Final NEASC Report

1. Final NEASC Report • The New England Association of Schools and Colleges Report on the status of Sharon High School. • Full final report available on Sharon website: http://www.sharon.k12.ma.us/school/shs/shsmain.html

2. Reader’s Digest Version7 Major Areas Studies • Expectations for Student Learning • Curriculum • Instruction • Assessment of Student Learning • Leadership • School Resources for Learning • Community Resources for Learning

3. Expectations for Student Learning • Commendations • Regarding the Mission and Student Learning Expectations: • Broad participation in its development. • Wide publication and display. • Provision for annual review. • Recommendations: • Greater community exposure to specific student learning expectations. • Wider use of school wide rubrics by teachers so students understand purpose. • Use data from rubrics to make decisions about curriculum, instruction and assessment.

4. Curriculum • Commendations: • Dedication in planning/delivering a challenging curriculum • Widespread course-specific expectations to promote higher order thinking. • Frequent use of Essential Questions. • Interdisciplinary opportunities for students. • Common Planning Time for teachers. • Rigorous expectations for students of all ability levels.

5. Curriculum • Recommendations: • Ensure that all departments use academic, social and civic expectations for student performance. • Integrate school wide rubrics into written curriculum. • Identify instructional techniques in written curriculum that fulfill expectations. • ($$) Provide leadership for all depts.

6. Curriculum • Recommendations: • Implement school-wide template for curriculum development that includes instruction, assessment, expectations. • Gather & track assessment data using rubrics • ($$) Ensure continuation of CSL • ($$) Provide appropriately equipped classroom space (i.e. Science) • ($$) Provide technology throughout bldg for itinerant teachers

7. Curriculum • Recommendations: • ($$) Offer additional courses to meet the needs of all learners & a variety of skills

8. Instruction • Commendations: • Strong Culture of teaching & learning. • High Expectations across all levels. • Common planning and Professional Development time for core subject teachers. • Evidence of applied learning. • Enthusiastic and knowledgeable professionals. • Teachers who dedicate time and effort to personalizing instruction.

9. Instruction • Recommendations: • Provide resources for school-wide PD based on instructional needs. • ($$)Address needs of depts lacking in formal leadership & collaborative time. • ($$) Ensure classroom access to instructional technology. • Expand school-wide “best practices” discussions for consistency. • Expand opportunities for student metacognition and self-reflection.

10. Assessment of Learning • Commendations: • Widespread use of rubrics and classrm scoring guides. • Variety of assessment strategies across disciplines. • Extensive opportunity for departmental collaboration to analyze assessments. • Development and implementation of common assessments across courses.

11. Assessment of Learning • Recommendations: • Assess school-wide student progress using the school-wide rubrics. • Develop systematic data collection to measure achievement of civic and social expectations. • Ensure communication of the results to students and families. • Develop a system to track student achievement and train teachers to collect and analyze data to inform instruction and curriculum development.

12. Leadership • Commendations: • High degree of commitment and professionalism during periods of transition in school and district administration. • Enthusiasm, energy and high visibility of the principal and his willingness to promote change and growth. • Admin commitment to common planning time. • District’s commitment to maintaining student-teacher ratio to support learning. • Regular & authentic celebration of student accomplishments. • An engaged, invested & motivated student body.

13. Leadership • Recommendations: • Develop/implement procedures to build consensus about fulfilling learning expectations. • Ensure clear procedures for communication and protocols for resolving conflicts. • Provide procedures for depts w/out leadership to have an equitable voice in decision-making. • Practice safety and crisis intervention and response procedures. • Develop a formal ongoing program to assure each student has an adult to go to who knows the student well, in addition to the guidance counselor.

14. School Resources for Learning • Commendations: • Variety of supportive SPED programs for social, emotional, acad. needs. • Effective communications about support services to parents & staff. • Range of effective services offered by Guidance. • Spacious and welcoming library. • Strong and supportive student/staff relationships in student services area. • Collaboration among dedicated & hardworking support services staff.

15. School Resources for Learning • Recommendations: • ($$)Increase library staffing to serve students and curriculum development. • $$)Assess student services regarding loss of Academic Development Center. • ($$) Provide funding to increase the number of library resources and access to the collection. • ($$) Provide time for instructional aides to collaborate with special education and regular education teachers.

16. Community Resources for Learning • Commendations: • Wide variety of venues for parental involvement. • Teacher initiative that includes service learning as part of classroom instruction. • Wide variety of programming that uses all parts of the building. • Improvement to the facility by providing the new Library/Media center and SHS TV production studio.

17. Community Resources for Learning • Recommendations: • ($$)Develop a DW fiscal plan to address projected enrollment, space use and required funding. • ($$)Ensure dependable funding to ensure programming and staffing levels. • ($$)Develop and fund a regular maintenance plan for SHS. • ($$)Develop a plan to assure adequately equipped classrooms.

18. Community Resources for Learning • Recommendations: • ($$)Undertake a regular comprehensive testing plan to confirm air quality and mold-free areas. • ($$)Ensure all members of the school community have a voice in formation of the school budget. • ($$)Address building and site issues:

19. Community Resources for Learning ($$)Building & site issues: • Reduce hallway crowding. • Provide adequate locker storage. • Clean and maintain bathrooms. • Improve lighting in classrooms. • Paint classrooms and common areas. • Provide care of courtyards, fencing, etc. • Provide adequate lunch facilities for students and staff. • Clean/replace water-damaged items.

20. Community Resources for Learning ($$)Building & site issues: • Replace carpet in classrooms, auditorium and other areas. • Provide properly controlled heating and ventilation throughout the bldg.

21. Conclusion - No Surprises! • Many areas that are “Commended” are the result of the work of many over the past 10 years in Sharon. • Many areas that are “Recommendations” have been identified as district and school wide goals or are “on our radar”. • Overall we are in good shape but need to continue to move forward in creative and challenging ways.