Delta High School Frequently Asked Questions One of the driving concepts behind the creation of Delta High School is to give parents and students another high school choice. However, like all decisions having to do with what is in the best interest of your particular student, actually making the choice can be challenging. What follows is a list of questions to keep in mind as you review the Delta High School option for your student and your family. Responses to these questions may help make your decision a bit easier. •
What are the school’s goals? o
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Delta has three distinct goals for all students:
Learning that parallels how scientists and engineers conduct inquiries, solve problems, and expand knowledge
Preparing students to succeed in postsecondary education, careers, & civic life
Developing partnerships & experiences that connect learning to the world beyond the classroom
How does the school intend to meet its goals? o
Delta High School intends to meet and exceed its goals in the following ways:
Use of researchbased instructional strategies and assessment experiences to develop a culture of inquiry and a perpetual focus on student learning
Employment of highstakes tests and standards to improve student achievement and understanding
Implementation of an innovative, homegrown curriculum that focuses on building 21st century skills
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What does the school expect from every student? o
Delta High School expects that every student will come to school to learn and to contribute each and every day. Students are expected to do their very best on all assignments and projects and to seek immediate help when they are unable to complete a task.
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Students are not expected to simply ‘pass’ their classes. They are expected to ‘master’ skills and information that have been selected carefully by teachers, community members, local STEM professionals, and wellrespected national research organizations.
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Delta High School students are expected to work together, ask questions, build knowledge and skills, contribute to the overall culture of the school, and to actively participate in all aspects of their educational program.
What does the school expect from every family? o
At Delta High School, we believe that every family has something special to offer our students and our community. We also believe students need their families to help guide them through the many complicated academic, vocational, and social decisions they will face as young adults. As a result, we strongly encourage families to play an active and consistent role in their student’s learning and in the overall community culture of our school.
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An ATP (Action Team Partnership) will be organized to improve student learning experiences and to plan Delta High School community events.
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On average, families are invited to donate about 60 hours per year of time to the ATP. That balances out to about 5 hours per month.
How will the student achievement data be made public? o
Individual student achievement data will only be available to students, families, teachers, and administrators at Delta High School and to their school districts of origin.
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Overall student achievement data will be made public in a variety of ways. Classroom and school data walls will be present in every learning space. Learning targets on assignments and projects large and small will be set at the student, classroom, and school levels. Achievement on assignments, assessments, highstakes tests, and in competitions will be published in Delta High School literature, in school district records, and released to the media as appropriate.
How do parents know if the school and their child are doing well? o
Teachers at Delta High School, in alignment with bestpractices research, will have wellpublicized mastery benchmarks in place for each unit within each course. They will then offer learning opportunities in which
students can demonstrate mastery of those benchmarks. Learning opportunities will range from traditional assignments, quizzes, and tests to projects, presentations, portfolios, service opportunities, and reports. Students must know the benchmarks and be given ample time to demonstrate their mastery of each benchmark.
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Each teacher will keep track of what each student has learned, not learned, or is currently learning. In an effort to have students take responsibility, each student will track their own progress toward mastery of benchmarks. In a perfect system, a student could tell you exactly what s/he has learned, has not learned, or is currently learning in each class.
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Delta High School will also have PowerSchool and an active ParentPortal to student’s grades and attendance, just like a traditional high school.
How will Delta High School help my child to succeed? o
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What can I do if my child is interested in marching band or sportsboth of which are unavailable at Delta High School? o
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Delta High School staff takes a ‘by any means necessary’ approach to success. Through researchbased instructional strategies and mastery learning, comprehensive student advisory, small school size, community partnerships, regular field work, individualized student learning plans, and cooperative problemsolving, we believe that any student can be successful during and after their Delta High School experience.
Marching band, interscholastic sports, and other such programs will not be offered through Delta High School. However, students and families may take the initiative to make special arrangements with teachers and coaches at other schools. Delta staff will accommodate these activities as much as possible as long as these activities do not interfere with students’ rigorous learning schedule. If marching band and interscholastic sports are very important to your student, we suggest that you consider this as you weigh your decision to attend a STEMfocused school.
What is different about Delta High School compared to the school my child would have attended? o
Delta High School is small and will be highly personalized to meet the individual learning needs and interests of each student. All subjects will be learned using science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as the backbone. Delta is a public/private partnership school with active engagement from Battelle, WSU, CBC, the Washington State STEM Education Foundation, and many other STEM businesses in our region. Students will be geared toward learning that parallels how scientists conduct inquiries, preparing for postsecondary success, and developing networks and experiences that connect learning to the world beyond the classroom.