1. Dartmouth High School 2008-2011 District Goals Update 1

2. Need: Approximately 1/3 of the students entering Dartmouth High School read below grade level while 1/4 of our junior students would not qualify for a credit- bearing college English course. 2 Goal: Dartmouth High School students will read and write at a level to meet minimum college entrance expectations.

3. Dartmouth High School students will read and write at a level to meet minimum college entrance expectations. 3 Year Plan Specifics ◦ Offer 9 week reading course to freshmen. ◦ Develop school-wide writing rubrics to establish common standards and achievement levels. ◦ Increase awareness and use of effective reading and writing strategies in the content areas. Fall 2010 Update ◦ 9 week reading course enrollment based on student MCAS and school performance data to capture all students requiring the support the course offers. ◦ Literacy Committee has engaged with a consultant to begin to build a school wide program which incorporates reading strategies into content area lessons. ◦ Continue to support professional development for all faculty in the work of building common summative assessments that emphasize writing and reading. 3

4. Dartmouth High School students will read and write to meet minimum college entrance expectations. Next Steps ◦ Build a school wide literacy program that incorporates proven strategies for reading and writing across the curriculum. This will be a two-year process supported by Public Consulting Group. ◦ Continue involvement in the District writing task force to develop a cohesive K-12 writing program and to work at the building level to revise existing writing assignments to align with the new Common Core. ◦ Continue to use data such as SAT essay scores to drive the development of the writing program. ◦ Monitor trends in writing instruction to adopt best practices. 4 Data

5. Need: Dartmouth High School has a drop- out rate of 1.4% and sends approximately 21 students to an evening diploma program each year. 5 Goal: Dartmouth High School will provide timely intervention to academically at- risk students.

6. Dartmouth High School will provide timely intervention to academically at-risk students. 3 Year Plan Specifics ◦ Students who need support will be identified and encouraged to enroll in a DHS summer or school-year program. ◦ The on-line Plato system will be utilized as an in-school resource. ◦ Counselors will meet with students who have failed to review available supports and to make a plan for improvement. ◦ Each student who scores NI on the MCAS test will have an Educational Proficiency Plan developed for him/her. Fall 2010 Update ◦ Smart Start program in its third year. ◦ Creation and implementation of a Building Based Student Support Team to regulate and support the RTI model. ◦ Growth of the inclusion model in English and history classes now expanded into science and math with professional development provided. ◦ Plato Power Pack license purchased for remediating students which is used in credit recovery Strategies courses. 6

7. Dartmouth High School will provide timely intervention to academically at-risk students. Data ◦ First Semester Failure Rate: 2008 14% First Term 2009 13.5% First Term 2010 16% ◦ Total credits recovered summer school in 2009-2010: 128 ◦ 38 credits earned through attendance recovery. Next Steps ◦ Continue to build a successful Freshman Academy model. Provide more common planning time. Heavily resource inclusion services with this group of students. ◦ Utilize a broad range of student data to target instruction in widely used and transferrable literacy and numeracy skills. ◦ Continue to shape SST program to meet a wide range of student needs. This year we added an additional course and modified an existing course into a graduation requirement. ◦ Build a power-standards driven curriculum where student progress is carefully monitored through formative assessments and interventions are provided when necessary. 7

8. Need: “Let’s give students learning tasks that tell them, ‘You can be as smart as you want to be.’” (Carol S. Dweck) 8 Goal: Dartmouth High School will provide a rigorous and relevant curriculum which will result in student mastery of 21 st century skills.

9. Dartmouth High School will provide a rigorous and relevant curriculum which will result in student mastery of 21 st century skills. 3 Year Plan Specifics ◦ Identify power (priority) standards. ◦ Create formative and summative assessments to revise instruction. ◦ Increase enrollment in honors and AP courses by 10% over the three year plan period. ◦ More students will take advantage of post-secondary credit options. Fall 2010 Update ◦ Faculty are working each release day and curriculum work days to create units with summative assessments. The work has produced some best practices assessment and instruction and has provided more consistency between and among teachers. ◦ The leadership team is beginning to use data to give clarity to which skills need to be practiced across disciplines. 9

10. Dartmouth High School will provide a rigorous and relevant curriculum which will result in student mastery of 21 st century skills. Data ◦ AP Enrollment increased above the state average. Please see Appendix A. ◦ Honors enrollment remained steady from 2008-2009 to 2009-2010. ◦ Quiz Bowl – DHS placed in the top 16 of high schools who competed for a place on the show to air in April. ◦ College Essay Writing Workshop with Northeastern University. ◦ Guidance department hosted its first visits by college admissions personnel in many years. ◦ AP Potential report used in a systematic way to encourage student enrollment. ◦ LMC sees over 500 students each day Next Steps ◦ The next emphasis for curriculum leadership will be to scrutinize individual courses to ensure they teach the content and skills that are enduring, leveraging and essential. ◦ Completion of a data set to inform instruction and leadership planning. ◦ The faculty is nearly finished outlining student competencies that reflect NEASC’s 21 st century learning expectations and will then write the core values and beliefs about learning statement. 10

11. Need: “The High School of the 21 st century must be much more student centered and above all much more personalized in programs, support services, and intellectual rigor.” (Breaking Ranks) 11 Goal: Dartmouth High School will create a positive learning climate and increased personalization.

12. Dartmouth High School will create a positive learning climate and increased personalization. 3 Year Plan Specifics ◦ Implement a Freshman Academy. ◦ Implement Advisory. ◦ Increase the number of students participating in co-curricular opportunities. ◦ Increase the number of students achieving the baseline gpa (3.0) for state college admission. ◦ Continue the Freshman Kick-Off mentoring program. ◦ Reduce violent/safety incidents. Fall 2010 Update ◦ All freshmen are in the Freshman Academy. They are all scheduled for the freshman seminar course in the first semester. ◦ The Freshman Kick-Off program has successfully connected juniors and seniors with freshmen on an ongoing basis through Advisory. ◦ Project Upgrade provides peer tutoring two afternoons and two mornings a week. Student participation rates are on target to double last years’. ◦ School to Career Counselor is expanding the program. There are 80 students enrolled in internships. ◦ SRO partnering with SRPEDD and the high school to provide safe driving programs. ◦ Active Principal’s Advisory Committee. 12

13. Dartmouth High School will create a positive learning climate and increased personalization. Data ◦ Kick off Mentoring Program  2008 80% freshmen participation  2009 84% freshmen participation  2010 89% freshmen participation ◦ Student Fights  2008 1 st term 8 fights  2009 1 st term 5 fights  2010 1 st term 3 fights ◦ LMC use: this year average of 82 whole class visits per month compared to 71 per month last year; active inter-library loan – DHS responsible for 30% of loans of the 75 library consortium ◦ Students involved in co-curriculars: over 500 Next Steps ◦ Review the current strategy to engage students in DHS clubs. ◦ Continue to revise and improve the current college advising format and develop a standards based program for freshmen and sophomores. ◦ Strengthen Advisory program to have more “real life” and practical lessons. 13

14. Need: Dartmouth per pupil spending is in the bottom 15% of districts state- wide and below 10 other districts with comparable demographics thus necessitating the need for additional funds. 14 Goal: Dartmouth High School will encourage a grant-seeking culture to support our initiatives.

15. Dartmouth High School will encourage a grant- seeking culture to support our initiatives. 3 Year Plan Specifics ◦ Notify faculty of grants available. Fall 2010 Update ◦ SLC Supplemental Grant (data collection on postsecondary enrollment and success). ◦ Academic Support Services Grant (MCAS). 15

16. Dartmouth High School will encourage a grant- seeking culture to support our initiatives. Data ◦ 20 local grants awarded 2008-09. ◦ DHS success with over 50% of its applications funded by DEF. ◦ 1 yellow school bus grant awarded 2010- 11. ◦ SLC Federal Grant Extension $228,000.00 Next Steps ◦ Look into grants to build a “best practices” Physical Education and Health program. 16

17. Need: “Three simple things matter more than all else…guaranteed curriculum, reading, writing, discussion and good lessons. They are essential to an education for the 21 st century but are in fact old friends. ” (Mike Schmoker) 17 Goal: All DHS staff will be provided opportunities to participate in high quality professional development.

18. All DHS staff will be provided opportunities to participate in high quality professional development. 3 Year Plan Specifics ◦ Coaching the Reluctant Learner. ◦ Formative assessment. ◦ Targeted workshops in content area groups. ◦ Differentiated instruction/inclusion. ◦ SLC initiatives. ◦ ILT coaching to develop power (primary) standards. ◦ Rigor/Relevance Framework. Fall 2010 Update ◦ Workshops held in the following areas:  Inclusion  Formative/Summative Assessment  Freshman Teaming  Power Standard Development  Ongoing coaching for department chairs in leadership of best practices and standards based unit development 18

19. All DHS staff will be provided opportunities to participate in high quality professional development. Data ◦ 100% participation in power standard and assessment workshop. ◦ 16 faculty participated in inclusion workshop 2009 and 18 this year. ◦ On-going and self-driven freshman academy workshops. ◦ High school faculty were reimbursed $28,852.00 for courses/workshops taken on their own. Next Steps ◦ Finish creating a 3 year comprehensive professional development plan tying it to the school goals as well as the NEASC standards. ◦ Provide an appropriate forum for sharing lessons learned at workshops and conferences. ◦ Strengthen the PLC’s (Professional Learning Communities) by continued training in best practices. 19

20. 20 APPENDIX A AP Test Takers and Test Scores 2007-2008 % 2007-2008 # 2008-2009 % 2008-2009 # 2009-2010 % 2009-2010 # AP ENROLLMENT11.36%14215.25%18319.30%227 AP TEST TAKERS11.36%14215.25%18319.30%227 2007-2008 % 2007-2008 # 2008-2009 % 2008-2009 # 2009-2010 % 2009-2010 # AP TEST - PASSING RATE AMONG ALL TEST TAKERS 86.60%12389.70%16379.20%180 These figures are based on an enrollment of 1250 students for 2007-2008, 1200 students for 2008-2009 and 1172 students for 2009-2010 Please note, this is total students, not total tests taken. A student who is enrolled in multiple AP courses only counts once in the figures above.

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