Louisiana High School Redesign Summit Lonnie Luce, PhD, Deputy Superintendent of Schools May 2, 2007

  Who are Greenville County Schools?   High School Reform in South Carolina – the Three R’s   Why 9 th Grade Redesign in GCS?   District Leadership   What is Next?   Wade Hampton High School’s Freshman Academy   Questions Agenda

Golden Strip Career Center – 512 JH Bonds Career Center – 425 Enoree Career Center – 350 Donaldson Career Center – 450

High School Reform in South Carolina – the Three R’s 2006 SC High School Redesign Commission Report I. Building Rigor   High Expectations   High Academic Standards   Rigorous Course Work   Personalized Support   Varied Learning Styles

High School Reform in South Carolina – the Three R’s 2006 SC High School Redesign Commission Report II. Building Relevance   Create a high school curriculum meaningful to students and tied to a real- world knowledge and skills   Ability for students to choose a curriculum that fits their interests, everyday lives, and future plans

High School Reform in South Carolina – the Three R’s 2006 SC High School Redesign Commission Report III. Building Relationships   Students academically perform better when they are known, valued, and contributing members of a learning community.

Increased number of AP, IB, and Honor course offerings High academic standards Professional Development support Curriculum Resource Teachers at all high schools New Uniform Grading Scale ( ) Rigor in GCS

Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) Implementation Dual Credit Offerings Virtual High School Twilight Schools Distance Learning Credit Recovery Technology Integration Relevance in GCS

Smaller Learning Communities (6 sites) High Schools That Work (8 sites) Vertical Teams Graduate Greenville Alternative pathways to graduation Relationships in GCS

Only 5% of retained 9 th graders will go on to graduate. More students fail ninth grade than any other grade of school. Students who repeat at least one year are three times more likely to drop out of school than students who have not failed a grade. 60% of students with multiple risk factors in eighth grade graduate from high school on time, compared to 90% of other students. Why 9 th Grade Redesign in GCS?

The performance of students in Algebra I is the single most reliable indicator of their earnings at age 25. A study of 56 Georgia and Florida high schools found that schools with extensive transition programs had significantly lower failure and dropout rates than those schools that did not offer comprehensive programs. Why 9 th Grade Redesign in GCS?

Freshman Academy Results Berea High th Graders Retained15151 Attendance Rate92.38%92.93% Referrals1,1961,002 JL Mann High th Graders Retained5560 Attendance Rate96.3%96.5% Referrals1, Hillcrest High th Graders Retained20883 Attendance Rate93.38%93.41% Referrals2,3981,810

Freshman Academy Results Mauldin High th Graders Retained9564 Attendance Rate - - Referrals1,8352,418 Wade Hampton High th Graders Retained7551 Attendance Rate92.05%93.58% Referrals4,2982,095 Travelers Rest High th Graders Retained14478 Attendance Rate-- Referrals848806

Applied for Small Learning Communities Grant (Awarded $2.1M for SY04-05 to SY06-07) Decentralized implementation (see goals) District level meetings to discuss best practices with other SLC schools District Approach

High School Schedules Period Day Carolina Eastside Greenville J. L. Mann Mauldin Riverside Southside Travelers Rest 8 Opportunity Block Berea Blue Ridge Greer Hillcrest Wade Hampton Woodmont

Implement HSTW district-wide Transition 9 th grade Small Learning Communities into Clusters and Majors Offer dual credit courses for more Carnegie Credit Continue implementation of standards-based curriculum Increase number of Distance Learning opportunities Increase the percentage of students taking honors, IB, and AP courses Expand the “possibilities” of the Twilight Schools Educate middle-grades students, parents, and teachers about rigorous high school studies Establish a “Parental Involvement” training for schools What is Next?

Lance Radford, Principal

Grades 9-12 (389 Freshmen) 1300 students Gender Male = 642 Female = 658 Ethnicity A = 2% B = 25% H = 7% O = 1% W = 65% Poverty Index (FARMS) approx. 35% Zoning School of choice (21%) What Are We? INITIAL GOAL OF THE FRESHMEN ACADEMY: Reduce the 9 th grade retention rate

WHHS Freshman Stats th Graders Retained Attendance Rate92.92%92.05%93.58% GPA ReferralsN/A4,2982,095 Enrollment HSAP Pass RateN/A68.9%75.6%

  One size does not fit all   Flexibility   Things are not done in isolation   District level meetings with other schools that have 9 th grade academies   Take chances   OK to throw out what didn’t work (even though you may have spent a lot of money on the effort) District Support

  Isolate the first year freshmen in major academic classes   Dedicated Freshman Academy Coordinator   Dedicated Guidance Counselor & Administrator   Dedicated Freshman Academy Faculty with time for collaboration built into the day   Incentive Programs for Teachers and Students SREB: HSTW Freshman Academy Philosophy

  Tutoring programs   Double blocking classes   Small class sizes   Teaming & Collaboration of teachers   Professional Development for teachers   Summer Bridge Program SREB: HSTW Freshman Academy Philosophy

  Hire and retain quality teachers   It must be the Teachers choice to be a part of the Freshmen Academy   Teacher Incentive program Wade Hampton High School’s Formula for Success Wade Hampton High School’s Formula for Success

Personnel Dedicated AP, Coordinator & Guidance Counselor The School Principal must be involved Choosing teachers that want to be in the academy Professional Development specific to the needs of FA Teachers 2-day Pre-School Retreat United Philosophy all 9 th graders can be successful 9 th graders must not fail High expectations for all students Consistency when enforcing rules Keep students in class & disruptions to a minimum Incentive program Communication Weekly Freshmen Academy teacher meetings/planning Constant contact with parents (grades / attendance) Spring Fling Information Thing Student Support During the school day tutoring 9 th grade hallway Small Class Sizes Peer African American Male mentoring program Increased Rigor, 25% of freshmen now take AP classes AP pass rate is 44% Double blocking lowest achieving students in English and math 4X4 schedule with only 2 academic classes per semester PTSA sponsored summer school Free credit recovery First Friday Student of the Month Back-to-School Kits Curriculum Common Teaching Practices (Agenda & EQ on the board) Common Course Syllabi (Horizontal Alignment) MAP Testing for placement decisions What Worked?

What Didn’t Work? Personnel Part Time Coordinator Part Time Administrator Assigning teachers to teach Freshman Academy classes Curriculum  Freshmen Success classes  Common planning for teachers  Double blocking all freshmen in math classes  Delayed start (traditional schedule) Communication Transition programs with feeder middle schools Monthly newsletter mailed home Student Support  Teaming  Double blocking all freshmen in English and math  Freshmen lunch  Using ISS as the primary discipline action for 9th graders  Rescheduling students who were not successful in English or math  Excessive levels within courses  After school tutoring (transportation problems)

  Wall to wall Career Academies   The new focus on 10 th grade   South Carolina – The Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA)   16 Career Clusters (With Majors)   Personal Pathways to Success   Transition from Middle School to High School to College/Workforce   Individualized Graduation Plan (IGP) What’s Next?

Questions?Comments.

Louisiana High School Redesign Summit May 2, 2007