to monitor student progress. Evidence Edusoft Team Meetings Curricula Classroom Observation Fitness Test Results School and Community Profile EEI Materials All teams use assessments to determine level of mastery of standards, including P.E. Fitness tests, benchmark exams, and CSTs. CAHSEE Support Reports Teachers in the district collaborate on district-wide benchmarks, and the results are available for comparison and collaboration. Master Schedule Principal’s Reports Course Catalogue CAHSEE Support Classes Teachers are trained in EEI and use strategies like “monitor and adjust,” pair/share, covert, overt, and other checks for understanding. Newer teachers receive intensive training in EEI strategies and seek to use them in lessons and are evaluated on their use. The results of end of course exams and CST results are used to revise teaching emphases for the following school year. The Principal regularly reports to the Superintendent on assessment results, and those results are used to set site academic goals. CST results are used to determine placement for support classes such as CAHSEE, Literacy, and 156 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING READ 180. Each student in a CAHSEE support class has an “individual learning plan,” that is, the teacher, counselor, and an administrator monitor the student’s progress and check for placement in proper courses. Courses are added to the master schedule in response to student need or student request; new classes have been created to support students academically or to continue to challenge them with upper level courses. Master Schedule Courses have also been revised to meet student academic need; for example, 9th and 10th grade ELA classes and Algebra classes focus on essential standards needed to pass the CAHSEE exam. Classroom Observation Plato and Read 180 software are used evaluatively to determine which standards students are struggling with and to target instruction. Plato and Read 180 Syllabi Course Outlines Edusoft Benchmark exams are written to evaluate student performance on each standard in order to target individual students and standards. 157 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Mission Hills responds to student need and interest by creating new courses and sections and adding them to the master schedule. 2. There has been tremendous growth in the use of assessment data to revise curricula and inform instruction. 3. Curricular areas have an on-going focus on improving assessment to better reflect actual student learning. Areas for Growth: 1. Teachers need additional techniques and strategies to continually assess student learning and modify instruction. 158 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING D3: To what extent does the school with the support of the district and community have an assessment and monitoring system to determine student progress toward achievement of the academic standards and the G3? Findings Evidence The SMUSD has been forward-thinking and supportive SMUSD of using assessment tools to improve student Edusoft achievement, providing resources for personnel, release time, and data analyzing software. District Professional Development Calendar The district has provided release time and training for teachers to become proficient in Edusoft data analysis. Principal’s Reports to The Superintendent meets regularly with the Principal to evaluate achievement data and school goals. The district administration, including the Director of Secondary Curriculum, the Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services, and the Superintendent all review and disseminate information about student achievement on standardized testing. The Director of Secondary Curriculum has organized and overseen (and provided release time for) all the core academic areas to work on district wide assessments. Superintendent Master Schedule SMUSD Board Policy Performance Indicators The district has provided “free” sections for CAHSEE support classes and oversees the budget for CAHSEE remediation for seniors. The Superintendent and the Governing Board set yearly Performance Indicator goals: the Principal tracks student progress on common assessments and reports to the Superintendent in key focus areas. 159 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Edusoft is an excellent tool for collecting, disaggregating, and interpreting data. 2. Teachers have become adept at examining data using Edusoft. 3. The district provides resources and support for using data to inform instruction. Areas for Growth: 1. Target data analysis to continue to improve the performance of English Learners especially mainstreamed students. 2. Teachers need additional time to compare data results and collaborate on best practices. 160 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING D4: To what extent does the assessment of student achievement in relation to the academic standards and the G3 drive the school’s program, its regular evaluation and improvement and usage of resources? Findings Starting in 2004, San Marcos High School and the newly opened Mission Hills High School added collaborative time in the form of “Late Start” days on approximately 30 Tuesdays. Each Late Start day consists of 75 minutes of collaborative time. Much of the team time has been spent on analyzing student achievement data, revising curricula and instruction, and collaborating on best practices, due mainly to strong teacher collaboration, our API has increased 87 points in three years to 777. CST data are used to set goals for the coming year, e.g., English Learner scores were static, so English Learner student achievement became a school wide focus. Interventions have been successful in improving student performance, e.g., the 10th grade CAHSEE pass rate has gone up significantly. Evidence School Calendar Team Day Agendas Student and Community Profile Single Plan Power Point Presentations District Professional Development Calendar Evaluation Conference Form GATE Budget SSC Budget Many release days have been allocated for revising curricula and benchmarks. Administrators have presented instructional strategies at all staff meetings and follow up with teachers after classroom observations. A large proportion of GATE monies are used for teachers attending AP conferences. A large proportion of the SLIB grant is used annually for teachers to collaborate to improve student achievement. Over time, course requirements have been revised to increase rigor and expectations, for example, all freshmen now take biology, and all honors Humanities students must concurrently enroll in advanced English and History Social Science. Course Catalogue CSTs Team Agendas 161 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Working with administrators, Team Leaders interpret data with their teams and help them identify areas where students are not performing well. The team then targets those areas, revising curriculum, changing pacing guides, and sharing best practices for improving student mastery. When teams have targeted courses and worked together, they have seen noticeable improvement in CST results. When teachers are evaluated, administrators focus EEI on instructional strategies (e.g., writing outcomeEvaluations based objectives and encouraging active participation) that will help students master standards. Humanities In response to CST data, the Humanities curriculum is being revised to focus more on standards in the two CSTs content areas. As a result of adjustments made in pacing and emphasis on content area standards, both ELA and History CST scores have improved significantly. 162 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. The district allows the sites to determine how to allocate discretionary funds to improve student achievement. 2. Mission Hills has changed requirements for students to take courses in order to increase academic achievement. 3. Courses and assessments are aligned to state content standards. Areas for Growth: 1. More formative Benchmark assessments need to be created and given more frequently, with results used to target areas for re-teaching and learning. 2. Content areas that have seen marked improvement need to share strategies with other curricular and grade level teams. 3. Grizzly Graduation Goals 2 (Creative and Productive) and 3 (Connected to the Community) need additional focus while we continue to improve our academic achievement. 163 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING School Culture and Support Introduction Mission Hills High School has had the enviable and daunting challenge of creating for the first time a culture for a new school. The “new high school” was a longterm dream of the community and the San Marcos Governing Board. When the school was finally ready to open, both the student body and the staff of San Marcos High School were divided and assigned to their schools. The founding Principal of Mission Hills was new to the San Marcos community, although a veteran from another district. In the opening year, due to unexpected and rapid growth, twenty new teachers joined the Mission Hills staff. The facility was well equipped and beautiful, and teachers welcomed sharing office space in “pods.” After four years, Mission Hills has an established culture, high morale, strong relationships between staff members, and a student body who are positive about being a part of our school. Mission Hills High School is a very safe and orderly campus. For the number of students, there are relatively few discipline referrals, as teachers are adept at working with students and parents and handling discipline in their classes. Campus supervisors support the administrators in keeping the campus safe. Teachers are visible on campus, interacting with students. A professional classified staff is indispensable in supporting and building relationships with students. An area of concern expressed in all Focus Groups, especially during the 2007-08 year, was the cleanliness of the campus. Custodians are conscientious and do a good job; however, students tend to leave trash behind during breaks and lunch – an issue that led the staff to treat this as a high priority for the present year. A variety of incentives and improved communication and enforcement have resulted in increased student buy-in for keeping the campus clean. Parents and community members are welcome members of the Mission Hills family. From the very beginning, parents have been part of the Leadership Team of the 164 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING school, attending monthly meetings with Team Leaders and administrators and having input in to determining the direction of the school. We have a very active Parent Association and English Learner Advisory Council, and many parents regularly volunteer to assist during testing, registration, and many other events. Dozens of parent groups are part of the school’s fabric, creating countless opportunities for parents and other family members to become involved in the life of the school. Some, such as the Mission Hills Parent Association, ELAC, School Site Council, Site Leadership Team and the WASC Focus Groups, allow parents to have a direct impact on broad schoolwide issues. Others are structured around specific interests such as athletics and the arts, which benefit from untold amounts of volunteerism. Mission Hills staff work hard to inform and include parents in the education of their children. Parents are invited to attend Back to School Night, Shadow a Grizzly Day, 8th Grade Parent Night, A.P. Parent Night, and other informational meetings. Parents are always welcomed, and they have easy access to administrators and counselors. Mission Hills communicates with families through the website, all calls, emails, newsletters, letters, and personal calls. Parents may receive a quarterly “Grizzly Gazette” newsletter and daily “Grizzly Growl” announcements. For Spanish-speaking parents, translated materials and bilingual phone assistance are available. Two of our four counselors speak Spanish, along with many other staff members who assist the public. One of our Grizzly Graduation Goals is that students be “Connected to the Community.” We have begun linking senior students to community service projects, and the staff is enthusiastic about expanding student connections to the larger world beyond high school. Our Career Center links students to information about college and jobs and forms partnerships with businesses in the community. In 2007, the SMUSD implemented the PACE Promise, a partnership that ensures financial aid and admission to CSUSM for students who qualify. Mission Hills has a number of avenues to assist students with academic or personal issues. Four counselors, a school psychologist and the counseling staff are available, and every student has an assigned counselor. Students also have an 165 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING assigned administrator. Every Friday the administration and counseling teams meet to discuss students referred to SAS (Student Assistance Services) and determine what interventions are needed. Counselors often refer students to outside agencies for help with personal or health issues. Students who have special needs or are English Language Learners receive assistance from the Special Education department, the English Learner Coordinator, and a Migrant Education coordinator. These staff members work with teachers and other staff members to help the students they represent achieve academically. Tutoring is available for all students daily in the library, before and after school. Gifted students and students who wish to challenge upper level courses have a variety of honors and AP classes to choose from, or students may take college level courses in the four Academies, or Biochemistry. We also have a successful AVID program, with over four hundred students enrolled, including sixty in AVID Senior Seminar. Mission Hills has a wide range of extra-curricular programs, e.g., ASB, Yearbook, Journalism, Band, Drama, Dance, a number of clubs, and many varsity sports. Up to twenty percent of the boys on campus participate in football in a given year. Coaches, most of whom are staff members, work to connect students to the school and to help them achieve academically, and we are exploring additional ways to connect students to the school and the larger community. 166 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING E1: To what extent does the school leadership employ a wide range of strategies to encourage parental and community involvement, especially with the teaching/learning process? Findings Mission Hills High School is a close community consisting of students, parents, teachers, and support staff. The nurturing environment that characterizes Mission Hills means that parents and community members are also important partners in our educational process. From opening day, Mission Hills has been blessed with involved and supportive parents, including a sizable group of parent volunteers. Evidence Parent Volunteers Team Leaders School Calendar Fall 2007 Survey Fall 2008 Survey WASC Leadership Team and Focus Group Members During registration, parents sign up for the volunteer list and are encouraged to volunteer. Parents are actively involved during school events, including testing, registration, graduation, and in extracurricular booster organizations. Parents can participate in WASC, School Site Council, the Parent Association, The Parent Foundation, and the English Learner Advisory Council. Parents also serve on booster boards for all athletic and co-curricular programs. Parents were actively solicited to complete WASC surveys, to be on the WASC Leadership Team, and to participate in WASC Focus Groups. In fall 2007, the first parent survey was created, and parents were asked to respond to a series of questions about the five focus group areas. The information from the survey was useful, but in order to get a higher level of participation, parents were again surveyed in fall 2008, this time through the registration process. While the first survey had about 70 respondents, the second survey garnered approximately 1,000 responses, in both English and Spanish. The results of the latest surveys were shared with focus groups as they considered action plan items. 167 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills works diligently to communicate well with parents and to include them in the life of the campus. Parents are invited to schoolwide events like Shadow a Grizzly Day, where parents follow their students to all their classes; Back to School Night, 8th Grade Parent Night, and A.P. Parent Night. Spanish speaking parents are offered simultaneous translation for many large group events. At 8th Grade Parent Night, teacher and staff have “booths” where parents can obtain information about school programs. Website For four consecutive years, the Superintendent conducted an “Education Summit,” meeting with a large group of parents to inform them about the district’s vision. Each Principal then met with a group of parents from his or her school to share the school’s vision and how the school performed on district Performance Indicators. Grizzly Gazette Daily bulletins are posted on the school website. Marquee Parents receive frequent evening phone calls (in English or Spanish) providing information or announcing school events. MHTV Parents receive a brochure in the mail explaining the PACE Promise. PACE Promise The Parent Association distributes a regular newsletter, and parents are asked to submit articles or information. Shadow a Grizzly Day 8th Grade Parent Night A.P. Parent Night Education Summit Performance Indicators Fall Paws and Spring Paws Newsletters Website All-Calls Parent Letters Bilingual Phone Assistance Form Observation School Site Council A student-produced MHTV program is presented daily on classroom televisions, informing students and staff about school issues and events. The school marquee on Mission Road has reminders about upcoming events. All communications mailed to parents are available in English and Spanish. Bilingual phone assistance is available to all teachers, coaches, and parents. The English Learner Coordinator emailed all teachers with steps to forward 168 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING calls to a Spanish-speaking staff member or to set up a meeting with a parent and a translator. Many support staff are bilingual in English and Spanish and provide translation for Spanish-speaking parents. Parent representatives may run for and be elected to School Site Council. SSC has several elected parent representatives who help oversee the Single Plan and the SLIB grant. Parents can become involved in their students’ academic choices and success by participating in 504 meetings, IEPs, and conferences with teachers and administrators. Parents review and sign all course selection forms. The counseling office webpage has multiple resources for parents to understand course selection, grades, calendars, contact information, processes, and forms. A-G requirements are posted in classrooms in English and Spanish and sent home to parents. 504s and IEPs Course Selection Form MHHS Website A-G Poster G3 Poster Administration and Counseling Responsibility Lists Grizzly Graduation Goals (G3) are posted in classrooms and on the website. Students are assigned to counselors and administrators by alpha. Parents may contact a counselor or administrator directly about student issues. The San Marcos community has been very supportive Scott Eveland Foundation of Mission Hills’ students. For example, when a Palomar College football player was seriously injured, the community rallied behind the school and family. Academies Mission Hills has created multiple opportunities for students to be connected to community resources for school and career:  We have partnerships with Palomar College and CSUSM to provide coursework, College and Career Center Workability Health Academy 169 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL    FOCUS ON LEARNING certification, and college credit to students who satisfy the requirements. Students are able to attend Job/Career Fairs and talk to business and community members about occupations. Some students have obtained jobs through these events. Businesses who hire students have been sponsored on MHTV. A “job coach” from WAMU was brought in as a speaker at lunchtime to talk about careers. Students are involved in work experience in the community through Special Education and the Health Careers Academy. 170 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths 1. Mission Hills has good communication systems in place and uses a wide variety of means to connect with parents and the community. 2. Mission Hills has active Parent Association and ELAC groups, and many parents volunteer their time at the school. Areas for Growth: 1. Teachers need to consistently respond to requests for communication, including Special Education three-week progress reports, email, phone calls, and walkaround progress reports and to participate in online grade and assignment reporting. 2. Students need to “buy in” to the importance of CST results for themselves and the school. Parents also need to understand and promote student success on CSTs. 3. Parents need to be better informed about career pathways for students. 4. There needs to be more self-promotion in the community, e.g., newspaper articles about achievements and successes. 171 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING E2a: To what extent is the school a safe, clean, and orderly place that nurtures learning? Findings Mission Hills is now in its fifth year and still feels like a “new” school, although the school has developed its own feel and culture. Constituents agree that the campus is safe and orderly; In a fall 2007 student survey, 80% of students agreed that the “students and staff feel physically and emotionally safe and secure in all areas of the campus.” A positive feeling about campus safety was reflected in staff and parent surveys, as well. Mission Hills is a closed campus, except for seniors who qualify for off-campus lunch passes. Eligible seniors may walk to off-campus locations. Mission Hills has a well-established and effective Behavior Code, which is reviewed and revised annually as needed. Student expectations are clearly delineated, along with consequences and pertinent Education Code information. Students receive a new copy each year at registration, and parents and students sign a card signifying that they have read and understand the Behavior Code. Within the first two weeks of schools, administrators visit every English class on campus to talk about behavior expectations. Evidence Observation Survey Results Behavior Code Registration Packet Referrals Referral Form Request to See Counselor or Administrator Lockout Cleaning Schedule Teachers enforce behavior expectations in their classes and directly manage classroom discipline issues. Mission Hills teachers do an excellent job of managing their students and classrooms, making parent contacts when necessary. If students continue to be disruptive after teacher interventions and parent contact, teachers may write a referral to an Assistant Principal. After meeting with an administrator, students and parents are informed that a further incident will result in a drop from the class, an F grade, and a loss of credit. Only a handful of students receive second referrals from a teacher in a given semester. 172 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Students may seek assistance from staff members, counselors, or administrators about issues they are facing in their classes. Mission Hills has a full-time School Resource Officer, assigned by the San Marcos Sheriff’s Department. The Deputy works closely with administrators and is on campus each day and at major extra-curricular events. Mission Hills has three full-time and nine part-time campus supervisors. Campus supervisors help direct traffic, pick up attendance scantrons, supervise students on campus, and check visitors before they are allowed on campus. All visitors must sign in at the administration building. Students are expected to be in class during classtime. Students who are tardy are sent to “lock-out” for the period. The policy is effective in keeping tardies to a minimum; it includes progressive discipline for repeat offenders. Students in lock-out may opt to help pick up trash on campus. The drive to improve campus cleanliness is on-going. This year, an administrator is overseeing a new incentive program to remind students to pick up their trash and to reward students who keep campus areas clean. Mission Hills has eight full-time custodians, and the Head Custodian maintains a cleaning schedule for all classroom areas. The custodial staff works closely with the administration to ensure a clean and orderly campus. District grounds and maintenance workers maintain the physical plant and work closely with the Head Custodian on needed repairs and improvements. 173 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. The discipline system works well, with administrators and teachers working together on classroom issues. For a school of 2,500 students, relatively few students receive discipline referrals, and second referrals from a teacher for the same student are rare. 2. Mission Hills students are predominantly well behaved, and the campus is safe and orderly. 3. The lockout policy helps students get to class on time. 4. Teachers and support staff help monitor student behavior and contribute to a safe and orderly campus. 5. A strong and committed support staff help keep the facility orderly and inviting for students and visitors. Areas for Growth: 1. There needs to be more student buy-in for keeping the campus clean. 174 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING E2b: To what extent is the culture of the school characterized by trust, professionalism, high expectations for all students, and a focus on continuous school improvement? Findings From the beginning of Mission Hills, the staff has understood the importance of relationship and a collaborative spirit. There is a mutual respect and trust among staff members. Relationship-building has been aided by the “pod” configuration of the classrooms, and teachers have developed close working relationships. To encourage relationship and interaction campuswide, the staff and administration have established some Mission Hills traditions, including:  Weekly Friday morning staff breakfasts in administration: originally, these were paid for from the administration budget; when the budget tightened, staff members voluntarily began to provide the weekly breakfast.  Regular staff lunch with the Principal: (until last year’s budget cuts) each staff member had a Friday lunch once a year with the Principal.  A weekly “Grizzly Gratitude,” in which staff members express written appreciation for their colleagues.  Staff appreciation lunch: every year, the administration team barbecues lunch and serves the entire staff.  Celebratory meals provided by community groups, including churches, businesses, and local organizations.  This year, staff members are beginning a monthly student recognition for outstanding students. Staff members are very familiar with the two values of Mission Hills High School - high standards and a nurturing environment – these apply to expectations for both students and staff. Staff members have worked to develop a culture where relationship and professionalism are standard for staff members. Evidence Observation Faculty Handbook Administration Budget Grizzly Gratitude School Calendar Observation Fall 2007 Survey Results Administration Responsibilities 175 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Before the school opened, Team Leaders decided on standards for dress for faculty and staff with a strong emphasis on wearing professional attire. Fridays are “Spirit Day” when staff members wear school colors and more casual clothing. Tuesdays are “College Day, “ and staff members wear shirts promoting college attendance. Staff members wear name tags each day on campus. FOCUS ON LEARNING Student and Community Profile SAS Referral Counselor Request Form PLUS Program Unplugged Groups Administrators have an open door policy, and teachers or staff may talk with them at any time about any issues they are facing. Each curricular area is assigned to an administrator who oversees that area. Teachers frequently seek out administrators for help with student or parent issues. Administrators support the work of teachers in the classroom, including enforcing discipline. Professional Development Summary School Calendar Mission Hills teachers seek to improve as educators by working collaboratively and seeking further training and education. Many teachers are involved in extra-curricular activities; for example, we have many varsity head coaches and assistant coaches on staff at the school. Teachers show concern and caring for students, meeting with students, parents, and administrators on interventions. Staff members refer students who are struggling to the SAS team, which meets weekly. Staff, student, and parent respondents to a fall 2007 survey expressed a strong understanding of the two school values of “high standards and a nurturing environment.” Most teachers provide tutoring outside of the school day. Even though Mission Hills has only four counselors for 2,500 students, counselors are available to meet with students for any academic or social concern. Counselors provide information and support for students with presentations on A-G requirements, 176 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING PSATs, College Days, and parent information nights. The counseling staff has initiated the PLUS program, in which students are trained to assist their peers. Students undergo intensive training to be PLUS members. The counseling department has several weekly small groups to address common problems students have. Staff members also seek opportunities for continuous improvement, and many teachers use release days to collaborate and attend professional conferences. Course Catalogue Mission Hills promotes high expectations for all students by ensuring that courses are standards AVID based, that assessment is tied to standards, and by providing academic support for students. Students Observation are encouraged to enroll in challenging classes and to participate in the AVID program. Special Education teachers are beginning to work with their content area counterparts in Regular Education, to increase the rigor and expectations of Special Education classes. Mission Hills is a data-driven school, in which staff are focused on continuous improvement. Most team time is spent analyzing achievement data and working collaboratively to improve student performance. As a result of collaboration and attention to student performance, the API has increased 87 points in three years. We have also seen improvement across all subgroups as measured by all the CSTs. Edusoft Team Day Agendas API CSTs 177 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Mission Hills is a positive community with strong morale and close relationships among staff. 2. Communication is good between staff and administration. 3. Students have many venues and opportunities for extra-curricular activities. Areas for Growth: 1. Due to large caseloads for counselors and administrators, we need to develop as many avenues as possible for supporting individual students. 178 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING E3: To what extent do all students receive appropriate support along with an individual learning plan to help ensure academic success? Findings All Mission Hills staff members are a source of support for students, including the front office staff, the counseling office staff, other support staff, and teachers. Mission Hills has an excellent counseling department, with four full-time counselors, two of whom are bilingual in English and Spanish. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, the counseling department lost a fulltime counselor at the end of 2007-2008; however, counselors are committed to continuing to provide adequate student support. Counselors meet annually with each student, reviewing the student’s learning plan and progress toward graduation. Counselors work closely with administrators on individual student issues. Each Assistant Principal and counselor is responsible for approximately 600 students. Staff members refer students to administrators or counselors for academic, personal, or social issues. Parents or students may also request meetings with an administrator or a counselor. Any staff member may refer a student to SAS (Student Assistance Services), where a team of administrators, counselors, school psychologist and the Special Education Team Leader collaborate on interventions to assist students. Evidence Observation Counselor Responsibilities Administration Responsibilities Referral Form Administrator Request Form SAS Health Office Gear Up ASCA National Standards SAS Meetings AVID Program English Learner Program ELD Pathways Classroom Observation Master Schedule Counseling Office Course Catalogue Students with health or other personal issues are also referred to the health office. Mission Hills has a health office aide available throughout the day, and a district nurse is on campus frequently. Through a Palomar College grant, the Gear Up office provides academic support for students, including a before and after school tutoring program. 179 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING There are many similarities between the G3 and the American School Counselor Association National Standards for Students (which are the standards for our counseling department), particularly in the area of academic development, transferring skills beyond high school, and in personal development. The administrative and counseling teams devote significant time to meeting about individual students who are struggling academically or personally. Mission Hills promotes student learning with a large and successful AVID program, including a release period for the AVID Coordinator. Mission Hills has a significant number of English Language Learners, most of whose first language is Spanish. Mission Hills has an effective, full-time English Learner Coordinator who works with students, teachers, counselors, administrators, and families to increase student achievement. In the last three years, we have seen significant gains for English Learners as measured by CELDT, CAHSEE, and other CSTs. Mission Hills provides an office for a part-time Migrant Education Coordinator who supports the students and families who are identified as being migrants. All classes are open access, and AVID students are encouraged to complete at least one A.P. course in high school. Mission Hills has a variety of college level courses, including Culinary Arts, Health Careers, Fire Technology, and Criminal Justice. Upper level courses are made up of students from all demographic and ethnic groups. For example, students who are still classified as English Learners enroll in A.P. Spanish courses, and upper level courses have students from all ethnicities. 180 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. Mission Hills staff care about students and work to form connections with students and assist them with issues they face. 2. Mission Hills has developed a number of support systems to address student needs. 3. A strong AVID program and commitment to inclusiveness has encouraged many students to challenge upper level courses. Areas for Growth: 1. Due to budget issues, class sizes have grown, and counselor, administrator, and other support service caseloads are high, allowing limited time to work individually with students. Accordingly, staff will need to find increasingly creative alternatives to support all students. 181 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING E4: To what extent do students have access to a system of personal support services, activities, and opportunities at the school and within the community? Findings Mission Hills High School has a large number of students involved in extra-curricular programs. Students were asked if Mission Hills has enough variety of clubs, programs, and extra-curricular activities to enable students to connect to the school in meaningful ways. When 204 students responded to a survey, 179 students answered positively (agree or strongly agree) that Mission Hills has an adequate number of activities for students. Evidence Fall 2007 Survey Results Team Rosters Behavior Code Coaching Assignments ASB AVID Mission Hills has clubs to appeal to many student interests, and students may at any time apply to ASB to create a club around their areas of interest. Master Schedule PLUS Program ASB sponsors a number of large school-wide events, including dances, pep rallies, airbands, and senior events. ASB also provides student leadership on campus, and works with the administration to deal with student issues. Best Buddies Observation Workability Mission Hills has a successful AVID program, with over 400 students enrolled in AVID classes. In a given year, approximately 800 students participate in extra-curricular sports, with approximately 20% of the total population of male students going out for football. Mission Hills has had a very successful athletic program for a new school, with 24 varsity sports and 6 league championships. All students who are involved in sports must be eligible academically, that is, they must have a GPA of 2.0 at the progress report or semester grade in order to be eligible. Unlike many schools, Mission Hills has been fortunate to have many teachers as coaches, and almost all varsity head coaches are Mission Hills staff members. There are many opportunities for students to pursue 182 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING their interests in performing groups and clubs. The music program has close to 250 students enrolled in the different performance groups, and over 100 students participate in the drama program. Mission Hills also has a cheer squad and several dance teams. The Mission Hills concert band and Cardinal Alliance marching band have won a number of awards, and the concert band has traveled and performed internationally, in Australia and China. This year, the counseling staff initiated the PLUS (Peer Leaders Uniting Students) program, in which trained student volunteers offer support to fellow students, and 70 students are participating as PLUS leaders. These students are a valuable source of support for other students on campus. The group meets daily as a class with a Mission Hills teacher/advisor. Students in PLUS are also taking an active role in the WASC process. Special Education students may gain work experience and job training through the Workability program. Mission Hills High School is a part of Best Buddies International, a student group that promotes friendships between individuals with and without intellectual disabilities. This year, Mission Hills was chosen by Best Buddies International as a Chapter of Excellence for the 2007-2008 School year. Our Best Buddies were chosen because of the quality of oneto-one friendships, group outings, chapter involvement, community awareness, and chapter communication. In 2007-2008, we have 150 students in Best Buddies, including 32 Functional Skills students. In order to support students academically, many staff members are piloting the use of equitable grading practices, i.e., using a four-point grading (or similar) scale rather than the punitive “zero F.” Teachers who use the grading scale report more student buy-in, including more students remaining in challenging Edline Observation PLATO Credit Recovery Semester Grades 183 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING courses. Mission Hills also has a fledgling credit recovery software program, which will enable students to recover credits while taking a full course load during the school day. Mission Hills has added a number of courses to support student success, including Literacy, READ 180, CAHSEE classes, and Algebra support classes. We also provide individual tutoring to seniors who have not yet passed the CAHSEE exam. Master Schedule CAHSEE Budget 184 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Strengths: 1. The new PLUS program will allow students to assist other students and provide leadership opportunities and training for students. 2. Equitable grading practices are a focus, which will keep students positive about their courses and will help students stay eligible for extra-curricular activities. 3. Mission Hills has a large extra-curricular program appealing to a wide range of student interest. Areas for Growth: 1. Expand the community involvement of students as a part of our school culture. 185 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Four MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Chapter Five Action Plan 186 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Action Plan A: Improve the academic achievement of all subgroups in core content areas by continuing to refine and target essential standards and content skills. Focus Group Area: Curriculum; Assessment and Accountability G3 Addressed: Academically Prepared (G1) Rationale: Test scores have steadily improved, but students in subgroups continue to improve at slower rates than the general population of students. Action Steps Related Tasks Person(s) Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Responsible Report Progress 1) Revise Special a) Identify essential Director of Release Days Revised Three Each Semester Education standards for each Secondary Curricula Years curriculum to course and ability Curriculum Late Start focus on level. Days Late Start essential b) Increase instruction Director of Day Agendas content of essential content Special Education Professional standards. standards. Development Classroom c) Design on-going Administrators Observation assessments to measure student Special Ed Team Completed mastery of content Leader Assessments standards. Special Education CST Results Teachers 187 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Action Steps 2) Revise ELD curriculum to contribute to mastery of ELA essential standards. Ensure EL students in mainstream ELA classes are mastering ELD standards. 3) Align assessments, including grading, to standards in order to more accurately target interventions and help students achieve proficiency. Related Tasks a) Identify key ELA standards for each ELD level to focus on. b) Create a matrix of ELD and ELA standards and skills. c) Incorporate higher level ELA skills into ELD lessons. d) Provide ELD standards to all ELA teachers and provide training for helping EL students master ELD standards. a) Track the use and impact of the “nonzero F” grading practice. b) Compare CST performance data to end of course grades to evaluate grading standards. c) Align all assessments to essential content standards. FOCUS ON LEARNING Person(s) Responsible English Learner Program Coordinator ELD Teachers ELA Teams Leader Resources Assessment Release Time Creation of ELD/ELA Late Start matrix Days Professional Development Plan Timeline Monitor and Report Progress Two Annually Years CST scores ELA Teachers Classroom Observation Administrators Team Leaders Release Time Report on grading Late Start Practices Days Semester Grades Three Years Each Semester CST data Classroom Observation Assessments 188 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Action Steps Related Tasks 4) Expand support a) Identify all current for at-risk programs for students identifying and assisting at-risk students. b) Evaluate current programs for effectiveness in assisting at-risk students. c) Investigate additional support for at-risk students. d) Communicate with all students and families about academic support programs and systems. e) Expand the number of parents using Edline to monitor student performance. f) Increase the number of teachers posting assignments online. FOCUS ON LEARNING Person(s) Responsible Administrators Counseling Department Team Leaders Teachers Resources Late Start Days Assessment Timeline Monitor and Report Progress Evaluation of Three Annually current Years programs Professional Development Written explanations Release Time about support programs Number of parents logging into Edline regularly Teacher assignments posted online 189 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Action Plan B: Increase the use of research-proven instructional strategies in order to improve the achievement of all students. Focus Group Area: Instruction G3 Addressed: Academically Prepared (G1) Rationale: Research-proven strategies (such as SDAIE and EEI) support student learning at all levels. Mainstreamed English learners, students with special needs, regular education students, and the most advanced students all benefit from the use of powerful instructional strategies, and teacher collaboration is a powerful way to improve student achievement. Action Steps Related Tasks Person(s) Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Responsible Report Progress 1. Increase the a) Create a Director of Classroom Three Years Each implementaProfessional Observation Semester professional tion of the Professional development Development full model of Administrators Development plan that research Plan introduces proven EEI and Essential Assessment reinforces Elements of Plan Instruction. EEI strategies on an on-going basis. b) Create a plan for assessing the use of EEI by all teachers, including 190 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Action Steps Related Tasks FOCUS ON LEARNING Person(s) Responsible Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Report Progress Team Leaders Administrators Late Start Days Late Start Day Agendas Peer Observation Schedules Three Years Each Semester those who are not on the evaluation cycle. 2. Increase the a) Create team sharing of day best schedules to practices evaluate data through peer after regular observation assessments and and share dialogue. best practices to improve student performance s. b) Create a schedule and system for regular peer observation. 191 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Action Steps Related Tasks 3. Increase the a) Create a use of SDAIE schedule for instruction training strategies. teachers in strategies for ELL students. FOCUS ON LEARNING Person(s) Responsible Resources Assessment Timeline English Learner Program Coordinator Administrators Late Start Days Release Days Late Start Day Agendas Release Day Agendas Classroom Observations Three Years and on-going Monitor and Report Progress Each Semester b) Assess the regular use of strategies to assist ELL in all classes. 192 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Action Plan C: Identify non-academic skills students should acquire and develop opportunities for students to learn those skills. Focus Group Area: Curriculum, Instruction, School Culture G3 Addressed: Creative and Productive (G2) Rationale: While some “real world” skills are incorporated in to the standards-based curricula (for example, writing skills), other life and workplace skills need to be integrated into the instructional program in order to prepare students for life beyond high school. Action Steps Related Tasks Person(s) Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Responsible Report Progress 1. Identify Administrators Release Time Completed plan Three Years Each a) Identify and several Team Leaders Late Start for teaching, Semester choose skills essential Teachers Days reinforcing, and to target for non“Skills” assessing student academic Curriculum student mastery mastery. “real world of skills skills” all b) Create a plan graduates for students to should have learn those (that are not skills. Identify tested on the CSTs) and which skills develop will be taught strategies to in specific teach those courses and skills. which will be taught and reinforced across curricular 193 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Action Steps Related Tasks FOCUS ON LEARNING Person(s) Responsible Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Report Progress Director of Special Programs Administrators CTE Teachers Special Ed Teachers Counselors CTE funding Release Time Additional CTE courses in the master schedule System for communicating with families about vocational opportunities Three Years Annually areas. c) Develop a system to monitor and assess student mastery. 2. Investigate a) Expand CTE additional pathways in ways for technology students to and the arts. develop life and b) Explore workplace additional skills through articulation coursework agreements and with the community connections community college. c) Improve communicatio n with students and parents about 194 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Action Steps Related Tasks FOCUS ON LEARNING Person(s) Responsible Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Report Progress the opportunities and benefits of the CTE pathways and community college. d) Investigate ways to meet the needs of students who are unable to succeed in community college-based pathways but would benefit from vocational preparation. e) Include additional job training in the special 195 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Action Steps Related Tasks FOCUS ON LEARNING Person(s) Responsible Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Report Progress education curriculum. f) Increase student enrollment in ROP classes. 196 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Action Plan D: Create opportunities for all students to connect with the school and larger community in a way that will positively impact the lives of others. Focus Group Area: Organization, Curriculum Instruction, School Culture G3 Addressed: Connected to the Community (G3) Rationale: Mission Hills has a thriving community participation connection with many students investing in the school or community. This is due to the efforts of many staff and students who have acted out of personal initiative. We seek to build on this foundation by creating a system-wide model in which all students have an opportunity to experience the growth that comes from helping to improve the lives of others. Actions Steps Related Tasks Person(s) Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Responsible Report Progress 1) Identify the a) Define the G3 Team Leaders Team Leader Completed G3 Three Years Annually behaviors goal for each Meetings Plan students student, i.e., Teachers need to learn what should Late Start Days On-campus and the each student Counseling service clubs experiences demonstrate Department they need in by Students order to have graduation. ASB completing a positive b) Identify all Community impact on existing PLUS Participation the school avenues for and MHHS community; students to increase participate in positive community student service and participation the current in the school level of participation. and c) Expand 197 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Actions Steps community. Related Tasks FOCUS ON LEARNING Person(s) Responsible Resources Assessment Timeline Monitor and Report Progress opportunities for students to complete community service, including service clubs on campus. d) Expand the number of students involved in service organization s. e) Design a promotional approach to communicate opportunities to students and families. 198 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 199 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Chapter Five MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Appendix _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills High School School Survey September 2007 1. MHHS staff members are committed to the school's values of high standards and a nurturing environment. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 2. The vision for student achievement is understood and shared by all staff members. Strongly Agree - - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 3. Decisions are made based on whether they will improve student achievement. Strongly Agree - - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 4. Teachers are empowered to be creative, and they are encouraged to take initiative to improve student achievement. Strongly Agree - - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 5. Teachers have adequate time and resources to collaborate to improve student performance. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 6. Teachers, parents, and students are involved in decision-making and school improvement. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 7. The school encourages and provides sufficient opportunities for open dialogue with its community. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 8. All staff members are held to a high standard of professionalism and conduct. Strongly Agree - - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 9. Stakeholders (parents, students, staff) understand the vision for the school. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 10. MHHS communicates with staff, parents, students, and the community through a variety of sources such as newsletters, web pages, emails, and all-calls. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 11. The school communicates effectively with parents of non-native speakers. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D B. Curriculum 12. All students have access to a rigorous curriculum aligned with district and state standards. Strongly Agree- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 13. All students are expected to complete a-g course requirements. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 14. A sufficient variety of relevant elective courses are offered to students. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 15. Elective courses are based on appropriate standards and offer real educational value. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 16. MHHS offers sufficient support classes for students who need additional assistance. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 17. Non-college bound students at MHHS are effectively prepared for life after high school. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 18. Teachers redesign and modify courses on an ongoing basis to ensure that their programs are standards-based and rigorous. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 19. Students are knowledgeable about the courses and pathways available to them and are active in the course planning process. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 20. Challenging courses are available to any student who wishes to challenge them. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D C. Instruction 21. English language learners receive appropriate language development instruction from qualified teachers. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 22. Classroom instruction at MHHS fosters personal responsibility and self-confidence in students. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 23. Technology is an integral tool in the learning process for all students. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 24. All students have access to technology tools. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Strongly Disagree - D Disagree - C 25. Education at MHHS promotes the growth of higher order thinking skills, such as problem-solving, analyzing, and synthesizing information. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 26. A wide range of instructional strategies is used so that the needs of all students are addressed. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 27. The current modified block schedule meets the instructional needs of students and teachers. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 28. Teachers are examining their own teaching practices in order to improve their own instruction. Strongly Agree - - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 29. Teachers have adequate resources to help them improve instruction. Strongly Agree - - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 30. Teacher evaluations are based on improving instruction to impact student achievement. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B FOCUS ON LEARNING Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 31. Teachers respond to parent communication within 48 hours. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree – D D. Assessment and Accountability 32. Grades accurately measure students' progress toward mastery of standards. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 33. Multiple measures of assessment (in addition to testing) are used to measure student progress. Strongly Agree -- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 34. Teachers use appropriate assessment strategies to measure student progress toward acquiring a specific body of knowledge or skills such as essays, portfolios, individual or group projects, tests. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 35. MHHS has an effective system to monitor all students' progress toward meeting the academic standards and expected school-wide learning results. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 36. Teachers analyze results of assessments, revise instruction, and re-assess for mastery of standards. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 37. Grades accurately measure students' progress toward mastery. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 38. MHHS effectively communicates student academic progress to parents and students. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 39. Assessment data are collected, analyzed, and used as the bases to make decisions and changes in the curricular and instructional approaches. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 40. Teachers use the results of assessments to determine what needs to be re-taught in order for students to reach mastery. Strongly Agree- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 41. MHHS is improving achievement as measured by standardized testing. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D E. School Culture 42. MHHS promotes a college-bound culture for all students. Strongly Agree- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 43. MHHS courses adequately prepare students for the challenges of college. Strongly Agree- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 44. Students at risk of not graduating benefit from expanded opportunities to fulfill graduation _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING requirements (0/7 periods, adult school, community college). Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 45. The counseling department meets the guidance needs of minority students and special education students. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 46. Sufficient attention is given to the needs of students who are academically below average. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 47. Teachers help students develop leadership roles within the classroom, as well as in the broader community. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 48. The entire staff is committed to the development and success of the entire student body. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 49. Emergency procedures are well organized and understood by staff and students. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 50. Students and staff feel physically and emotionally safe and secure in all areas of the campus. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 51. MHHS has a supportive environment for staff and students. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 52. A school-wide dress code is important for a positive learning environment. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 53. MHHS has a variety of clubs, programs, and extra-curricular activities to enable students to connect to the school in meaningful ways. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 54. Discipline issues are handled in a timely, impartial, appropriate, and effective manner. Attendance and tardiness policies are effectively enforced. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 55. Students are proud of the school and behave appropriately on campus. Strongly Agree - B - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 56. Incidents of drug and/or alcohol abuse are appropriately addressed. Strongly Agree- A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 57. School rules and expectations are clearly communicated through the behavior code, school website, and classroom teacher expectations. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 58. The staff has high expectations for student behavior and handle student discipline issues appropriately. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree - D 59. Teachers and staff are readily available to meet with parents. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Strongly Disagree – D _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 60. Students have adequate academic support outside of the classroom. Strongly Agree - A Agree - B Disagree - C Student Survey Responses A B C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 65 57 40 64 47 41 46 49 41 97 53 59 81 67 54 64 25 35 42 81 53 114 73 44 47 38 48 34 46 38 33 38 48 61 43 34 38 50 30 46 118 112 119 110 112 92 100 111 121 89 114 116 95 95 126 110 88 134 115 91 115 107 83 132 108 107 125 128 139 111 123 130 113 124 132 109 110 132 130 D 22 34 41 30 45 63 52 36 37 14 26 28 22 33 21 25 69 33 41 20 28 42 25 64 22 49 35 36 29 23 49 31 24 29 38 36 45 34 37 29 Strongly Disagree – D E 4 5 7 2 5 12 9 12 6 7 14 3 9 12 6 9 24 6 9 15 9 8 4 20 8 13 16 10 2 5 11 16 8 3 6 6 17 13 8 5 1 1 2 1 1 43 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 42 74 63 78 57 38 37 32 97 57 58 32 66 55 38 48 46 48 52 36 122 89 96 99 104 98 111 118 121 110 117 90 113 104 98 112 122 114 106 117 FOCUS ON LEARNING 34 35 39 17 31 53 50 39 27 26 18 48 19 29 42 27 22 27 28 38 Parent Survey Responses A B C 21 19 16 22 2 11 27 2 11 20 6 6 21 11 10 18 6 19 15 4 15 17 6 15 21 3 25 11 3 16 15 1 20 17 1 16 18 3 18 15 7 19 16 4 16 20 2 7 23 3 8 22 6 7 25 6 22 14 3 12 19 14 23 1 17 16 5 18 16 2 10 11 13 15 13 18 11 19 12 14 14 37 6 15 26 14 10 9 15 3 D 1 1 E 1 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 14 11 16 6 6 6 16 9 11 14 7 10 9 16 5 5 11 20 13 11 13 7 9 8 9 11 15 20 23 15 15 13 15 13 15 11 24 19 18 22 20 22 14 21 19 16 23 16 19 14 27 24 19 15 18 20 13 17 18 20 20 17 18 10 12 14 13 12 18 15 17 20 Teacher Survey Responses A B C 46 38 22 53 24 49 14 17 40 7 55 15 52 44 34 13 62 46 36 FOCUS ON LEARNING 6 3 4 4 4 4 5 7 5 4 6 5 3 2 4 1 1 4 1 5 6 5 5 3 5 1 3 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 5 3 1 5 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 D 3 11 1 26 20 18 6 13 6 E 2 3 4 1 3 2 1 1 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 15 31 23 19 21 11 5 31 14 40 18 19 13 11 10 19 23 30 13 14 28 13 12 21 14 16 11 19 17 16 23 30 17 22 29 11 13 25 13 23 20 35 31 17 8 19 19 27 27 60 44 44 27 46 58 24 50 48 38 60 54 41 38 62 60 44 57 51 61 54 60 59 58 58 59 56 64 55 56 56 47 50 52 53 43 56 43 52 56 51 39 34 53 58 57 57 51 57 FOCUS ON LEARNING 9 9 16 24 10 13 32 6 22 7 9 14 31 34 10 8 18 2 23 7 6 15 12 6 12 12 16 5 14 14 7 9 17 12 3 27 15 16 18 7 13 8 2 14 17 9 10 9 4 4 3 5 18 11 5 26 1 4 3 1 1 1 4 5 5 3 3 1 1 5 3 2 4 1 1 3 1 3 2 2 6 2 3 3 2 2 5 3 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL 60 15 FOCUS ON LEARNING 62 Classified Staff Survey Responses A B C 1 15 8 2 11 11 3 10 10 4 10 11 5 5 13 6 4 13 7 11 9 8 15 6 9 10 11 10 17 5 11 10 6 12 10 9 13 12 7 14 8 9 15 9 11 16 7 11 17 2 8 18 4 14 19 4 9 20 12 5 21 5 9 22 4 12 23 10 10 24 7 11 25 7 11 26 5 12 27 4 13 28 2 12 29 3 10 30 4 9 31 2 11 32 1 14 33 4 13 34 4 13 35 12 36 1 7 37 1 14 38 9 8 39 3 12 40 1 9 41 5 11 42 9 11 43 7 14 44 7 13 6 4 D 1 2 1 2 3 2 2 E 1 1 1 5 2 4 1 4 9 5 2 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 4 5 2 1 3 3 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 7 2 4 11 8 7 8 15 11 4 3 7 8 9 3 3 8 13 12 10 8 10 13 5 11 14 12 11 12 9 15 15 FOCUS ON LEARNING 5 5 3 1 6 3 2 1 1 4 6 3 1 3 3 3 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Mission Hills High School Fall 2008 W.A.S.C. Survey of MHHS Parents 1) MHHS communicates well with parents and students through multiple sources (newsletters, website, letters, phone calls, etc.) a) Agree 90.8% b) disagree 5.7% c) no knowledge 3.5% 2) Administrators usually respond to parent communication within 48 hours. a) Agree 59.1% b) disagree 11.5% c) no knowledge 29.5% 3) Administrators are helpful in resolving student issues. a) Agree 59.2% b) disagree 10.6% c) no knowledge 30.1% 4) Office staff members and other support staff are helpful and courteous. a) Agree 82.6% b) disagree 10.5% c) no knowledge 7.9% 5) Parents are encouraged to get involved at MHHS. a) Agree 82.8 b) disagree 5.2% c) no knowledge11.9 6) Challenging courses are available to any student who wishes to take them. a) Agree 80.3% b) disagree 4.4% c) no knowledge 15.4% 7) College bound students are adequately prepared for college coursework. a) Agree 65.9% b) disagree 6.9% c) no knowledge 27.2% 8) Students who struggle academically receive extra support and academic interventions. a) Agree 59.7% b) disagree 14.8% c) no knowledge 25.5% 9) Students at MHHS are effectively prepared for life after high school. a) Agree 55.4% b) disagree 10.5% c) no knowledge 34% 10) Students feel connected to the school and know where to go if they need support or help. a) Agree 68.4% b) disagree8.2% c) no knowledge 23.3% 11) Students believe that MHHS is a safe place to go to school. a) Agree 86.4% b) disagree 3.5% c) no knowledge10.1% 12) Counselors usually respond to parent communication within 48 hours. a) Agree 58.9% b) disagree 10.4% c) no knowledge 30.7% _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL 13) Counselors are helpful in resolving student issues. a) Agree 73.8% b) disagree 8.3% FOCUS ON LEARNING c) no knowledge 17.8% 14) Students generally understand what is expected of them in classes and how to be successful. a) Agree 91.6% b) disagree 2.9% c) no knowledge 5.5% 15) Classes at MHHS are relevant, challenging, and engaging to students a) Agree 84.9% b) disagree 4.5% c) no knowledge 10.6% 16) Students have an appropriate amount of homework. a) agree 81.8% b) disagree 8.8% c) no knowledge 9.4% 17) Homework assignments are relevant and helpful to students. a) agree 81.5% b) disagree 7.8% c) no knowledge 10.7% 18) Teachers usually respond to parent communication within 48 hours. a) Agree 74.7% b) disagree 8.2% c) no knowledge 17.2% 19) It is easy to get information about how a student is doing in a class. a) Agree 77.3% b) disagree 9.3% c) no knowledge 13.5% 20) Teachers are mostly approachable and available to help students outside of class. a) Agree 82.9% b) disagree 8.9% c) no knowledge 8.2% 21) MHHS has a wide range of activities for students to get involved in. a) Agree 89.9% b) disagree 2.8% c) no knowledge 7.2% 22) Students can get help at MHHS for health and social issues. a) Agree 66.4% b) disagree 3.3% c) no knowledge 30.3% 22) Students of every ethnic group and all ability levels are valued and treated fairly. a) Agree 79.7% b) disagree 5.5% c) no knowledge 14.8% 24) The student leadership at MHHS reflects the makeup of the whole student body. a) Agree 69.9% b) disagree 8.2% c) no knowledge 21.8% 25) Most students at MHHS are proud of their school and feel connected to the school. a) Agree 80.7% b) disagree 4.2% c) no knowledge 5.2% _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING This table was distributed to al constituents during the ESLR development process in the fall of 2007. Critical Academic Needs (Select 2-3) Based on the analysis of data in the Student/Community Profile, the result of a constituent survey, and input from stakeholder groups, the WASC Leadership Team of MHHS has identified the following as critical academic needs: Evidence to support the critical academic needs Critical Academic Needs  14.2% of our student population is There is a need to improve the designated as ELL achievement of English Language  Failed to meet API target of 620 Learners as measured on CSTs,  Base API for 2006 was 611 CAHSEE, and Benchmarks.  2007 API was 612  Only 18% of EL students scored at or above proficient in ELA as measured by STAR  43% of EL students passed Math section of CAHSEE (2006)  28% of EL students passed ELA section of CAHSEE (2006)  28% of students met CELDT criteria  Based on survey data of students, staff, and community, the need for courses that There is a need to provide additional prepare non-college bound students was courses and academic support for students who are not achieving consistently identified as a need academically and/ or are not planning  Students noted that there was “nothing” to attend a four-year college available, as far as coursework, to better immediately after graduation prepare them for the job related world  We offer four academies that include approximately one-fifth of our students  Approximately 75% of graduates do not attend a four-year college immediately following graduation  Less than 40% of students take the SAT  Discussions during team meetings and online forums centered upon the need for ROP courses, certificate programs and internships opportunities for students _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING W.A.S.C. (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) FORD’s NOTES A short primer on the accreditation process _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Introduction The purpose of the WASC process is for a school to become accredited. WASC is the organization that determines if a school meets the requirements for accreditation, and how long that accreditation is good for. Accreditation is important because it lets the public know if a school is doing its job educating students. It is important to colleges to know if students have been prepared to attend their schools. A visiting committee of educators will visit our campus in March, 2009. They will read our report, examine our evidence for our conclusions, and talk with teachers, staff, parents, students, and community members. The visiting committee will write their report, give us Action Plan items to work on, and make their recommendation to WASC about how many years accreditation we should receive – six, three, or one. Our WASC process lasts about 18 months. There are several steps in the process before we can write our report with our conclusions. The steps are outlined in our final report in chapters. Chapter one: Progress on Action Plan This is a summary of what we have done since the last WASC visit. Chapter two: School and Community Profile This is all the “data” about our school; charts and graphs with explanation. Chapter three: Summary This takes the data in chapter two and writes a summary of what it all means. Chapter four: Progress Report This chapter is the bulk of the report, and represents most of our WASC work. Each of five Focus Groups answers specific questions about our programs in this section. Chapter five: Action Plan Based on all the work we have done, we create goals and plans to address academic issues and student achievement. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Focus Groups There are five Focus Groups: Organization Curriculum Assessment and Accountability Instruction School Culture Each group must examine evidence and answer Criteria Questions designed by WASC (attached). Focus Groups consist of members from each department, classified employees, parents, students, and community members. Each Home Group has representatives on each of the Focus Groups. Home Group members provide information and evidence to the Focus Groups. In general, the Focus Groups deal with the following: Organization: leadership, vision, purpose, administration Curriculum: standards, the content that is taught in the classroom Instruction: the actual teaching and learning; how the content is taught Assessment and Accountability: how we determine if students have mastered content or developed skills, also how we assign grades, and how we use the assessment data we gather. School Culture: extra-curricular activities, sports, support for students’ physical, academic, and emotional well-being. WASC gives us the criteria questions we have to answer. In addition, we have “subprompts” under each question that ask for more detail to help us answer the larger criteria questions. When you work in your focus groups, you are answering the subprompts while considering the overall criteria question. The groups use a template that lists “Evidence” and “Findings.” The Findings are our answer to what currently exists – that is, what are we already doing in the area addressed. The Evidence is our proof that we are doing what we say. For example, if we say “students understand what they are supposed to be learning,” the evidence might be the course syllabus, daily objectives on the board, exit interviews with students, etc. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING Glossary of Obscure Terms and Acronyms A-G Courses needed to complete the University of California requirements for admission. ADA Average Daily Attendance: students receive money from the state based on how many students come to school each day. A.P. Advanced Placement; sometimes, also Assistant Principal API Annual Performance Index: a complicated formula the state uses that results in a number – the closer to 800, the better – related to student academic achievement. Our current API is 738, and our goal this year is 747. AYP Similar to API, but this one is federal. BTSA Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment: a two-year training program administered by the state and staffed by teachers and administrators in our district. Categoricals Funds that have been designated (usually by the state) for a specific purpose – they cannot be used for anything else. CAHSEE California High School Exit Exam – pronounced either with a long or short a. CELDT California English Language Development Test: determines the English language ability level of English Language Learners. Certificated Teachers and other staff who have a credential Classified Support personnel who do not have a teaching credential CNS Child Nutrition Services: they oversee the Wellness Policy for schools, the kind of food that is served; they are the ones who serve and sell food on campus. Criteria The questions each Focus Group has to answer. Critical Academic Needs A couple of issues identified as areas the school needs to focus on. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING CTE Career and Technical Education DARC District Accountability Report Card: a state-required document available to the public, includes testing data, demographics, information about staff, etc. This is updated yearly. Edjoin A website where all open jobs are listed. Applicants apply online. Edline An online grade reporting program for students and parents to check grades. Edusoft A software program that stores and disaggregates test information, including CAHSEE, STAR, and benchmark exams. EEI Essential Elements of Instruction: a training method our district uses to train teachers. EL, ELL English Language Learners ELA English Language Arts ELAC English Language Advisory Council: a parent group for Spanishspeaking parents. ELD English Language Development class for ELL. ESLRs Expected School-wide Learning Results. We have renamed these Grizzly Graduation Goals. They are the “big picture” of what we expect our students to know and be able to do. Focus Group These are made up of representatives from each department, other staff people, parents, and students. FTE Full Time Equivalent: these are the sections that are allocated to us by the district each year. Normally a full-time teacher has five sections and an FTE = five sections or classes. GLAD Guided Language Acquisition Design: Training in instructional strategies to use with English Language Learners. G3 Our “Expected School-wide Learning Results” now known as “Grizzly Graduation Goals” or “G3.” Home Group Usually called departments or teams. These are teachers from the staff subject area, e.g., math or history. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING HSS History/Social Science IEP Individual Education Plan: an education plan for special education students, reviewed annually and monitored by a monitoring teacher. NCLB Affectionately known as “Nickleby”: “No Child Left Behind” federal guidelines for schools. P.A. Parent Association ROP Regional Occupational Program: provides funding for career/tech classes. SARC School Accountability Report Card – a state-required document available to the public, includes testing data, demographics, information about staff, etc. This is updated yearly. SAS Student Assistance Services: a team of counselors, teachers, school psychologist and administrators who meet weekly to plan interventions for struggling and at-risk students. SDAIE Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English: strategies or classes for English Language Learners. Single Plan Every school creates a yearly plan for budgets, resources, and academic achievement. The WASC action plan will be part of the Single Plan. SLIB(G) School and Library Block Grant: This is a block of monies given to the school to allocate according to the school’s goals. The grant is overseen by School Site Council. SPARC Support Personnel Accountability Report Card: a document counselors use to communicate results based on the National Standards for School Counseling Programs. SRO School Resource Officer: a sheriff department detective stationed on the campus. SSC School Site Council: An advisory group that oversees a substantial budget for the school site and reviews and monitors the single plan. Teachers, students, and parents are elected to the council for twoyear terms. STAR Standardized Testing and Reporting – usually refers to the tests students take in the spring. Based on the California Standards for each subject area. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix MISSION HILLS HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING SCP Student and Community Profile: a section of the WASC report with all of our demographic and achievement data. VIP An incentive program to encourage students to do their best on the STAR exam. WASC Leadership Team A group that oversees the WASC process: Focus Group leaders, administrators, parent and student. _____________________________________________________________________________ Mission Hills High School WASC Self Study 2008-2009 ~ Appendix

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