2008 Model Schools Conference Orlando, Florida

1. 2008 Model Schools Conference Orlando, Florida Changing a High School Culture: Moving from a Good School for Some to a Great School for All Donna Salazar, Principal Doug Bluth, Assistant Principal La Quinta High School http://www.dsusd.us/schools/LQHS/

2. Presentation Overview • LQHS Profile/Demographics/Recognitions • The Need for Change • Changes Made and How Implemented • Results • Practical Advice for Overcoming Obstacles and Creating a Culture of Change • Next Steps in Continuous Improvement

3. LQHS Snapshot • Location: Southern California Desert, near Palm Springs, California – Riverside County • Comprehensive High School • Opened: 1994 • 2,950 students 9th – 12th • 182 Staff Members: 127 certificated 75 support • Graduation Rate: 95% • Attendance Rate: 96%

4. LQHS Demographics • Hispanic: 52% • White: 40% • African-American: 2% • Asian: 2% • English Learners: 9% • Poverty: 35% • Students w/ Disabilities: 7%

6. LQHS Recognitions • CA Distinguished School: 1999, 2003, 2005-Exemplary CTE Programs • Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools, 2006, 2007, 2008 • County HS Model of Excellence • Selected by State Superintendent as one of 75 schools in U.S. to participate in the Gates Initiative with ICLE’s Successful Practices Network “Promising to Proven”

7. Test Scores • API Gain of +44 points • API 746 (702 to 746) State goal of 800 • Avg. gain county high schools +2 points • Exceeded target by +39 points • Gains in all content areas, all grade levels • Gains in all subgroups • AYP Met all targets for all subgroups • CAHSEE increased pass rate • Overall 90% ELA, 87% Math census administration • All subgroups higher than county & state (except EL math)

8. State Rankings • State Rank Increase * 6 to 8 – two decile growth • Similar Schools Rank Increase * 2 to 6 – four decile growth * Out of a scale of 1-10

9. Looking Back – The Need for Change • Modest test score gains overall • Increasing performance targets • Changing demands of post-HS world • Divided faculty • Perception of “Haves” vs. “Have-nots” • Unfocused leadership • Settling for status quo of “pretty good school” • 2005 decline in test scores • Teaching in isolation

10. Our Association with ICLE • Selected as 1 of 75 Gates Initiative “Promising” Schools in fall of 2005 • Attended High School Reinvention Symposium in Washington D.C. Oct. 2005 • At Reinvention Symposium, we chose two Action Areas: 1. Using Data 2. 9th Grade Transition Year

11. Our Association with ICLE • Attended Model Schools Conferences in 2006, 2007 • Attended Whole School Reform Symposium, 2008 • Professional Development Focus on Rigor, Relevance and Relationships over past three years: *Daggett, McNulty, Quaglia information and materials *PLC training and development *Quadrant D Gold Seal Lesson Training-Jim Miles *Teachers enrolled in CORR *Ray McNulty scheduled for August, 2008 • Principal participated in ICLE Leadership Institute, 06-07

12. Pretty Good There once was a pretty good student Who sat in a pretty good class And was taught by a pretty good teacher Who always let pretty good pass … The pretty good class that he sat in Was part of a pretty good school, And the student was not an exception: On the contrary, he was the rule ….

13. The pretty good school that he went to Was there in a pretty good town … The pretty good town in our story Was part of a pretty good state Which had pretty good aspirations And prayed for a pretty good fate. There once was a pretty good nation Pretty proud of the greatness it had, Which learned much too late, If you want to be great, Pretty good is, in fact, pretty bad. - Charles Osgood

15. What Did We Do?Changes Made: • Expanded Personalized Learning • Created Teacher Collaboration/PLC’s • Forged Strong Shared Leadership • Focused on 9th grade Transition Year • Emphasized Rigorous & Relevant Inst. • Reached out to the Community • Created Tools for Wise Use of Data • Planned Focused and Sustained Professional Development • Created Supports for Struggling Students

16. Expanded Our Personalized Learning Communities • Career Academies Health Academy Public Service Academy Culinary Arts Institute Education Pathway Jr. ROTC • International Baccalaureate Programme • AVID • Special Ed. In-class Collaboration Model • Special Ed. Workability Program

18. Created Committed Professional Learning Communities • 32 Content Teams • Meet 3 to 4 times per month • Tuesday morning PLC 40 minutes • Structured and Accountable *Group Norms *Protocols for: -selecting key standards -data analysis/goal setting -selecting instructional strategy/differentiating -examining student work -sharing best practices

20. Forged Strong, Inclusive Leadership Teacher-leaders with broad involvement: • Shape vision • Create courses and Master Schedule • Problem solvers for all school issues • Create testing schedule, discipline/attendance policies • Help hire teachers • Plan Professional Development • Lead PLC’s in data analysis, instructional strategies and best practices and work with county team (TRAC Team)

22. 9th Grade Transition Focus • Intervention Courses – READ 180 and Alg. Support • Mentoring Program – Link Crew • Dedicated Counselors • Middle School Outreach • Extra Tutoring • Proven Teachers w/ Neediest Students

24. Emphasis on Rigorous and Relevant Instruction • Entire staff trained by ICLE to use Quadrant D Gold Seal Lessons • Teachers enrolled in CORR • R & R Framework Poster in every room • Staff members submit to Gold Seal Lesson repository • Expectation set for Gold Seal Lessons • IB & Honors courses open to all students • Principal walk-through questions for students

26. Partnerships with the Community • CTE Academies Mentors Job shadowing Internships Advisory committees • CV Economic Partnership Articulation of local needs Scholarships • Local Service Organizations

28. Favorite Quote “Good carpenters measure before they cut and after they cut.” -Dr. Sandy Sanford Educational Consultant, Eduneering, Inc.

29. LQHS Uses Data to… • Decide what and how much to teach • Create curriculum maps/pacing guides • Create common assessments • Identify problems in student learning • Improve and differentiate instruction • Identify students that need extra support • Prompt sharing of best practices • Determine courses/teaching assignments • Improve student engagement • Improve relationships throughout the school • Encourage leadership and risk-taking in students • Present a comprehensive picture of our students

30. Deciding What andHow Much to Teach Data Sources/Tools • ICLE Curriculum Matrix • National Essential Skills Study • State and National Content Standards • Test Blueprints/Curr. Maps/Pacing Guides • Test Results/Strand Analysis • Pre-assessment results • Common Assessment results • Local community needs

31. Step1: Selecting Key Standards Objective: Indentify 8-10 Key Standards for each Semester Guiding Questions: 1. What is the weight of the standard on common assessments? (State, district, or content area) 2. Is the standard foundational in vertical weight? 3. What does the student need to know for success post-high school?

32. Example: English I Team • Compile year-long data from all common assessments and pass on to English II team the areas of lowest performance from English I students as a group to assist English II team in determining Key Standards

33. Data Analysis and SMART Goal Guiding Questions: 1. Is the data current? 2. Are key demographic groups represented in the data? 3. Which key standards did students demonstrate proficiency? 4. Which key standards did students not demonstrate proficiency? 5. Is the SMART Goal Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely? 6. Do instructional strategies support all demographic groups and use best practices? 7. Are common assessments uniformly applied?

34. Step 2: Data Analysis & SMART Goal Task Sequence Agenda Time Opening: • Review and confirm commitment to group norms 1 minute Focus on a Standard: • Based on priority, select a key standard 3 minutes Review Data: • Determine which data is essential to student learning • Determine proficiency level 10 minutes Data Analysis: • Strengths: Identify areas where most students did well • Challenges: identify areas where students struggled • Determine the SMART Goal 10 -15 minutes SMART Goal: • Determine pre/post assessment criteria Using pre-assessment data write a specific team SMART Goal: • Define the improvement percentages • Define the assessment tool • Set a target date 5 minutes Instructional Strategies: • Determine which instructional strategies reflect best practices 10 minutes Assessment Plan: • Define how it will be determined that students learned the topic. • Select specific common assessments as measurements 3 minutes Agenda Setting: • Determine the focus and required resources for the next meeting 1 minutes Parking Lot: • Address off-topic items that came up during the process TBD

35. Example: Advanced Algebra Team • CST data reveals low performance in logarithms and high performance in conics - pacing guide adjusted for time • Gold Seal Lesson Rocket Project moved from week before Christmas to after state tests in April and unit on statistics inserted

36. Example: English II Team • 1st Qtr. common assessment reveals lowest performance in passive vs. active voice – prompts instructional focus and revisit on next common assessment • Individual teacher data analysis reveals one teacher’s students particularly low in literary terms and devices – prompts him to seek instructional strategies/best practices from teacher whose students score high in this standard

37. Example: Chemistry Team • CST data reveals low performance in organic and biochem standards - curriculum map rearranged based on priority of standard and student performance, not textbook organization

39. Step 3: Working with Key Standards Task Sequence Agenda Time Opening: • Review and confirm commitment to group norms 2 minutes Target Standard: • Clarify the standard 3 minutes Analysis of Released Test Questions: (If applicable) Analyze standard and RTQ for: • Academic vocabulary • Key terms • Testing format 10 – 15 minutes Instructional Response to data: • Determine specific instructional strategies the team will use 10 – 15 minutes Targeting student needs: Identify specific strategies to support: • EL learners • B, BB, FBB learners • SPED students 10 - 15 minutes Common Assessments: • Determine placement of assessments in the curriculum map and pacing guide 3 minutes Agenda Setting: • Determine the focus and required resources for next meeting. 2 minutes Parking Lot: • Address off-topic items that came up during the process TBD Guiding Questions: 1. Which instructional strategies incorporate best practices? 2. Which RTQs target deficient student data? 3. Do common assessments target key standards?

40. Example: U.S. History Team • Spiral information about Constitution throughout the year; students see it repeatedly • Top 5 questions missed go on next quarter common assessment • Review results of common assessments with students for multiple purposes: • Re-teach vital content • Teach test-taking skills (academic vocab/stems/distractors) - Team building: “rah-rah we can do this”

41. Value of Released Items • Calibration of the teaching of a standard to how that standard is assessed by the state • For example, consider the following standard “Calculate perimeters, circumferences, and areas of various two dimensional figures”

42. Item 1 • If a circle has a radius of 4 meters, what is the circumference of that circle in meters? r = 4 meters

43. Item 2 • The circle below is inscribed in a square so that it just touches each of the four sides. The square has an area of 64 square meters. What is the circumference of the circle in meters?

44. Step 4: Looking at Student Work Task Sequence Agenda Time Opening: • Review and confirm commitment to group norms 2 minutes Student Work Analysis: • Strengths – Identify areas where most students did well • Challenges – Identify areas where students struggled 10 -15 minutes Responding to the data: • Select instructional strategies to challenge proficient students • Determine specific strategies the team will use to support deficient areas • Determine effectiveness of EL, B, BB, FBB and SPED strategies 5 - 10 minutes Remediation Plan: • Determine re-teaching strategies 5 - 10 minutes Assessment Review: • Validate the effectiveness of common assessments 5 minutes Agenda Setting: • Determine the focus and required resources for next meeting 3 minutes Parking Lot: • Address off-topic items that came up during the process TBD Guiding Questions: 1. Which strategies can be implemented to remediate students not demonstrating proficiency? 2. Are best instructional practices implemented to target all demographic groups?

45. Collaboration Notes – Focus Page Department: ______________________ Content Team: ___________________ Date: ________________Today’s Objective: ____________________________ Our SMART Goal (Specific – Measureable – Attainable – Realistic – Timely) _____ (Who-Group) _________will increase in____(What – Content Specific)_____ From ____________(Baseline)______% to _____________(Target)________% as measured by ______(How-Assessment tool) ____ by ______(When-Date)_______. This SMART Goal is based on: □Response to data □Analysis of key standard □Revisiting previous team goal □Other _______________________________________________________________ Our Group Norms: 1. 2. 3. 4. Today’s focus will be: □ Selecting Key Standards □ Data Analysis □ Working with Standards □ Looking at Student Work Attendance Roll:

46. Collaboration Notes – Agenda & Accountability Page Primary Focus: Analysis: Strategies: Common Agreements: Next Step: Team Assignments: Other: Summation /Outcomes: Notes to Administration:

47. Department: Visual Arts Content Team: S. Fuller, M. Herrera, T. Kauffman, K. Wheeler, T. Williams Date: 1/29/08 Today’s Objective: Begin discussion of collaborative project Our SMART Goal (Specific – Measureable – Attainable – Realistic – Timely) The Visual Arts Department will increase in collaboration on a theme-based project From 75% to 100% as measured by school art exhibition/rubric by spring 2009. SMART Goal # 4: The visual arts department will execute a coordinated, theme-based assignment that incorporates California art standards and culminates in a department-wide exhibition for the school community. The standards include Artistic Perception, Creative Expression, Historical and Cultural context, Aesthetic Valuing, Connections, Relationships,and Application. Thefinal product, the art show, will involve every art student in the department. The coordinated art project will be strategic and specific, measurable, attainable, results-based, and time-bound. This SMART Goal is based on: □Response to data □Analysis of key standard □ Revisiting previous team goal □Other Our Group Norms: 1. Time: Tuesday mornings 2. Listening: Everyone is given equal time to express their views. 3. Confidentiality: The meeting will be open, but what we say in the meeting will be held in confidence. 4. Decision-making: Decisions will be made by consensus. 5. Participation: Attendance is mandatory and will be recorded on an official sign-in sheet. 6. Expectations: Cooperation is expected and everyone will participate equally. Today’s focus will be: □ Selecting Key Standards □ Data Analysis □ Working with Standards □ Looking at Student Work □ Other Intra-departmental project Attendance Roll: S. Fuller M. Herrera T. Kauffman K. Wheeler T. Williams • Please stay on topic with the protocol. Use the Parking Lot for topics best discussed in Department meeting or subsequent content team meetings. Keep this original copy in your folder and provide additional copies to: • Your Department Coordinator • Mr. Hicks

48. Collaboration Notes – Agenda & Accountability Page Summation /Outcomes: All members have agreed to participate in the project. We will continue to work on it during PLC time. Notes to Administration: Administrators will be invited to the event next year.

50. Data – More Than Just Test Scores What additional data can be used to measure the multiple facets of our students and to drive continuous school improvement? The ICLE Learning Criteria, tailored to La Quinta High School