Welcome Westmont High School Parents

Westmont High School is… The Most Improved High School in Illinois 2014 One of the Most Improved and Top Performing High Schools in the United States

How were we able to make this happen?

Criteria School Year Data Graduation Rate Advanced Placement Program PSAE Scores

Graduation Rate

Graduation Rate 99.0 %

Advanced Placement Program

Advanced Placement Performance Almost 400% increase in the number of passed AP Exams 29 in 2013  141 in 2014 Advanced Placement Scholar increase 3 in 2013  16 in 2014 (highest in school history with the previous being 5)

Washington Post Challenge Index Score From.56 to 3.01 We will be about right here < Most Improved In Illinois

U.S. News and World Report Ranking will be improved from Score = 15 (not in the top 20%)  Score = 30 (in the top 7%) ***TOP 7% in Illinois for performance*** ***Most Improved in Illinois***

Why take AP classes? Impress Admissions Counselors Develop College Level Academic Skills – Prepare for College Take more elective classes in college Choose a major sooner Add a minor or second major Save money! Create a stronger and more rigorous academic environment at W.H.S. Help develop and build a strong reputation of W.H.S. for all student admissions process. Build a championship academic environment to promote more student achievement.

WHY Take A.P. at Westmont? Getting our Students to Dream Big – Getting our Students to Overcome Challenges- Developing a “Whatever it Takes” Attitude – Getting our Students to Believe that Together We will accomplish any goal -

Why take an AP test? Prepare for the college experience College credit Low risk – choose which exams to report Advanced Placement Scholar Promote Westmont as a Top Performing School College – Reputation as a school, which will increase college admissions opportunities.

25 Year Study “Take challenging school work in high school, and don’t let anyone scare you away from it.” (page 103) “The intensity and quality of one’s secondary school curriculum was the strongest influence not merely on college entrance, but more importantly, on bachelor’s degree completion…” (page 5) Answers In the Toolbox Revisited (2006)

PSAE

Highest Test Scores in School History Overall Score 69% meets and exceeds Previous high was 66% (graduation rate 90%) 13 year average was 58%

Reading 76% meets and exceeds Previous high was 70% 13 year average was 61% Math (second highest) 63% meets and exceeds Previous high was 67% 13 year average was 55%

◄ WHS 2014

Highest Science Scores in School History

More Accomplishments to Celebrate Lowest out-of-school suspension rate Athletic Success AP Grant- 3 rounds totaling $140,000 in competitive grant funding Sponsored 2 nd AP Conference Innovative Programs and Summer School All but one student from WJHS selected WHS

Positive relationships with students Teacher interventions and support A commitment to helping students succeed

Athletic Successes Competed Down State: Boys’ Cross Country Girls’ Cross Country Wrestling Boys’ Track Girls’ Track Baseball _________________________ Girls’ softball won Sectionals

Innovative Programs Change Makers The Garden

Summer School Programs and Attendance Program# of Students Credit Recovery23 TEAM26 AP Human Geography 23 Math Jump to Honors 22 Summer Literacy11 TOTAL105 students

How did we do it? “Whatever it Takes” philosophy Focus on learning for all

Smart Goal Process Implement goals 2-3 building wide goals 2-3 team goals 1 is linked to school goals 1 is what gets you up in the morning 1 is your choice Monitor all time – Focus Adjust – Support – Goals drive action

We must continue… Making improvements Maintaining our graduation rate Building our AP Program Challenge Index Score of 4.0 or higher) Closing the achievement gap for African American and Latino students Improving literacy for all students

Thank you for all your support Here are some things we need from parents to continue this momentum…

The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching Be Demanding – Section 1 “The general principle that emerged from the study- dubbed the Pygmalion effect – has been confirmed in other studies (e.g., Hattie, 2009), and it has been demonstrated by such famous teachers as Marva Collins, Rafe Esquith, and Jaime Escalante: when teachers expect more, students rise to their expectations.” (p. 3) Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.

The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching Be Supportive - Section 2 “Warm demanders – originally labeled ‘supportive gadflies’ – combined ‘high personal warmth with high active demandingness’.” (p.64)

The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way “The only way to get smart was to work hard and learn well” (p.194) “There are even whole schools built around the ideals of rigorous learning and telling children the truth. These are countercultural places, though, with leaders who spend a lot of time convincing parents that their children are tougher than they think” (p.197)

Growth Mindset Intelligence can be developed therefore leads to a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to Embrace challenges Persist in the face of setbacks See effort as the path to mastery Learn from criticism Find lessons and inspiration in the success of others As a result they reach ever higher levels of achievement Mindset - Dr. Carol Dweck (2006)

Quick Tips Reading independently every night will have a positive impact in all academic areas. Help your child to see the growth mindset. Asking questions and seeking help is a sign of strength. Encourage your child to be gritty.

Let’s Celebrate … An Amazing Year

Thank you for all you have done and will continue to do for our students!