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Chapter 3 Progress Report
Introduction
This chapter will describe the progress made since the last full six-year WASC visit and accreditation. That previous self-study, visit, and accreditation recommendation resulted in Sonora being awarded a six year term of accreditation with a third year revisit. The following description will be presented in four sections. The first section will state the critical areas of growth identified by the visiting committee as needing immediate attention. The school staff and community joined with the committee in the recognition that it was essential for these needs to be addressed vigorously and without delay to ensure the continued successful academic growth of all students served by Sonora. The second section will describe the steps taken in the first three years to address these needs. Following, the third section will recapitulate the results of the implementation of the plan during that first three years of the new accreditation term. Finally, the fourth portion will describe the continued efforts of the school community that have ultimately led to the greatest API growth in the history of the school.
At the conclusion of the last accreditation observation, the visiting committee identified three critical academic needs of the students being served by Sonora High School. These included:
1. Improve academic achievement for EL students. 2. Improve reading, writing, and computational skills for all students enrolled at Sonora High School. 3. Increase the number of students advancing to the Proficient and Advanced levels on both the California Standards Tests and on the High School Exit Exam.
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Based upon these three critical needs, the school community developed three corresponding goals:
Goal 1: Improve the academic achievement for English Language Learners as measured by grades, standardized test scores, and language acquisition measures.
Goal 2: Improve reading, writing and computational skills for all students enrolled at Sonora High School as measured by improvement on standardized examinations, improvement on grades received in classes, and in terms of writing, by scores received on district writing exams.
Goal 3: Increase the number of students moving from basic to proficient levels and from proficient to advanced levels on the CST and the CAHSEE.
The steps taken by the school community to achieve these goals follow.
Goal 1: Improve the academic achievement for English Language Learners as measured by grades, standardized test scores, and language acquisition measures.
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Teachers were provided effective instructional methodologies for EL students. Teachers continued training and reviewing the “Classroom Instruction That Works” strategies. All teachers became SDAIE or CLAD certified.
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Data Director and Aeries Browser Interface (ABI) training provided teachers with the access to pertinent data so that they were able to adjust and focus instruction in the appropriate areas to help students succeed on both individual and group bases.
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EL students are closely monitored both at the time of placement and then throughout the school year to ensure that they are receiving appropriate instruction.
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Additional funding from the district was provided that has allowed Learning Lab classes to be added to the master schedule to provide instructional support for EL students in the subjects of English and Mathematics. These classes provide additional opportunities for EL students to acquire English language and 77
mathematic skills. The classes also provide the students study skill strategies needed for academic success. •
All teachers were trained in the Jane Schaffer writing strategies. These strategies are utilized by teachers in all classes for all students as part of a schoolwide writing across the curriculum effort.
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Students are able to utilize the credit/no credit grading option when appropriate so that they may accumulate credits toward graduation.
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Personal support of EL students and their families has been enhanced through the implementation of Sonora’s Parent Institute training over this entire six year accreditation period. EL student and parent involvement has increased in ELAC, DELAC, SSC and the WASC self study process.
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A bilingual counselor has been devoted to EL and recent Redesignated Fluent English Proficient students to focus on their unique academic needs.
Goal 2: Improve reading, writing and computational skills for all students enrolled at Sonora High School as measured by improvement on standardized examinations, improvement on grades received in classes, and in terms of writing, by scores received on district writing exams.
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Teachers have access to student achievement data and examine the data through the Data Director system and Aeries Browser Interface (ABI). This system provides the instructional staff with standardized test data as well as student reading, writing and computational results to assist them in the planning of instruction.
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The staff continues to support and model good practice through the campus wide SSR program. The teachers have embraced effective “bell to bell” instructional strategies.
• A two-year Algebra Foundations program has been established to assist students gain mastery of the Algebra content. This program benefits students by delivering the content at a slower pace, with extended guided practice and a longer period of time to master the standards.
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• Students were placed in the Algebra Foundations program based upon prior performance as well as standardized testing results. • Teachers, counselors, and administrators utilize the TeleParent parental involvement phone system to send personalized messages in multiple languages to the families of their students. These messages provide the family information regarding classroom behavior, academic performance and scheduling of upcoming examinations or major projects. • One full-time counselor and one part-time counselor were able to be added to the staff at that time through AB 1802 funding. Goal 3: Increase the number of students moving from basic to proficient levels and from proficient to advanced levels on the CST and CAHSEE.
The following steps have been taken to address this goal:
• Departments aligned curricula and assessments to state standards. Pacing guides for the various subject areas were created to ensure that all students learned topics in an appropriate sequence, and were thus prepared for the periodic benchmark examinations. These examinations were developed initially under district coordination and guidance for the purposes both of assessment and to aid in the identification of areas that would need reteaching. • Individual teachers used Data Director to analyze specific student achievement in order to determine borderline category students as well as those students whose performance on the standardized tests does not reflect their school classroom performance. • Teachers collaborated to investigate the current research for strategies that have proven successful in improving student achievement. • The strategies were applied where appropriate to all students, whether a given student was determined to be in a borderline category or not. • Students were tested in comfortable and familiar conditions.
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• The uses and value of state tests were honestly described to students and parents to encourage students to perform at the best of their ability. • Collaboration time was provided to staff through banked minutes, staff development days and SLC funded release time. This allowed teachers time to both find and share successful strategies for improving student achievement. • Students that improved their scores on standardized tests were honored by the school in a manner both appropriate and sensitive to student needs, while maintaining individual student confidentiality. In order to continue past progress, during the school year 2008-2009, the staff made the decision to use the early release days as professional learning days. Twice a month, the faculty meets in PLCs to discuss academic achievement. A number of strategies were implemented with the intention of increasing on a broad basis the academic performance of students schoolwide. The PLCs provided time as well as an atmosphere that engendered problem solving on a campus-wide basis to examine our essential standards and develop pacing guides for all subjects. These release times also allowed the development of common assessments and benchmarks that are given at strategic times throughout the school year. These meetings proved highly successful, with one result being that the school now makes use of four minimum days throughout the year to meet in the PLCs to input the results into Data Director and disaggregate the findings of the benchmark exams. The teachers then meet again with their PLCs to discuss the results and develop plans for the best reteaching of standards that were not mastered. Thus, the data is used to drive classroom instruction in a manner that will directly enhance student learning and achievement.
The student performance results following the implementation of the strategies described above are detailed in Chapter One of this report. However, a few comments at this point would be appropriate. Sonora did not meet its Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 2005, as its percentage of proficiency for mathematics and English-Language Arts criteria were not met. However, beginning in 2006, Sonora did meet the AYP requirements by meeting both proficiency and participation rates in all 18 of 18 AYP criteria and has continued to meet these standards since.
As can also be seen in the data presented in Chapter 1, the school has increased its API each year, beginning with 730 in 2004, and growing dramatically to 798 in 2010. However, the data clearly demonstrates that certain subgroups, such as English Language Learners, Special Education students, and socioeconomically disadvantaged students, do not perform at the same level as other subgroups, therefore resulting in an achievement gap.
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Nevertheless, Sonora did apply for and received its fourth Distinguished School Award from the State of California in 2007. A copy of that application may be found in the Appendix, and may be helpful in providing additional insight into the many academic and co-curricular opportunities at the school, as well as school, district and community programs.
Finally, a number of additional strategies and programs have been implemented during the past three years following the mid-term visit. These include, among others, strategic interventions in both reading and mathematics, as described below.
The Reach Reading program is being used as the curriculum for an intervention course for ninth graders that are struggling readers. Emphasis is placed on both the decoding and encoding aspects of reading. Students who scored far below basic or below basic on the previous year’s CST English Language Arts test are selected for the class. Additionally, teacher recommendation of other students whose scores may be just slightly higher has also proven to be a successful method of supporting students who need to improve their reading skills. The program is available to both identified Special Education students and General Education students. To measure student progress, students take both pre- and post-tests in the class. In order to maximize the effectiveness of the program, these students’ Reach Reading class is blocked with their regular English class.
For students who have mastered decoding, but score either below or far below basic in English Language Arts on their CSTs, and/or have below grade level reading scores on the Nelson reading test. the Scholastic Read 180 program has been implemented to improve reading comprehension. This course is provided for English Language Learners, English only, Redesignated and Initially Fluent students with class sizes being held to no larger than twenty students. Teachers provide systematic reading intervention through the use of Read 180 software that is individualized to meet student needs, as well as small group instruction that focuses on comprehension, academic vocabulary, and writing strategies. Students also participate in silent reading on a daily basis, using the Scholastic library of high-interest titles, and take quizzes upon completion of each book to assess progress. Student software progress is also continually monitored to assess student needs and adjust or differentiate instruction accordingly. The reading comprehension of the students is assessed five times per year using the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI), which provides a CST equivalent of proficiency. CST and SRI data have demonstrated significant growth for students in the Read 180 program.
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In mathematics, the school is using the Accelerated Math program in many intervention and support classes. The program was originally used to provide instruction and practice in the intervention math learning lab class for 9th grade students with CST math scores of far below basic and below basic. These students are concurrently enrolled in a traditional math class and the learning lab. The math faculty has developed a 152 objective library that students are expected to complete which consists of basic math facts, such as fractions, decimals, and integers. Secondly, this year Accelerated Math is also used in general math and special education classes for guided practice as well as the reteaching of concepts that have not yet been mastered. Thirdly, Accelerated Math is used as a curriculum for the Introduction to Algebra Skills class for students that have failed the first semester of Foundations Algebra I. This class was designed for students who have failed the first semester of Algebra I Foundations and need to focus on the mastery of pre-algebraic concepts.
For incoming freshman that were middle school non-graduates, Sonora offers the SNAP (Students Needing Academic Preparation) summer school course. For the math component of the program, Accelerated Math is used to help students master the skills necessary to transition to the comprehensive high school. For the English component, Read 180 is used to help students improve their reading skills.
In an attempt to identify and serve students who might have difficulty with the CAHSEE, we have begun administering a Mock CAHSEE to all freshmen. We began using this mock exam three years ago. Students take the exam in the same testing setting as they will as sophomores in order to approximate the actual testing environment. Students who do not perform successfully may be involved in one or both of two additional programs: the CAHSEE Boot Camp, and/or participation in a CAHSEE intervention class. The Boot Camp is a strategic and intensive test preparation pull-out four class course that students attend to increase the likelihood of passing the actual test. The CAHSEE intervention class is a semester-long class taught either during the summer or during the regular school day, replacing one of the student’s elective classes.
Special strategies designed to improve the education of EL students include differentiated instruction provided by instructors who have had training beyond the state requirement. Scheduling-wise, these students are, whenever possible, placed in classes that are sixty per cent English only, Redesignated Fluent English Proficient, or Initially Fluent English Proficient and forty per cent EL students. The EL students also have full access to the READ 180 program, and, just this year, to the learning of English through Rosetta Stone. EL teachers are provided with additional release time, and there is a continual, on-going reevaluation of students to ascertain that they are always in the optimal EL placement that best meets their academic needs.
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