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2004-2005: AYP English Language Arts
2004-2005: AYP Math
2003-2004: AYP English Language Arts
2003-2004: AYP Math
2002-2003: AYP English Language Arts
2002-2003: AYP Math
2001-2002: AYP English Language Arts
2001-2002: AYP Math
Sanger High School, in Fresno County, California, developed a successful four-point action plan for restructuring the learning community to raise student achievement. Working under California's Immediate Intervention/Under Performing Schools Program (II/USP), Sanger’s vision included: a schoolwide commitment to high expectations and academic rigor for all students, English Language Arts (ELA) and reading intervention, professional development for teaching to ELA and math content standards, an improved school climate, and parent involvement. This vision, explain Dan Chacon and JoDee Marcellin, Principal and Assistant Principal since 2000, has created a culture shift that no longer allows teachers or the community to think in terms of “these kids” and “those kids.” The results are dramatic increases in student achievement. For the last four years API (California Academic Performance Index) scores have consistently risen — from 572 in 2002 to 716 in 2005. Also, in 2005 the California Department of Education (CDE) awarded Sanger its Distinguished School Award and in 2006 Sanger was granted the Leadership Site award for its outstanding full-inclusion Special Education program from CalSTAT, a special project of the CDE and Sonoma State University. Assessment & Accountability At Sanger, curriculum mapping, tied to a pacing calendar, ensures that instruction is aligned to standards necessary for passing the California Standards Test (CST) and the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE). Essential standards were determined by using the “blueprints” published by the state for each test. The Curriculum Mapping process began the summer of 2003 when volunteer teachers created a Map for each core course. Curriculum Maps address the content, skills, and assessments administered by every teacher in a given department and organize this information into a visual that presents a timeline of instruction by teacher and course. Administration and key teachers underwent training during the fall semester to improve upon the “summer” Maps. These became the basis for discussion and the development of new Maps to be used by teachers for all core and most elective courses. The Curriculum Maps are living documents, revised periodically based on student assessment data, and are used for reteaching during the current year and for making changes in the instructional plan the following year. Assessment is used to drive improved teaching and learning. Staff at Sanger collaborated to create common course assessments (administered through Edusoft). Six assessments are given per year for each course, two formative and one summative assessment per semester. Some departments have created their own assessments, while others (such as math and social studies) are using the assessments included within their adopted textbook series. The ELA department has been continually revisiting their assessments to ensure that they truly measure mastery of standards, and not just the content of the novels read within each course. Professional Development Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) were created for each course at Sanger. All teachers meet once a week after school for one hour, in addition to time allotted during six minimum days and 2-3 buy-back days per year. (Release days were used to get the program started.) During these meetings, teachers look at performance data to determine necessary modifications in their instruction, or to determine intervention groups. Ongoing work around assessments by PLCs includes using the results from the common assessments to accurately predict state test scores, and continuing to find and make the time necessary to look at results, plan strategies for reteaching lessons, and then actually reteach. Standards-based Curriculum & Instruction Sanger underwent a Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation in 2002-2003. The WASC visitation committee recommended a 10% change each year from non-college prep to full college prep. The math department was already in compliance and the science department decided to go full college prep in 2003. The English and social studies departments worked through the curriculum mapping process to ready their curriculum for full college prep. In the 2004-2005 school year, the English and social studies departments went full college preparatory. This schoolwide transition was made possible through curriculum mapping, increased expectations by teachers and students, full inclusion in Special Education and professional development in differentiated instruction. Teachers and administrators at Sanger are working hard to ensure that all students have the support to access standards-based curriculum and instruction. In 2006 Sanger High was granted the CalSTAT Leadership Site award for its outstanding full-inclusion Special Education program. This was the result of three years of concerted effort to significantly improve the special education program. During year 1, all special education teachers became consultants to work with all core departments. They coached teachers on strategies that work with special education students, they helped general education teachers reformat assignments, notes, and exams, they engaged in team teaching, and they worked with students within their classrooms — no longer pulling them out. During year 2, although special education services continued to be provided for all departments, the major focus was ELA and math. This was intended to reduce the overall stress level for the special education teachers and to provide maximum intervention for the subjects covered on state tests (ELA and math). During this year, the special education teachers helped reformat their curriculum to make it more accessible to special education students, using strategies such as graphic organizers, think-pair-share, and cooperative learning. Teachers report that these strategies have not only helped their special education students, but have improved achievement for all students. During year 3, the program has continued, with science and social studies teachers now requesting the kind of curriculum support that ELA and math received. The site leadership reports that because of this program, there is a noticeable increase in overall teacher collaboration, and a willingness by teaching staff to seek help. In addition to meeting the needs of Special Education students, Sanger’s staff is focused on making sure English Learners have the instruction they need. The intervention program “High Point,” a full immersion course for early intermediate and intermediate English Learners, is now in its third year of implementation. The first two levels of the program are High Point Basic and A, and students at these levels are enrolled in the course for three periods per day for a semester. Then, depending upon assessment data, they are enrolled in two periods per day of Level B or C, and one period of a Specially-Designed Academic-Instruction in English (SDAIE) course. EL students are also enrolled in SDAIE classes in math, science and social studies. They only receive the full immersion program for their first two years in the United States and then are mainstreamed into the general education. EL students needing further instruction are enrolled in specific SDAIE ELA courses that ensure ready access to the core curriculum. Another significant change during the last three years is Sanger’s adoption of the Corrective Reading intervention program. All students scoring in the bottom 30% on the ELA portion of the CST are administered the Corrective Reading diagnostic test and enrolled in the program accordingly. This current school year, 26 sections were offered with close to 600 students enrolled. Making a program of this size and scope work required many changes in the master schedule. The majority of ELA teachers now teach at least one section of Corrective Reading, including the AP English teacher. Other former electives teachers who hold ELA credentials are also teaching at least one section. The fact that such a diverse range of teachers are involved in the program removes the stigma often associated with an intervention program – both for students and for teachers. Parents & Community To meet the goal of increasing parent involvement, Sanger High developed a position called Parent Community Liaison and hired bilingual Yolanda Barbosa to fill it and coordinate a Parent Center. The Liaison provides parents a variety of extensive services that promote effective communication and support student learning, as well as assist them with their own continuing education classes. As part of her job as parent liaison, Mrs. Barbosa runs two types of monthly meetings for parents: English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) meetings and parent workshops called "Coffee Hours." To avoid a language barrier, all meetings and written communication are presented in English and Spanish. The parent workshops/Coffee Hours address academic topics and student issues such as attendance, dress code, gang awareness, discipline codes, drug abuse, teen pregnancy prevention, and teen depression. Since it's important to meet every parent's needs, Mrs. Barbosa is continuously working towards developing new parent involvement initiatives. For example, in September 2005 — with the help of the Senior Counselor, the Senior Advisor, and the University Project Advisor — she organized the 2nd Annual Senior Parent Night. It was designed to help parents and students with all the questions regarding graduation requirements and planning for college. What would their students want to do when they graduated? And, more to the point, what would the students and their parents need to do over the course of their senior year to prepare? Topics of discussion included college options, the process of applying to college, various things students and families would need to do, and how to get money for college. The results of the parent liaison have been remarkable: during the 2004-2005 school year the average parent attendance at the ELAC meetings increased from three parents to a monthly average of sixty parents. In addition, almost one hundred parents attended the 2nd Annual Senior Parent Night, with the senior class having only 425 students enrolled. The faculty and staff at Sanger High School are very proud of their students’ recent academic success. They are eager to continue the work that has led to this increased achievement, and now feel that it is their responsibility to start to look holistically at “the whole child” so that they can help all of their students be successful in all areas of life. This school profile was created in 2006. Achievement and demographic data through 2005 are included. Permission to Use Resources SchoolsMovingUp, a WestEd initiative, invites you to use our resources in your work. For uses that involve reproduction of more than one copy of the resource, please submit the online permission request form. We will reply immediately once we know your intended reproduction needs. All reproductions of the resource must include a full citation of the WestEd copyright. |
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