JOSEPH A. GREGORI HIGH SCHOOL SELF-STUDY REPORT COPY Gregori... · 2020-02-08 · 1 . Preface . Joseph A. Gregori High School completed its first full WASC accreditation report in

ACS WASC/CDE FOL 2017 Ed. SY 2019-20 Rev. 10/18

JOSEPH A. GREGORI HIGH SCHOOL SELF-STUDY REPORT

3701 Pirrone Road Modesto, CA 95356

Modesto City Schools District

March 1-4, 2020

ACS WASC/CDE Focus on Learning Accreditation Manual, 2017 Edition (Edited for SY 2019–2020 School Visits)

JOSEPH A. GREGORI HIGH SCHOOL- ACS WASC/CDE Self-Study Report

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Modesto City Schools

Superintendent and Cabinet Dr. Sara Noguchi, Superintendent Brad Goudeau, Associate Superintendent Education Services Mike Henderson, Associate Superintendent Human Resources Mark Herbst, Associate Superintendent Student Support Services Krista Noonan, Chief Communications Officer Lauren Odell, Associate Superintendent C&I and PD Russell Selken, Chief Technology Officer Tim Zearley, Associate Superintendent Business Services CBO Modesto City Schools Board of Education John Walker, President Cindy Marks, Vice President Chad Brown John Ervin III Adolfo Lopez Amy Neumann Dr. Charlene West Link to Board Members

https://www.mcs4kids.com/district/board/board-members

ACS WASC/CDE FOL 2017 Ed. SY 2019-20 Rev. 10/18

Table of Contents Modesto City Schools .............................................................................................................. 1

Preface ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter I: Progress Report ..................................................................................................... 6 Chapter II: Student/Community Profile and Supporting Data and Findings ....................... 16 Chapter III: Self-Study Findings ............................................................................................ 39 Category A: Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership, Staff, and Resources 39

A1. Vision and Purpose Criterion .......................................................................................... 40 A2. Governance Criterion ..................................................................................................... 42 A3. Leadership: Data-Informed Decision-Making and Ongoing Improvement Criterion ........ 44 A4. Staff: Qualified and Professional Development Criterion ................................................ 46 A5. Resources Criterion ........................................................................................................ 49

Category B: Standards-based Student Learning: Curriculum ............................................ 55 B1. Rigorous and Relevant Standards-Based Curriculum Criterion ...................................... 56 B2. Equity and Access to Curriculum Criterion ...................................................................... 60

Category C: Standards-based Student Learning: Instruction ............................................ 65 C1. Student Involvement in Challenging and Relevant Learning Criterion ............................. 66 C2. Student Engagement through a Variety of Strategies and Resources Criterion .............. 68

Category D: Standards-based Student Learning: Assessment and Accountability ......... 73 D1. Using Assessment to Analyze and Report Schoolwide Student Progress Criterion ........ 74 D2. Using Assessment to Monitor and Modify Learning in the Classroom Criterion .............. 77

Category E: School Culture and Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth ... 81 E1. Parent and Community Engagement Criterion ............................................................... 82 E2. School Culture and Environment Criterion ...................................................................... 84 E3. Personal and Academic Student Support Criterion ......................................................... 90

Chapter IV: Summary from Analysis of Identified Critical Student Learning Needs ......... 96 Chapter V: Schoolwide Action Plan ...................................................................................... 98 Appendices: .......................................................................................................................... 114


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Preface Joseph A. Gregori High School completed its first full WASC accreditation report in 2010-11. The Visiting Committee’s recommendation was an initial three-year accreditation with a revisit in 2013-14. In 2014, Gregori received a full six-year accreditation with a mid-cycle report. The 2017 report was submitted and the remaining three years were confirmed. During the timeline above, Gregori worked to adjust the action plan to align with shifts in our educational system. Many changes occurred during this time that lead to the evolution of our current action plan (i.e. State Testing, California State Standards, Curriculum, Technology, LCAP, LCFF, PBIS, administrative changes at both site and district level). These changes over time have caused a complete overhaul of our action plan. In January of 2019, we began the self-study process. The process started by identifying two teachers to co-chair the WASC coordinator position (Stacey Damas-Math, and Jahir Salazar-ELA). The Principal, Associate Principal, and the co-chair WASC coordinators participated in a WASC webinar Day 1 to learn the steps of the self-study. At the January Faculty Meeting, the principal presented an overview of the full self-study process, and the teacher groups and roles expected. Each teacher is a part of two groups for this process, Home Groups by Department, and Focus Groups by SLC. Parents, students, and staff joined each of the five focus groups. In February of 2019, Focus Groups met to identify information for the indicators and prompts in their area. We utilized Google forms to collect, organize, and process this information. (to merge these three paragraphs from this point on): The WASC chairs consolidated this information and shared it with each of the focus groups. This data formed the foundation for a cycle of review at one meeting a month during the Spring 2019 semester. In March, teams analyzed the responses and data. In April, they focused on identifying strengths and areas for growth. At this stage, WASC chairs collected this data through Google forms, and organized responses to help shape schoolwide strengths or areas of growth, which each focus group reviewed in May. In August, teams met to review schoolwide learner outcomes, mission and vision statements, and re-evaluated the strengths and areas for growth in order to lead to the revised Action Plan.

Schoolwide Learner Outcomes

Journey towards graduation and lifelong learning

• Meeting all requirements for graduation • Post-secondary preparedness • Information and technological literacy

Actively engage in the classroom, school, and community

• Classroom collaboration and participation • Use academic language to read, write, discuss and problem solve


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• Engage in campus and civic service projects • Participate in extra and co-curricular activities

Goal setting focused on student achievement

• Consistent and prompt daily attendance • Gather, organize, and analyze data to work crucially • Achieve proficiency in academic standards

Small Learning Communities generate strong relationships • Actively engage in SLC (Career Technology, Global Studies, Digital Media

Business, Visual Performing Arts) • Utilize SLC office to advocate for self-needs and obtain needed assistance for

success

MISSION STATEMENT Joseph A. Gregori High School provides a safe, collaborative learning community that engages and supports all students to succeed as lifelong learners. VISION STATEMENT We will be life-long collaborative learners. Our curricula will be rigorous, relevant, engaging, aligned to standards and our Small Learning Communities. Our interactions with everyone will be fair, prompt, and consistent. VALUE STATEMENT We will monitor the results of our individual and collective efforts and use evidence to guide our process of continuous improvement. We will hold students accountable for behavior of the highest standards in memory of Joseph A. Gregori.

In October 2019, a draft of the self-study was provided to the Focus Groups to review and provide feedback. This feedback was reviewed and a revised self-study was provided to the staff in November. During this process Focus Groups collected and provided evidence in Google Folders, and reviewed survey data. In December, a final draft was provided to the Focus Groups as well as the final Action Plan. Through an ongoing process, we utilize collaboration through PLC’s on a cycle of continuous improvement. Each summer, the principal obtains information from Site Leadership Team (SLT) in areas for growth. The Principal then completes a Principal Summit presentation to outline the vision and action plan for the school based on the data. The Principal presents the Summit presentation to the Superintendent and Cabinet members. Fellow Principals can watch other presentations to hear a variety of schoolwide successes that have taken place and may


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encounter ideas to bring back to their own site. In the Winter, there is a mid-year Summit to present progress. Modesto City Schools (MCS) hired a new Superintendent in summer of 2018, Dr. Sara Noguchi. She has made some revisions to this process that started for the 2019-20 school year to make the Principal Summit a more collaborative process with other Principals in the district. Additionally, the action plans in the Principal Summit align with WASC and LCAP goals. Throughout the year data shared with departments, Small Learning Communities (SLCs), and schoolwide through a variety of methods. The Principal utilizes a Friday Update Newsletter to the staff that contains current data. The school realizes that frequent, relevant, and timely data is an area that needs improvement. This will allow the school to utilize the PLC process with more fidelity.


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Home Group Assignments

Administration Special Education Counseling CTE Science

Derek Pendley

Brandon Fromm

Shaun Hurtado

Dr. Jeff Daucher

Jill Burford

Janna Froehlke

Christine Harmon

Glen Harris

Terri Hollman

Teresa McArthur

Jason McCoy

Priya Mishra

Callie O’Keefe

Vanessa Valdez

Lindsey Vaughn

Marielena Zuniga

Corrie Johnson

Alison Kuykendall

Brandi Miller

Erika Suarez

Juan Zamora

Kyle Beeman

Jennifer Delnero

Brittany Nelms

Mark Nower

Lamar Wallace

Vincent Benitez

Mike Cantwell

Tricia Collins

Ethan Duewell

Melanie Joseph

Katie Merenda

Steve Merenda

Marianne Morales

Pete Rodgers

David Winfrey

Math Social Science VAPA PE & Health Education English

Joseph Armanious

Chris Bickle

Dia Borden

Stacey Damas

Kari Dykes

Loretta Fillpot

Lori Gaines

Brandon Harker

Ron Imbesi

Nicole Inderbitzen

Matt Soderlund

Shelly Taylor

Francisco Vasquez

Shareen Wright

Melinda Cogburn

Mary Fong

Danielle Jackson

Don Kirk

Daniel Moreno

Amanda Neslen

Nick Silva

John Souza

Bradd Stewart

Scott Szostak

Matt Taylor

John Biven

Helen Coleman

Paul Herrera

Nancy Maxon

Jim McCarthy

Jim Davis

Ryan Green

Tracy Moore

Jennifer Pirrone

Mike VanderMolen

Marcus Whitten

Scott Chapman

Kim Cloud

Waly Diouf

Mamta Harris

Brittany Hughes

Karri LaBarbera

Emilia Louis

Jennifer Moreno

Linda McDougal

Melissa McHale

Joseph Orlando

Christine Perez

Jahir Salazar

Mark Skujins

Deanna Williamson

World Language TOPS

Lindy Findlen

Diana Gonzalez

Sophie Lobry

Claudia Narez

Josefina Padilla

Jocelyn Skujins

Ana York

Juan DeVerona

Kristen Taylor


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Focus Group Assignments

A: Organization B: Curriculum C: Instruction D: Assessment

E: Culture

Co-Chairs Kim Cloud

Scott Chapman

Certificated Erika Suarez Rob Steves

Teresa McArthur Kyle Beeman Dia Borden Jill Burford

Mike Cantwell Jennifer Delnero

Juan Zamora Ethan Duewell Chris Harmon Mamta Harris Ron Imbesi

Don Kirk Emilia Louis

Teresa McArthur Mark Nower

Bradd Stewart Matt Taylor

Shareen Wright

Parents Lisa Martin

Saida Sanchez

Students Georgia Thoukis

Deeya Patel Aikam Basi

Ashley Bartlett Aubrey Kellert

Co-Chairs Jamie Fredericksen

Melissa McHale

Certificated Brandi Miller

Christine Clark Joseph Armanious

Jim Davis Kari Dykes

Loretta Fillpot Jim McCarthy Scott Szostak

Steve Merenda Priya Mishra

Jennifer Moreno Claudia Narez Mark Skujins

Matt Soderlund John Souza

Kristen Taylor Lamar Wallace Marcus Whitten David Winfrey

Ana York

Parents Debbie Duchala Susan Paulson

Students

Jocelyn Fahlen Hunter Miller Cassey Perez

Ryan Anderson Krisha Vyas

Co-Chairs Danielle Jackson

Jahir Salazar

Certificated Corrie Johnson

Melinda Cogburn Lori Gaines

Diana Gonzalez Brittany Hughes

Nicole Inderbitzen Melanie Joseph

Karrie LaBarbera Sophie Lobry

Katie Merenda Tracy Moore

Danny Moreno Amanda Neslen

Joe Orlando Josephina Padilla

Pete Rogers Jocelyn Skujins

Mike VanderMolen Lindsey Vaughn Marielena Zuniga

Parents

Christine Ashrafzadeh Lordi Roueil

Students

Nate Bowman Aracelli Lopez Sophia Franzia

Dominic O’Keeffe Sophia Franzia

Co-Chairs Mary Fong

Jason McCoy

Certificated Juan Zamora Glenn Harris Chris Bickle John Biven

Helen Coleman Tricia Collins Waly Diouf

Janna Froehlke Brandon Harker

Paul Herrera Nancy Maxon

Linda McDougal Marianne Morales

Callie O’Keffe Jennifer Ruiz

Nick Silva Deanna Williamson

Parents Jeff McKay Jose Padilla

Students

Julia Meyer Fallon Wolfley Sarah Knowles Jessica Rodig Skylar Nguyen

Co-Chairs Stacey Damas Jennifer Pirrone

Certificated

Vincent Benitez Lindy Findlen Ryan Green

Alison Kuykendall Brittany Nelms Christine Perez Jennifer Pirrone

Shelly Taylor Vanessa Valdez

Francisco Vazquez

Parents Rachel Wetzel

Stephanie Longstreth

Students Anya Baily

Erica Axtell Marcos Alvara

Carson Croasdale


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Chapter I: Progress Report During our last full Self-Study, Gregori High School identified two Critical Learner Needs (CLN).

1. Math Skills: Prepare all students for real world math application by improving student’s understanding of math concepts, problem solving skills, and their ability to perform essential calculations and apply mathematical formulas.

2. Small Learning Communities will positively impact student achievement in reading and writing with connections created through Common Core literacy standards that focus on SLC specific topics.

From these, Gregori High School identified Action Plan Goals.

School Goal #1: CAHSEE English Language Arts (ELA) Increase by nine percent the percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced on California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) – English Language Arts (ELA).

School Goal #2: CAHSEE Math Increase by nine percent the percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced on California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) – Math

School Goal #3: CST ELA Increase by nine percent the percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced on California Standards Tests - English Language Arts (ELA). As CST data will be non-existent in 2014 and beyond, the use of local assessment trend data and CalMAPP data will be utilized as it becomes available.

School Goal #4: CST Math Increase by nine percent the percent of students scoring Proficient or Advanced on California Standards Tests – Math. As CST data will be non-existent in 2014 and beyond, the use of local assessment trend data and CalMAPP data will be utilized as it becomes available.

School Goal #5: Small Learning Communities – SLC’s SLC's will positively impact student achievement in reading and writing with connections created through common core literacy standards that focus on SLC-specific topics.

With four of the five goals related to State assessments which are no longer assessed, there were significant revisions made during the Mid-Report to include the following Action Plan Goals. Additionally, below each goal we have updates of progress towards the goals since the last full Self-Study.


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School Goal #1: CAASPP English Language Arts (ELA) Increase by nine percent the percent of students scoring Met Standard or Exceeded Standard on CAASPP - English Language Arts (ELA).

Teachers have been collaborating and working to improve instructional strategies to increase student success. The implementation of new technology has been an increasingly important aspect of lesson development, especially with the move to digital 1:1 devices in the 2017-2018 school year. Teachers have practiced vertical teaming, essay norming, and the use of common rubrics to provide consistent evaluation and feedback. Other strategies that have been implemented to increase student outcomes are Literacy Binders, Academic Conversations (including Socratic Seminar), Multimedia presentations, and Cross-Curricular Strategies. Every department has made an effort to incorporate reading and writing more frequently. There is an emphasis in literacy instruction across the curriculum and common literacy strategies are used. Departments in which reading and writing have not been prominent in the past (i.e. Math and Physical Education) are now working collaboratively to find applicable and interesting ways to use literacy skills to increase knowledge and comprehension. Moreover, the entire staff worked collectively to develop strategies to implement schoolwide. These instructional strategies included “ACE” the Question; Structured Partner Interactions; Think, Ink, Pair Share (TIPS); and “Reading with a Pen”. The task of incorporating these specific instructional strategies has led to a shared responsibility in the staff, an increase of student awareness of concepts, as well rigorous expectations in all departments. These instructional norms have created a heightened sense of how the faculty addresses literacy skills. Additionally, in October 2019 professional development was provided to teachers about specific literacy strategies to aid instruction and student comprehension.

School Goal #2: CAASPP Math Increase by nine percent the percent of students scoring Met Standard or Exceeded Standard on CAASPP - Mathematics.

Gregori’s mathematics curriculum has evolved to encompass California State Standards and the new Standards for Math Practice. The Standards for Math Practice are not only applicable in math classes, but they can also be applied in all subjects. The entire staff has dissected these Standards for Math Practice and worked diligently in departments, small learning communities, PLCs, and as a whole staff to incorporate them into all subjects. The eight Standards for Math Practice are as follows:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others 4. Model with mathematics 5. Use appropriate tools strategically 6. Attend to precision 7. Look for and make use of structure 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning


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A variety of ways each department has incorporated the Standards for Math Practice in their curriculum include but are not limited to: Socratic Seminars by engaging students in active listening and speaking;

structured partner interactions Students discuss basic concepts and apply this knowledge to other readings

and real-world problem-solving Students show work through a variety of methods (i.e. exit tickets, written

and oral responses, essays, presentations, examinations, etc.) Cross-curricular activities Students create a variety of sentences based on the grammar practice patterns

they have previously learned Data calculations in science labs and physical education lessons.

The task of incorporating the Standards for Math Practice into lessons across the curriculum has benefitted all students. There is a “growth mindset” at Gregori as evidenced that no “below-grade-level” mathematics classes are offered at Gregori. Currently, there is a Math Task Force at the district level to analyze the course and sequence of our math classes as well as the curriculum. There is a possibility this committee will recommend switching back to a traditional sequence as opposed to the integrated track. Once the committee reaches a conclusion there will be a curriculum committee assigned for implementation of the new curriculum in 2020-21.

School Goal #3: Small Learning Communities – SLC’s SLC's will positively impact student achievement in reading and writing with connections created through common core literacy standards. Furthermore, JAGHS will continue to research ways to ensure purity of their SLC’s.

Gregori is unique within Modesto City Schools (MCS) as the only high school in the district to have Small Learning Communities (SLC). SLCs are effective in that they create a feeling of community, safety, and familiarity in a school of over 2,200 students. Many students choose to attend Gregori for the SLC programs that are offered, which results in many students on intra and inter-district transfers. SLC identities are visible on campus within classrooms and offices. The four SLCs on campus are Career Technology, Digital Media & Business, Visual & Performing Arts, and Global Studies. The Career Technology (CT) SLC has seen many changes. Students are specifically choosing the CT SLC based on their interest in the specific programs offered. CT has channeled their approach into more defined and targeted career and employment needs found in our surrounding community, based on the partnerships the CT SLC has established with local industries and businesses. Additionally, there has been a significant increase in facilities on campus to support the programs. The Digital Media & Business (DMB) SLC has also seen some positive changes in the past years. Teachers have received increased exposure and training on


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Schoolwide and District computer applications and software. This increased training has led to an increased level of technology tools used in all classrooms. While there has not been a significant increase program offerings, the existing programs have continued to develop. Similar to other SLCs, the DMB SLC has seen increased collaboration, which has led to an increase in instructional resources and strategies. The Visual & Performing Arts (VPA) SLC has also seen positive changes. Teachers are able to collaborate to demonstrate and share instructional strategies to support student literacy. Teachers also collaborate to discuss common students to create effective strategies for interventions. The VPA SLC has also introduced many organizational tools that have been distributed to VPA students to assist them academically (i.e., student planners), and also to give them a sense of pride in their SLC. The Global Studies (GS) SLC has implemented new and different ideas that give the Global SLC a new energy. Over the past few years teachers have begun to move away from smaller scale, classroom based activities to collaborating on larger events to bring cohesion to Global Studies SLC on a larger scale. The new energy has inspired teachers to collaborate with one another more effectively; additionally, they have worked to develop weekly character development lessons. One significant challenge that seems to still be prevalent is the level of SLC purity in the Master Schedule. This was and continues to be a challenge for SLC’s on campus. This has been and will continue to be an area of needed improvement.

School Goal #4: Staff Professional Development Staff professional development will address the needs of staff as they relate to the newly implemented Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC). JAGHS must continue increasing collaboration time in order for teachers to improve instruction and develop strategies to improve student achievement. Additionally, JAGHS will increase the efficiency of instructional technology throughout the campus.

Gregori has increased collaboration time in order for teachers to improve instruction and develop strategies to improve student achievement, this increase has come in two separate waves over the last six years. Gregori has also increased the efficient use of instructional technology throughout the campus. Gregori staff has participated in many professional development opportunities. The various trainings and conferences have been focused on new curriculum and assessment; digital technology; and Professional Learning Communities. With the move to digital 1:1 devices in 2017-18, there have been numerous opportunities for technology training over the past several years, with a surge of training starting in the 2016-2017 year. Gregori has utilized the district’s technology coaches on a frequent basis, as well as maintained positive attendance with our Pizza and PD days during lunch. Teachers understand the importance of taking advantage of professional development opportunities. At the start of the 2019-20 school year the district offered a 0.5% incentive for all staff, certificated and classified, to take six hours of PD growth opportunities. Several Gregori staff members have attended a variety of PD offerings.


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School Goal #5: Support Services Support services will be evaluated and additional action taken to increase counseling services to reduce caseloads in order to more effectively serve students. Additionally, JAGHS will increase the curricular communication and articulation with JAGHS feeder schools.

In the 2014-15 school year, the student-counselor ratio was lowered from 700:1 to 650:1. Additionally, Student-Assistance Specialists (SASs) from the Center for Human Services have been contracted to work with both Gregori students and TOPS students. Both the decrease in counselor-to-student ratio and the addition of SASs on campus has dramatically improved academic, behavioral, and socio-emotional supports for our students. Teachers and administrators have worked together through professional development and collaboration to create effective methods for Student Support. The following are ways that students are receiving increased support at school, both academically and emotionally: community internships for students; increased organizational tools; increased use of technology and technology support; student performances and other artistic opportunities; common teaching practices; safe places for students before school, at lunch, and after school; Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports (PBIS) program rewards. Additionally, at the start of the 2017-18 school year Gregori opened the Intervention Center (IC). The IC is staffed by a certificated teacher, classified staff, as well as a Student Assistant Specialist (SAS) from the Center for Human Services (CFHS).

Since the last visit and the mid-report, the school and district has gone through significant Administration changes. In Summer of 2017, the Principal was promoted to a district office position and Gregori hired its third Principal since the opening of the school in 2010. Additionally, two Assistant Principals were hired. Since the mid report, there has been turnover in every site administrator position. In January of 2017, the Superintendent retired along with an Associate Superintendent. We finished the school year with an Interim Superintendent and in Summer of 2018 Dr. Sara Noguchi was hired as the new Superintendent. For the majority of the school year, the Superintendent observed the current structure and operations and there were few changes, but in Spring of 2019, she announced a significant reorganization at the district management level that would start for the 2019-20 school year. The re-organization included several new administrative positions. Prior to the changes, there were four district cabinet positions (Superintendent, HR Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services Assistant Superintendent, and Business Services Assistant Superintendent). After the reorganization, there are eight district cabinet positions (Superintendent, Associate Superintendent Education Services, Associate Superintendent Human Resources, Associate Superintendent Student Support Services, Chief Communications Officer, Associate Superintendent C&I and PD, Chief Technology Officer, Associate Superintendent Business Services CBO). The Superintendent worked hard through her first year to develop the reorganizational plan to better support students, parents, staff, and the community. Dr. Noguchi used a collaborative process that involved all stakeholder groups. At the board meetings for


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proposal and approval, there were no objections brought forth by any group, including Modesto Teachers Association (MTA) and CSEA bargaining groups. In the district changes there was a focus to move from different guiding documents that are utilized independent of each other, LCAP, SPSA, and WASC, to a unified approach. However, Gregori High School is one of two schools in the district that does not receive Title I funds and therefore does not complete an official SPSA. Despite this, the school still measures the five district goals in the SPSA and has made this part of the Principal Summit. Gregori High school has worked to align the LCAP, SPSA, and WASC goals and action plans. Site administration changes have been significant over the last three years; however, due to the majority of the SLT remaining consistent, the school has maintained its focus through the changes. The school has been on a journey to implement PLCs. Each year the school has made advances in moving from PLC Light to true, authentic PLCs. The faculty staff has experienced little change since that mid-year report.

History of Gregori Site Administration

Principal Associate Principal AP PPS AP Supervision

2010-11 Jeff Albritton Richard Baum Jenny Solis

2011-12 Jeff Albritton Brad Goudeau Jenny Solis Craig Springer



2014-15 Jeff Albritton/Brad Goudeau

Brad Goudeau/Richard

Shahbazian

Phillip Jaramillo Craig Springer

2015-16 Brad Goudeau Amanda Moore Phillip Jaramillo Craig Springer

2016-17 Brad Goudeau Amanda Moore Phillip Jaramillo Craig Springer

2017-18 Derek Pendley Mary Lomax Phillip Jaramillo

Crystal Beget/Mike VanderMolen

2018-19 Derek Pendley Mary Lomax Julie Carota Brandon Fromm

2019-20 Derek Pendley Brandon Fromm Shaun Hurtado Dr. Jeff Daucher

Since the mid-year report, the school has also gone through a major change with technology. The school has gone to one-to-one devices for students. When the roll-out came about, it was during a textbook adoption change with ELA. ELA was the first subject where the curriculum is 100% digital; however, this school year, Social Science adopted new digital curriculum and many departments have implemented either supplemental materials or instructional practices to utilize


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the devices in all subjects. According to district-provided data, Gregori High School has the highest percentage of technology use in the district for both students and staff. Several staff utilize ongoing PD to enhance technology integration within the classrooms. In our Self-Study process, we have identified Critical Learner Needs and have developed an Action Plan that aligns with the LCAP and district SPSA goals. The process we used to identify these Critical Learner needs is as follows:

• We began by outlining the WASC process from a global perspective to the entire staff.

• We identified the five Focus Groups for the staff and had staff members join one of the five groups.

• We then provided the last Self-Study, the Mid-Report, and the indicators and prompts for each group. The indicators and prompts were inserted into a Google Form and each member provided feedback for the items in their group.

• From here, we asked the groups for specific data needs for each area and provided this data at the following meeting. The groups then developed the school’s strengths and growths. At this point, we began to develop our CLN as we analyzed the data.

• We identified the following five CLN areas for our students: student achievement in ELA, Math, Attendance, Behavior, and Graduation as our CLN areas.

Critical Learner Needs: 1. In order to better serve our goals to improve student achievement, Gregori High School would

benefit from creating PLC teams with more structure and coherence around the cycle of inquiry. This cycle includes: identifying Essential Standards for each course and sequence, creating common assessments, using data to inform instruction, and creating specific and targeted interventions.

2. Gregori High School needs to continue efforts to create a rigorous but supportive environment for all our students; particularly for specialized populations that include EL, Special Education, 504, Foster, Homeless, and Migrant. This should be accomplished through collaboration with intentional data analysis within the cycle of inquiry. This data analysis needs to incorporate a reflection of instructional practices that address the specific needs of these student populations.

3. Gregori High School needs to continue to build a more effective PBIS system to meet the needs of Tier 1 students. We need to incorporate our PBIS system with higher staff participations and more frequent use by students. This should be accomplished with the further implementation of the PBIS Rewards application and incorporate more teacher stores within the program. We also need to identify interventions for Tier 2 and 3 students.

4. Gregori High School needs to continue to develop the SLCs within the fabric of the school culture. There needs to be further incorporation of purity and changes to the master schedule to facilitate this. There also needs to be improved communication to students prior to them choosing an SLC. Additionally, there needs to be an analysis of Capstone courses in pathways and their alignment to SLCs and the connection to the College and Career Indicator (CCI).


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Since the Mid-Report, there has been a large focus on our PLCs and their effectiveness. For five consecutive years, there has been a small group of teachers and administrators that attended the Solution Tree PLC conferences held in Las Vegas every June. However, there was not the intended impact on our PLC teams that we had hoped for with this investment. In fall 2018, there was an effort to establish effective PLCs on campus; the Principal developed PD in August 2018 to set plans for the year. The PLC teams were to choose one Essential Standard for the first quarter that was mutually agreed upon within the team. Then, they collectively wrote a Common Formative Assessment (CFA), and analyzed the results from the assessment. The teams continued this cycle for the second and third quarters of the school year. During an SLT meeting, we discussed that the current cycles would not work in future years due to limitations in the timeframe the Essential Standard could be taught, assessed, and reviewed. The infrequent collaboration meetings of the current schedule could not sustain the current cycle of inquiry for all Essential Standards. The SLT decided to use the fourth quarter to work on Essential Standards for each PLC team. At the end of the year, SLT had a discussion around what worked and did not work. During this meeting, the team uncovered the following items that were interfering with PLC effectiveness and needed to be addressed: teams had confusion around Essential Standards and how to properly identify and deconstruct them; lack of clarity from administration around expectations with PLC teams; lack of consistency around PD or schoolwide discussions (felt there was a big push at the beginning of the year and then it “fizzled” out); needed more PD around what CFAs consisted of and how to write them; lack of interventions for students that did not perform well on CFAs; and lack of time to collaborate. The SLT decided to try and address each issue for the next year. Part of this plan was to send an additional small group to the Visible Learning Conference (Corwin) with the Principal in Summer of 2019. The team attended the PLC+ preconference. At this conference, the team discovered the PLC+ Playbook. The team felt this was the missing link in progressing the site forward around our work with PLCs. The team focused on providing PD to the Faculty in August and October to begin implementing measurable components of our PLC journey. During these PD trainings the SLT decided to focus on the following: define Essential Standard; establish how to deconstruct an Essential Standard and write Success Criteria in student-friendly language; provide teams with an Essential Standard Chart; present as a team and not just the Principal; provide school-wide Collaboration Outcomes; provide PLC teams clarity on CFAs; provide teams with six Common Assessment Guiding Questions; add time at Faculty Meetings for PLC teams to share successes. Moreover, MTA and district negotiated to double the amount of Collaboration time resulting in 26 Collaboration days, and offering Academic Saturday School opportunities for PLC teams to provide interventions. The District LCAP identifies the District’s greatest needs in relation to academics, facilities, student safety, program offerings, and culture. Our district has identified English Learners, Foster, Homeless, Migrant, African American, and Students with Disabilities as subgroups that are not making progress as they should. The District has made progress in implementing the California State, ELD, Literacy, and CTE Standards; however, there is still an achievement gap. In analyzing school data, we mirror district data with subgroups. Gregori has worked to utilize

https://resources.corwin.com/plcplaybook


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the PLC process to try and address the needs of all students by unifying the action plans from the SPSA, LCAP and WASC. Below is the feedback from last VC from 2014 Self-Study with comments on our progress. A. Areas for Focus Revisit the Mission and Vision of the school and how it ties into Small Learning Communities Overall. As a site we have worked to embed this into our Mission/Vision/Value statement. However, we feel that as a staff we have to work on the difference between commitment and compliance. We feel we have worked to embed this into the fabric of the school. Each year we are trying to move more staff members into the commitment column by making collaboration time more effective, meaningful, and beneficial as SLCs utilize more effective PLCs. B. Areas for Focus Strengthen academic and career counseling to help students develop their full potential through optimal access to the curriculum. As a site we have worked to improve in this area. Our Work Experience (WEX) coordinator has been dedicated to developing site and community partnerships that allow more students to intern in careers while attending Gregori High School. We have worked to develop processes to streamline and improve counseling services. This has been accomplished by adding branches to our Counseling department. We have a WEX, a College Counselor, Academic Counselors, and Social Emotional Counselors. Additionally, we have a new classified position, Career Navigator, working with the WEX coordinator, college counselor and library media teacher to provide services and information to students for post-high school success. C. Areas for Focus Additional collaboration needs to be addressed at a district level in order for SLCs to implement the new Common Core State Standards. In the Spring of 2019, the district and MTA settled on a new contract. In the contract, the collaboration days were doubled, increasing to 26 Collaboration days in the school year. Our collaborations are always on Wednesday, and are in the 13 middle weeks of each semester. This additional time is an added opportunity for teachers to review standards and discuss how they are implemented and assessed.


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D. Areas for Focus JAGHS certificated staff needs to continue training and collaboration to implement curriculum, instruction, and assessments that are in alignment with the new Common Core State Standards and the Smarter Balanced Assessments. As a site and district there has been significant work in this area. ELA was the first to adopt new curriculum in a digital platform that was aligned to the California State Standards. Math is currently utilizing MVP curriculum and a Math Taskforce is in the process of analyzing the curriculum to determine if we stay Integrated or return to Traditional. Social Science adopted new curriculum this school year in a digital platform that is aligned to the California State Standards. Science is currently working to identify a new curriculum for a future adoption to the NGSS. E. Areas for Focus Increase the number of electives in the SLCs to increase student engagement. As a site there has been a concerted effort to increase the number of electives. We have been able to add AP Computer Science; however, due to a slight loss of enrollment we lost an elective teacher to retirement that we were not able to replace. If enrollment increases, we will look at what electives could be added to best meet the needs of students. We are currently looking at ways to meet this goal within our limits through offering optionals in the Master Schedule.


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Chapter II: Student/Community Profile and Supporting Data and Findings Joseph A. Gregori High School (JAGHS) opened on August 11, 2010 in Modesto, California, a city of 214,000. JAGHS was named for Joseph A. Gregori, a long-serving teacher and administrator in Modesto City Schools who served as the principal of both Thomas Downey and Fred C. Beyer High Schools in Modesto. When the school board was taking nominations from the community on what name to choose for the new school there was a strong response for Joseph A. Gregori. Mr. Gregori was a beloved teacher, coach, and administrator in Modesto City Schools before he passed away suddenly on March 9, 1998 at the age of 50 (Mr. Gregori would have been 72 today). The letters that were written by community members to choose a name for the school, had three themes that came across in describing characteristics of Mr. Gregori; they were Achievement, Loyalty, and Integrity. Because of this, we use these to guide our PBIS Positive Behavior Matrix. When the committee met with the family to determine the mascot for the school, they chose to use Mr. Gregori’s initials J-A-G and finalized Jaguars. Additionally, Mr. Gregori was known through the community with a famous quote that he would continuously use when teaching, coaching, or leading: “I never expect more of you than I do of myself…but I gotta tell ya…I expect a lot of myself.” This is imbedded into the fabric of our school, and we like to honor him by having high expectations for us as a school. Joe Gregori introduced the Renaissance program to Modesto at Thomas Downey High School in the fall of 1990; JAGHS has been a Renaissance school since its opening. Student academic achievement, improvement and consistent attendance is acknowledged through Renaissance recognition programs and activities. JAGHS is the seventh comprehensive high school in Modesto City Schools (MCS), which is comprised of a K-8 and a 9-12 district serving a total of approximately 29,000 students. On November 6th, 2001, Stanislaus County voters approved “Measure T”, a bond designed to fund much needed modernization and construction of school facilities to accommodate growth in the Modesto area, including the building of two new comprehensive high school campuses. JAGHS was the long-awaited high school in northwest Modesto, primarily serving students who did not attend an MCS school in grades K-8. JAGHS serves the community of Salida, population 13,700, at the high school level; 100% of students at Salida Middle School, part of the Salida Union School District, reside in the JAGHS boundary area. JAGHS also draws students who attended Prescott Junior High School, part of the Stanislaus Union School District. The Modesto community is within a short drive of the ocean, mountains, and some of the nation’s most renowned parks. Day trip options include San Francisco, Sacramento, and Yosemite National Park. Modesto is in the heart of the fertile San Joaquin Valley, and agriculture plays a large role in the area’s economy. Dairy products, nuts, fruits, wine grapes, and poultry are some of the top commodities. Located right at the city limits of Modesto, the JAGHS campus is surrounded by fields of corn, almond and walnut orchards. Light industry, farms, businesses, a Kaiser Permanente hospital, and professional offices comprise the area surrounding the campus. A number of students have parents who commute to the Bay Area for work while appreciating the quality of life in Modesto. The school and city demographics do not coincide


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exactly but it is similar. Below are the population estimates from July 2018 (highlighted are the largest differences).

Population estimates July 2018 Gregori City of Modesto CA

White 30.9% 46.4% 36.8% Hispanic 51.0% 37.9% 39.3% Asian 4.9% 7.7% 15.3% Two or More Races 5.1% 4.7% 3.9% African American 2.3% 4.2% 6.5% Pacific Islander 0.9% 1.0% 0.5% American Indian 0.3% 0.8% 1.6%

JAGHS opened with 895 freshman and sophomores and approximately 40 staff members; the school now has 2,300 students in grades 9-12 and 160 staff members. The school offers a comprehensive selection of academic programs, elective course offerings, athletic teams, and Associated Student Body leadership opportunities. In addition to four site administrators and classroom teachers, certificated support staff includes guidance counselors, work experience advisor, college counselor, concentration counselor, librarian, school psychologist, and speech therapist. The campus master plan accommodates 2,500 students. The site incorporates 80 acres and contains 277,000 square feet of building space including three two-story academic buildings, a large gymnasium, library media center, cafeteria/multi-use facility, campus barn, green house, and buildings housing industrial technology and visual and performing arts. The site includes a full complement of sports venues including a much needed third MCS football stadium; Don Lanphear Stadium hosted its first JAGHS football game on August 30th, 2013. The JAGHS Mascot is the jaguar, reflecting Joseph A. Gregori’s initials; the school colors are blue and gold. The JAGS acronym is also the foundation of the school SLOs. The campus is well-equipped with technology where each classroom has a multimedia presentation system that includes a document camera; some classes have an 80” TV in lieu of a projector. All teachers are equipped with Surface Pro computers, and students have a one-to-one device with access to school-wide WiFi.

JAGHS is a Small Learning Community (SLC) school; students select from Digital Media and Business, Global Studies, Visual and Performing Arts, or Career Technology upon enrollment. The SLC’s purpose is to make a large school more personalized for each student and to give opportunities for them to focus on areas of personal interest. ll certificated staff members are assigned to an SLC. Two of our academic buildings each house two SLCs, with an office filled with attendance, discipline, counseling and administrative staff to address student needs in those SLCs. The site’s master schedule is designed around keeping students in classes with teachers and other students who are part of their SLC. Students may enroll in a variety of music, art, digital media, agriculture, and industrial arts courses within their SLC in addition to core academic programs. Teachers create and collaborate on SLC-related projects and curricular


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themes and communicate regarding the needs of the students they have in common, or trends in needs or successes they are seeing with students.

In addition to SLCs, JAGHS is unique in our district as being the first MCS high school to incorporate a block schedule. The site operates on a modified “A-B” block format with a single student lunch period. Block periods give students and teachers more uninterrupted instructional time, as well as reduces lost time that can occur in many class transitions in a day. Programs offered at JAGHS include Advanced Placement and Honors courses; instrumental music programs; College Preparatory courses (CP); Academic Language Development (ALD) and English Learner services (EL); Special Education including Resource, LH, LLH, ED, SH and Autism programs; Career Technical Education (CTE); READ 180 (reading intervention) and Turnaround Opportunity Program School (TOPS). Students may participate in a diverse variety of extra and co-curricular activities including: sports; academic competitions such as Mock Trial, Academic Decathlon, Science Olympiad, FBLA, Cyber Security, and JAG News Network (JNN); other student organization and clubs; community activities; student government and leadership; and fine arts experiences. Many of these academic competitions and organizations have earned state and national recognition, in addition to making school history.

JAGHS encourages parents to be active participants in their children’s education; PowerSchool, the MCS student information system, allows parents to monitor their student’s attendance and grades and contact teachers by utilizing the Parent Portal. Each SLC has specific site administrators, counselors, clerical staff, and other site personnel assigned to serve the needs of those students; parents are able to easily contact the appropriate building office for their child’s SLC and have their questions answered and needs met from one location. This “school within a school” concept allows JAGHS to have a more personalized approach for students, parents, staff, and the school community at large. Opportunities for parent involvement at JAGHS include Parent Involvement Committee, English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC), Athletic Boosters, Ag Boosters, Band Boosters, Gregori Parent Club, Site Safety Committee, and Sober Graduation Committee. Parents are encouraged to attend Back-to-School Night early in the school year so they can meet individual teachers and learn about class expectations and grading policies. Open House / 8th Grade Parent Night is an event that occurs during the second semester in the gym; each SLC shares their unique course offerings, projects, and accomplishments as they interact with potential and current students and their families. Informational meetings regarding college acceptance and financial aid and the Advanced Placement program are held at various times during the school year. Enrollment JAGHS’s attendance boundaries were designed to address primarily the overcrowding issues at Davis High School, and then slightly affected the enrollment at Modesto High School. Many students who reside in the attendance areas outside JAGHS boundaries and some students who reside in the neighboring community of Ripon, part of San Joaquin County, have chosen to attend JAGHS through the intra-district and inter-district transfer process. As JAGHS’s Small Learning Communities constitute a unique program offering in the district, students within MCS boundaries can choose to transfer to JAGHS to participate in SLCs, and may remain enrolled as

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6HhE4UHwp5G7NSuwIVJoHw


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long as they meet the terms of the intra-district transfer agreement. We currently have around 490 students on a transfer agreement. Gregori has four Small Learning Communities (SLC) on campus: Career Technology (CT), Digital Media Business (DMB), Global Studies (GS), and Visual Performing Arts (VPA).

Digital Media and Business: In Digital Media & Business SLC, the goal is to create a personalized education environment where students feel empowered and ready to innovate. Students gain communication, technological, and critical thinking skills while studying a rigorous college preparatory curriculum. Students have access to digital media courses including design, marketing, journalism, photography and videography, as well courses that develop the entrepreneurial mindset and business leadership skills. Students will be able to take advantage of real-world opportunities such as community learning, internships, and work experiences. These experiences, combined with the curriculum will help students prepare to be lifelong learners, find rewarding careers, and embark on the road to a successful future. Students in the Digital Media & Business SLC have opportunities to take AP courses, and to participate in activities including JNN (Jag Network News), and FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America). Visual and Performing Arts: From drawing to design and dancing to directing, students in the Visual & Performing Arts SLC balance artistic development with rigorous academic preparation. Arts are featured throughout the curriculum, allowing each student to enrich their education by studying and participating in courses and themes such as:

• Vocal and Instrumental Music • Drawing, Painting and Sculpture • Acting • Stage and Set Design

Through project-based learning, students explore art’s subtle influences and the role of culture in the arts. Access to real-world experience and training is available through partnerships with professional arts organizations, allowing students to engage in internships and opportunities to job shadow. Global Studies: Focusing on global awareness, the Global Studies SLC prepares students for world citizenship by providing opportunities to develop the intellectual skills needed to make global connections among all disciplines. The Global Studies SLC offers


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rigorous academic curricula with environmental, social, language, math, and science themes integrated into the subject matter of every course. Three major themes are also be embedded throughout the curricula: global issues, global systems, and global cultures. Students in the Global Studies SLC will be encouraged to think globally and act locally. The Global Studies SLC offers students the opportunity to embrace an academic curriculum that prepares them for an interconnected world and global economy. The SLC prepares students for post-secondary education and provide opportunities to investigate international job market trends and explore international careers. Career success in fields such as business, government, science, and math requires global knowledge and proficiency in world languages. Career Technology: The Career Technology SLC provides rigorous and relevant instruction, which focuses on preparing students for both the workplace and college in the areas of agriculture, engineering, and health. It goes beyond traditional CTE to integrate academic and technical curricula, raise students’ ambitions, increase career options, and provides a meaningful learning context for life after high school. The SLC involves teachers from different subjects working together as a team to collaborate on an integrated curriculum, and providing assistance to individual students who need intervention. Scheduling students in cohort groups establishes a family-like atmosphere and results in meaningful student-teacher interaction that supports rigor, relevance, and relationships.

Student Enrollment

Number of Students Enrolled

9 10 11 12 Total

2019-20 557 588 552 540 2237

2018-19 604 558 563 539 2264

2017-18 577 576 566 579 2298

2016-17 565 554 593 543 2255

2015-16 567 582 540 516 2205

2014-15 584 562 532 528 2206

• Gregori High School has had consistent enrollment since the last full Self-Study.


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• Gregori High School has the third highest enrollment in the District, following closely behind Enochs and Modesto. Of the seven comprehensive high schools in Modesto City Schools, the enrollment ranges from 1,543-2,401.

African-

American American

Indian Asian Filipino

Hispanic/

Latino Pacific

Islander White Two or more

2019-20 2.3% 0.3% 4.7% 1.4% 52.2% 0.8% 29.0% 7.0%

2018-19 2.3% 0.3% 4.9% 1.6% 51.0% 0.9% 30.9% 5.1%

2017-18 2.7% 0.3% 4.8% 1.5% 48.2% 0.8% 32.3% 5.9%

2016-17 2.6% 0.2% 5.3% 1.6% 47.9% 0.8% 33.2% 5.7%

2015-16 3.1% 0.3% 5.7% 1.5% 47.3% 0.9% 33.6% 4.9%

2014-15 3.4% 0.4% 5.8% 1.5% 46.3% 1.0% 33.5% 4.9%

• The predominant demographic groups at JAGHS are Hispanic/Latino (approximately 52% of enrollees) and White (approximately 29%). There are no other statistically significant subgroups in terms of ethnicity; the next largest subgroup is the Asian population at 5% and Two or more at 7%.

• Since the last full Self-Study, the ethnicity has remained fairly consistant. The trending change is the Hispanic ratio is slightly increasing overtime, while the white population is slightly decreasing.

Subgroup data

EL Foster Homeless Migrant SWD SED Total

2019-20 118 4 1 21 198 865 2237

2018-19 114 7 6 26 221 1166 2264

2017-18 112 7 1 22 199 1159 2298

2016-17 116 8 3 16 179 1097 2255

2015-16 112 11 1 15 162 1057 2205

2014-15 151 11 48 26 186 1106 2206

• Our largest subgroup population is SED that has remained fairly consistent. It has slowly increased to around 52% of the population from 47%.

• Our next largest subgroup population is SWD that is around 10% of the population. We have several SPED programs on campus that include: Resource, LH, LLH, SH, ED, and Autism Pura Vida.

• Our EL population has remained fairly consistent at around 5% of the population.


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• Our Foster, Homeless, and Migrant populations are not a significan subgroup; however, each group is provided special resources from the district level that are implemented at the site.

Staff Demographics

Hispanic American

Indian Asian Pacific

Islander Filipino African

American White

Two or

More No

Response Total Certificated 16 3 4 0 0 2 88 0 1 114 Classified 29 1 0 0 0 2 19 0 0 51

Doctorate Master's

Degree +30 Baccalaureate

Degree +30 Baccalaureate

Degree Total 2 44 60 8 114

During the past three years, Gregori High School, with assistance from the Modesto City Schools District office, has made and continues to make the commitment to recruit and hire highly qualified teachers that align with school demographics. We acknowledge that our staff ethnicity demographics do not mirror our student population at this time; however, job postings for open positions do reflect the needs of our students. Language Proficency 2019

ELs RFEPs (Monitored)

Total ELs & RFEP

Monitored

RFEPs Not

Monitored

Total Enrollment

9 41 (7%)

70 (13%) 111 (20%) 80 (14%) 557

10 39 (7%)

70 (12%) 109 (19%) 100 (17%) 588

11 20 (4%)

58 (11%) 78 (15%) 104 (19%) 552

12 17 (3%)

45 (8%) 62 (11%) 108 (20%) 540

Total 117 (5%)

243 (11%) 360 (16%) 392 (18%) 2237


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2018 ELPAC Bands

Total EL (with ELPAC)

ELPAC BAND

1

ELPAC BAND

2

ELPAC BAND

3

ELPAC BAND

4

9 36 3 (8%) 12 (33%) 13 (36%) 8 (22%)

10 36 2 (6%) 15 (42%) 17 (47%) 2 (6%)

11 19 1 (5%) 4 (21%) 12 (63%) 2 (11%)

12 15 0 (0%) 5 (33%) 9 (60%) 1 (7%)

Total 106 6 (6%) 36 (34%) 51 (48%) 13 (12%)

CELDT 2016-17 CELDT 2015-16


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• This last year we had 84 EL students with 48.8% making progress towards English language

proficiency.

2017-18 Four-Year Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate

Name Cohort Students

H.S. Diploma

Cohort Graduation Rate

Graduates Meeting UC/CSU Requirements

Graduates Earning a Seal of Biliteracy

Graduates Earning a Golden State Seal Meritt Diploma

Joseph A. Gregori H.S. 577 562 97.4% 288 26 232

Modesto City District 3,608 3,142 87.1% 1,396 139 1,058

Stanislaus County 8,450 7,087 83.9% 2,803 434 1,584

Statewide Total 504,073 418,206 83.0% 208,769 47,248 93,352

Student Attendance

Average Daily Rate of Attendance

ADA

2018-19 95.3%

2017-18 95.49%

2016-17 95.96%

2015-16 96.19%

2014-15 96.18%

Chronic Absence Rate

Year %


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2018-19 11.92%

2017-18 11.0%

2016-17 10.1%

• We have identified a steady loss of ADA over the last few years and have found a direct correlation to the increase of chronic absent percentage. We have identified CLNs and have connected attendance into the PBIS Rewards component.

Student Grades at Semester

Full Year Mark 2017-18 | All 2018-19 | All Difference A% 41.50% 41.55% 0.05% B% 28.09% 28.63% 0.54% C% 16.91% 16.97% 0.06% D% 7.35% 7.20% -0.15% F% 5.15% 4.86% -0.29% I% 0.70% 0.01% -0.69% NM% 0.30% 0.58% 0.28%

S1 Mark 2017-18 | S1 2018-19 | S1 Difference A% 39.14% 41.21% 2.07% B% 28.90% 28.40% -0.50% C% 17.01% 16.85% -0.16% D% 8.08% 7.41% -0.67% F% 5.37% 5.16% -0.21% I% 0.92% 0.02% -0.90% NM% 0.58% 0.78% 0.20%

S2 Mark 2017-18 | S2 2018-19 | S2 Difference A% 43.92% 41.90% -2.02% B% 27.25% 28.86% 1.61% C% 16.81% 17.10% 0.29% D% 6.61% 7.00% 0.39% F% 4.92% 4.55% -0.37% I% NM% 0.48% 0.37% -0.11%

Math 2017-18 Fs 2018-19 Fs Difference S1 14.77% 18.94% 4.17% S2 12.93% 16.98% 4.05%

English 2017-18 Fs 2018-19 Fs Difference S1 10.94% 8.65% -2.29% S2 10.71% 6.45% -4.26%

Science 2017-18 Fs 2018-19 Fs Difference S1 9.79% 9.80% 0.01% S2 6.12% 6.12% 0.00%

Social Studies 2017-18 Fs 2018-19 Difference S1 10.79% 8.49% -2.30% S2 7.04% 6.04% -1.00%


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CA Dashboard

Our overall performance band colors stayed the same with the exception of Mathematics that changed from Orange to Yellow.


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Student Group Chronic Absenteeism

Suspension Rate

Graduation Rate

English Language

Arts

Mathematics

All Students

English Learners

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged

Students with Disabilities

Asian

Hispanic

White

Two or More Races


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2018 2019

2018 2019

• We are disproportionate with our African American population. They are suspended at 3x the rate of the overall population.

• As a district we have been disproportionate in African American and SWD since the last full visit. This has been a focus around the addition of the Intervention Center. Additionally, the use of RP and PBIS has been a focus to address the discrepancy.

• We slightly increased from 2018-2019 on suspensions. Most suspensions were for fights or drug related incidents.

• For our subgroup data we four changes of performance colors. All changes were for an increase in performance bands.

• For African American we moved from Red to Orange, for Asian we moved from Orange to Yellow, for Two or More Races we moved from Orange to Yellow, and with Filipino we moved from Orange to Blue.

• Even though we did not have a performance band change with Hispanic and White, our two largest subgroups, each of them had a slight increase. Hispanic increased by 1.2% and White increased by 0.3%.


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2018 2019

2018 2019

• For 2018 and 2019, we have a performance band of Blue with Graduation Rate.

• Gregori High School continues to lead the district in the Graduation Rate. We contribute this to an emphasis around academic counseling working with students on remediation options, and teachers contribute this to the block scheduling.


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2018 2019

• We had two subgroups that were Orange, now all are Yellow or above.

• Part of the information we discovered was related to the disproportionate students enrolled in AP classes. Our Hispanic subgroups was significantly lower than compared to the schoolwide enrolment.


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% Total Prepared % SBAC % AP % College Credit

2018 2019 Change 2018 2019 Change 2018 2019 Change 2018 2019 Change

State 42.3 44 1.7 60.7 57.4 -3.3 33.5 34 0.5 8.7 14.9 6.2

District 39.9 36.9 -3 54.5 52.7 -1.8 23.8 22.1 -1.7 2.9 2.6 -0.3

Gregori 49.6 49.7 0.1 55.6 51.3 -4.3 34.3 28.5 -5.8 0 0 0

% a-g Plus % CTE Plus % SSB % Military/Leadership

2018 2019 Change 2018 2019 Change 2018 2019 Change 2018 2019 Change

State 81.3 80.6 -0.7 18 18.9 0.9 21 21.7 0.7 1.1 0.9 -0.2

District 85.3 86.1 0.8 24.5 24.2 -0.3 9.8 16.5 6.7 0 0 0

Gregori 90.6 90.1 -0.5 16.4 22.8 6.4 9.1 13.3 4.2 0 0 0


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• In reviewing the CCI indicators, Gregori grew overall in the percentage of students

prepared by 0.1%. The growth came from two main areas: CTE Capstone completion, and the State Seal of Biliteracy. There were three categories where Gregori had a decrease, in the percentage of students: meeting standard on SBAC, passing the AP test, and A-G rate. We have identified ELA and math as well as A-G as CLN.

• Even though the CTE Capstone increased, we feel that we have much work to do around developing CTE Pathways with a Concentrator Course that leads to a Capstone. Currently we have only three Industry sectors with a complete pathway (Agriscience, Agricultural Mechanics, and Buisness Management). There are others we have identified as pathways to build in order to fully complete the sequence for students. These are identified as: Ornamental Horticulture, Stage Technology, Multimedia Production, Dance, Biotechnology, Engineering Design, and Computer Science.


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2018 2019

2018 2019

• We have had a decrease for two years on the ELA portion of the CAASPP.

• This change relates to the transition in curriculum. We will continue to analyze to see if there is not an improvement based on our work done in PLC teams. If the downward trend continues, we will need to analyze the effect based on curriculum.


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2018 2019

2018 2019

• We declined in 2018; however, we increased in 2019 around the same amount.

• We went from 5 subgroups being Red or Orange to 2.

• We still feel there is major gaps in the curriculum that we need to address. Students who fail SM1 or SM2 are never exposed to SM3 by the time they have to take the CAASPP.


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2018 2019

2019

• We have significantly smaller % of students in Level 1 compared to the state, but we are under the state in Level 4. We have noticed our students have remained stagnant in Level 3.

• We have seen an increase in Reclassification on our site, and we lead the district in reclassification data at the High School Level.

• We have just transitioned our ALD classes from grade level based, to ability level based. We are hoping to see an increase in achievement with this change.


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Advanced Placement

• We have had a steady increase in the pass rate on the AP exam.

• We have worked to increase the number of testers; however, last year we took a step backwards.

• In reviewing the enrollment in AP classes, we have found it does not align with schoolwide enrollment. We are working to identify students with AP Potential Letters to try and address the discrepancy.


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Chapter III: Self-Study Findings

Category A: Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership, Staff, and Resources

A: Organization

Co-Chairs Kim Cloud

Scott Chapman

Certificated Erika Suarez Rob Steves

Teresa McArthur Kyle Beeman Dia Borden Jill Burford

Mike Cantwell Jennifer Delnero

Juan Zamora Ethan Duewell Chris Harmon Mamta Harris Ron Imbesi

Don Kirk Emilia Louis

Teresa McArthur Mark Nower

Bradd Stewart Matt Taylor

Shareen Wright

Parents Lisa Martin

Saida Sanchez

Students Georgia Thoukis

Deeya Patel Aikam Basi

Ashley Bartlett Aubrey Kellert


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A1. Vision and Purpose Criterion The school has a clearly stated vision and mission (purpose) based on its student needs, current educational research, current educational research, the district Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP), and the belief that all students can achieve at high academic levels. Supported by the governing board and the district LCAP, the school’s purpose is defined further by schoolwide learner outcomes and the academic standards.

Findings

Gregori began its 10th year in August 2019, and continues to promote its mission statement and values. Since then, the vision, mission, and schoolwide learner outcomes have helped foster diverse learning opportunities for all student populations.

The mission statement is as follows: Joseph A. Gregori High School provides a safe, collaborative learning community that engages and supports all students to succeed as lifelong learners. All teachers are members of two PLC (professional learning community) teams, one that is grade-level/subject and one that is Small Learning Community (SLC). This is the foundation in which Gregori can nurture lifelong learners in all students.

JAGHS promotes participation from students, parents, and other members of the community. By participating in the Local Control and Accountability Plan Advisory Committee, the vision and mission have participation from all stakeholders in specific focus groups. The mission, vision, and school-wide learner outcomes help to support the LCAP.

The District’s LCAP is also a reflection off the mindset that all students can learn at high levels utilizing a growth mindset. The LCAP has specific goals to address subgroup populations in need of special assistance, parent outreach, college and career readiness with guidance towards individual student goals. The LCAP goals were used to identify district wide common goals for the SPSA. Gregori then used these to identify the CLN to develop WASC action plan that would be aligned to LCAP and SPSA. Additionally, SLO posters were developed and are in every classroom, common areas, and the school website.

JAGHS is strategic in the implementation of programs, courses and infrastructures to support students. The majority of the staff has a growth mindset that all students can learn at a high level. This is evident by the increased number of Special Education students in mainstream classes. Counselors work with individual students to develop plans for each student. In reviewing the intervention needs of students, there seems to be a need for growth in this area; we need more interventions within the school day.

JAGHS students, faculty, and parents understand the vision, mission, and schoolwide learner outcomes. Through the various curricula, clubs, and other extracurricular activities, members of our community support our schoolwide SLOs. This has led to the development of our Action Plan.


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Supporting Evidence

District LCAP Mission/Vision Statement SLO posters Staff Meeting Notes Department and SLC meeting notes Course Syllabi SBAC scores Benchmarks Student grade reports Master Schedule


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A2. Governance Criterion

The governing board (a) has policies and bylaws and the school’s purpose is aligned with them to support the achievement of the schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, and college- and career-readiness standards based on data-driven instructional decisions for the school; (b) delegates implementation of these policies to the professional staff; and (c) monitors results regularly and approves the single schoolwide action plan and its relationship to the Local Control and Accountability Plan.

Findings

The school district, Modesto City Schools, governs Joseph A. Gregori High School as well as the other six comprehensive high schools in the district as well as several alternative education options. The school board has seven members that are elected for four-year terms. The electoral boundaries are determined through geographic location. The governing board uses email communications to send information previewing board meeting agendas. The Board of Trustees ensures that the district is working to accomplish the mission by reviewing and providing input to the Superintendent and Cabinet members. They approved the mission/vision/values as well as the District Strategic Goals. All board meetings are posted to the website that contains meeting agendas, video archives, and live broadcasting. Regularly scheduled meetings are every three weeks, with occasional Special Board Meetings called to order throughout the year.

The Modesto City Schools board creates and enacts policies that the school district follows; each of these policies coincides with the school’s mission and vision statements. Furthermore, the policies coincide with the LCAP committee decisions. Superintendents and other directors regularly visit our school campus to observe how policies are implemented and executed on an administrative and classroom basis.

The Modesto City Schools Board of Education has adopted a Uniform Complaint Procedures that is available upon request and is located on the district’s website. The complaint needs to be submitted in writing, where it is then forwarded to the Human Resources Department to begin the investigation process. Once a formal complaint is received, the formal process is followed and a written response is followed up with the complainant at the conclusion of the process by the HR department.

A written copy of parent/guardian’s legal rights regarding their student’s participation in public education, their rights regarding disciplinary processes, process for filing complaints, and a photo opt out form are provided in the Student Conduct Code. These are distributed at the beginning of each school year, and as a part of the enrollment process for new students throughout the year.

As part of remediation offerings, MCS uses APEX curriculum online. The APEX courses offered in district are a-g approved. The curriculum is used for Summer School, Extended Summer School, G230, and Modesto Virtual Academy (MVA). Gregori students have access to these programs if needed. The district policy around the online instruction is not for “first look,” but is used for remediation purposes. Any exception to this for individual student needs requires Director approval.


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District policy requires each site to have a Parent Involvement Policy that is updated annually. This is typically done through School Site Council (SSC); however, since Gregori does not receive Title I funds we do not have SSC. Gregori uses the Gregori Parent Club as the committee to update this policy annually.

ELPP/ELAC meetings are held several times throughout the year. Agendas are posted on the schools website as well as the front message board. In addition to EL parents, these meetings are attended by: Associate Principal, Concentration Counselor, other invited guest(s) for specific topics requested, as well as open to the public. The meetings cover topics such as graduation requirements, balloting, grades, attendance, reclassification requirements, or any other topic requested by parents. Meetings are usually held in the evenings at Gregori; however, we held one at the local elementary in hopes for an increased attendance this fall. This was not a success, so we are looking in offering morning meetings with coffee to see if we can increase involvement.

Supporting Evidence

District Mission/Vision/Values poster District Strategic Goals poster School Board Meeting dates Board Meeting agendas and minutes Recorded Board Meeting videos ELPP and ELAC meeting notes District LCAP MCS Uniform Complaint Procedures Parent Involvement Committee meeting notes

https://www.mcs4kids.com/district/board/board-of-education/meetings

https://agendaonline.net/public/modestocity

https://www.mcs4kids.com/district/board/board-of-education/videos



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A3. Leadership: Data-Informed Decision-Making and Ongoing Improvement Criterion Based on multiple sources of data, the school leadership, parent/community, and staff make decisions and initiate activities that focus on all students achieving the schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, and college- and career-readiness standards. The school leadership and staff annually monitor and refine the schoolwide action plan and make recommendations to modify the LCAP as needed.

Findings

JAGHS staff has worked together to develop a mission statement that aligns with the District mission/vision/values, LCAP, and CLN. Each year, the Principal works with SLT to develop the Collaboration schedule to assign Department and SLC meetings. These collaboration dates are set by the District Calendar Committee and approved by the bargaining units as well as the School Board. In analyzing this process, we see the need to provide more structure to the meeting dates that would include schedules centered around reviewing school data and using that data to plan and reflect on instructional practices and interventions needed based on the data. SLT members have many responsibilities. They serve as instructional leaders, provide input for the Master Schedule, provide information and lead department/SLC meetings, represent the voice of their group at the SLT meeting, adhere to the SLT meeting norms, and provide information for and insight on decisions for the school. This includes providing information for PD offerings on campus, and sometimes leading breakout sessions on PD days. JAGHS has developed the cycle of continuous improvement over the last five years and has continued to refine the process. PLC teams have been continually utilized to develop this cycle with a continued focus on growing more effective and productive PLC teams. Small teams of SLT and non-SLT members have attended PLC training over the last five years. We have integrated the cycle of continuous improvement with the PD days that have led to the development of our action plan. Our cycle has evolved over time to include: assessment of data, collaborative development of strategies and actions, and monitoring results of student achievement. PLC teams utilize the four questions to guide their collaborations: What do we want students to learn? How will we know they are learning? How will we respond when they don’t learn? How will we respond if they already know it? This has led to the development of the Schoolwide Collaboration Outcomes. At the beginning of the school year, the faculty pledged by signing a commitment to the mission and vision of JAGHS.

The JAGHS leadership team’s decisions, which led to the action plan, are based on the evaluation of the following data: SBAC test scores, Advanced Placement test scores, district benchmarks, interim assessments, attendance data, discipline data, SAT/ACT scores, common formative assessment data, Physical Fitness Test, and ELPAC scores. Data is presented throughout the year through various venues; some are schoolwide, and some are department specific.


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JGHS Site Leadership Team reviews data and helps make informed decisions for department PLC groups as well as the Small Learning Communities. During these conversations at Site Leadership Team meetings, which are held on the first Monday of every month, teachers and administrators make decisions about what teachers should focus on in their classrooms throughout the quarter, semester, and year to meet identified student needs. Specialized teams and programs have been developed and implemented to help meet the needs of these identified students. These teams continually monitor and track the effectiveness of implementation and are working to improve efficiency.

JAGHS has consistent communication mediums to disseminate information to all stakeholders. The majority of information is relayed to staff through email communication and the Friday Update. In emergency situations, the Remind App is utilized to communicate crucial information and updates. The Remind App is also utilized among teachers and coaches to regularly communicate with students and parents. The School Messenger is used occasionally to relay important information to stakeholders, this is also used when necessary for emergency situations. Announcement information is communicated twice weekly in the all-call system, and is placed at the front of the school on the marquee. The last 15 minutes of Faculty Meetings is used for MTA (Modesto Teachers Association) communication. Supporting Evidence

Collaboration Schedule Board Meeting Minutes SLT meeting notes California School Dashboard District LCAP Collaboration Outcomes Common Assessment Guiding Questions

https://www.caschooldashboard.org/reports/50711750121129/2019


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A4. Staff: Qualified and Professional Development Criterion

Qualified staff and leadership facilitate achievement of the student academic standards and the schoolwide learner outcomes through a system of preparation, induction, and ongoing professional development. There is a systematic approach to continuous improvement through professional development based on student performance data, student needs, and research.

Findings

District procedures ensure that staff members are qualified based on background, training, and preparation. All applicants of MCS apply through Edjoin.org where they must attach proof of meeting qualification requirements to their application. Certificated staff applicants are required to provide copies of credentials that meet the NCLB highly-qualified teacher requirement. The Human Resource department performs an initial screening to ensure applicants have the required qualifications and are up-to-date prior to the school interviewing the candidates. First screening is only given to highly qualified individuals; however, if no highly qualified candidate applies, the secondary screening of intern eligible candidates are screened. All teachers at JAGHS are highly qualified to teach in their content areas. New teachers must attend orientation where mandated trainings and district-specific information is given. New teachers are assigned a teacher mentor through the District Induction program. Gregori currently does not have any interns, but previous interns were assigned an on-site mentor. Additionally, if a teacher needs assistance in understanding their roles or responsibilities inside or out of the classroom, they can contact an administrator or SLT member for guidance and resources.

The District offers an array of professional development and learning opportunities. Certificated staff are given ample opportunity to grow as educators and professionals. The District offers these staff members after-school courses where they can be paid the hourly curriculum rate. Teachers can also, as a result, receive post-baccalaureate credits through the California State University System. At the start of the 2019-20 school year, the District is offering a 0.5% salary incentive for six hours of professional development. All staff members can access PD options via an online catalogue. Trainings are offered after school or on Saturdays, and are in increments of two hours, four hours, or six hours.

Specific on-site training has had a focus on embedding technology in instruction over the last few years. These trainings have occurred during prep periods, after school, and lunchtime for “Pizza and PD.” During a student non-attendance professional development day on October 14, 2019, the site offered five breakout sessions on embedding literacy across disciplines through a variety of modalities (academic vocabulary; teaching inferences; CER - claim, evidence, reasoning; academic conversations; and Socratic Seminar). On September 25, 2019, there was a specialized collaboration day where teachers selected from a variety of professional development options that included QR codes, classroom management, vertical team AP collaboration, PBIS in the classroom, and others that were designed to support teachers in a variety of ways.

Through the five years of PLC implementation, there have been PD opportunities to help support the effectiveness of PLC teams. Through training with Solution Tree and the Corwin conferences, the teams have begun to develop more effective ways to utilize collaboration time.


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The Corwin conference really catapulted the schoolwide implementation of the PLC process and professional team growth. The Site Leadership Team developed schoolwide collaboration outcomes that focus collaboration conversations around the cycle of inquiry. At the start of the 2019-20 school year, all faculty took a survey on rating the effectiveness of their PLC teams. This survey provided clarity around collaboration tasks and shared purpose. Ultimately, this led to a school tagline: 2,300 reasons why.

The School’s Safety Plan sets out the expectations for all staff members pertaining to regular safety drills and evacuation protocol. Additionally, drills and evacuations are performed on a routine basis to ensure staff and students are aware of what they are to do in case of certain emergencies. After each practice, staff are invited to provide input so we can further improve the process we have. At the start of each school year, there is an informational training that occurs for the students with a safety PowerPoint that all teachers administer in a given period of the day. This PowerPoint covers information for a variety of emergencies.

Modesto City Schools and MTA have a mutually agreed upon evaluation process. The process starts with an initial evaluation meeting to review objectives and observation expectations. There are multiple observation feedback forms that are specific to instructional and non-instructional certificated employees as well as permanent and probationary. Instructional observation feedback forms are based on the first five CSTPs (California Standards for the Teaching Profession). The objectives are mutually agreed upon during the initial meeting that focus on an achievement goal from a pre- to a post-assessment. Depending on permanent or probationary status, certificated teachers are formally observed at least two times during an evaluation year. There is an end-of-the-year evaluation that summarizes the observations, objectives, the sixth CSTP, and any other pertinent information.

Outside the formal evaluation process, administrators perform informal instructional walks that allow them to offer specific assistance for teachers. Certificated staff in need of intensive support work through a formalized plan of improvement process that is individualized to their specific needs. At the conclusion of the plan of improvement, if the observation is still unsatisfactory, the employee is placed on PAR (Peer Assistance and Review).

JAGHS teachers and administrators have several different protocols for communicating school policies and procedures. In the past, during the week before the first day of the school year, administrators would host informational meetings that helped explain the different school policies and procedures. These meetings were divided into four, one per administrator, and each group is divided between four Small Learning Communities. However, the last three years this has been done as a whole group. There has also been a change in focus for this time, from disseminating information to more of an emphasis on PD around PLC teams and collaboration goals. Even with this change, there is still a need to review or update staff on any changes in policies and procedures. Monthly faculty, leadership, and department meetings are used to communicate pertinent information to the faculty in addition to weekly Friday Updates. Additionally, some district-wide information is distributed through district email.


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Supporting Evidence

CTC.ca.gov website EdJoing website District PD Catalog Friday Updates Travel form paperwork MTA contract Teacher Evaluation Handbook School Safety Plan

https://www.mcs4kids.com/staff/curriculum-and-instruction-professional-development


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A5. Resources Criterion

The human, material, physical, and financial resources are sufficient and utilized effectively and appropriately in accordance with the legal intent of the program(s) and LCAP to support students in accomplishing the schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, and college- and career-readiness standards.

Findings

The procedures for budgeting, auditing, and conducting appropriate accounting practices are outlined in the MCS board policies and administrative regulations. These are posted on the website, and employees who handle money or accounts are trained at the district level on a frequent basis. The district determines the budget for each site each year and communicates with the Principal. The allocation is based on student enrollment at each site. In the spring the Principal is provided a draft allocation amount, and the Principal has to complete a draft budget for the following school year with the provided allocation. The Principal then communicates to school site members that are responsible for a budget, and provides them with a draft allocation for their area. Additionally, each year the district goes through an audit of all district and site ASB accounts. Any findings require an action plan to address.

The school maintains procedures on all the ASB accounts using FCMAT guidelines as the standard. These guidelines are shared with advisors and coaches and training occurs on an annual basis. Additionally, each parent connected organization is required to submit annual information to stay active and current with the guidelines. All ASB fundraisers are approved at the site with set accounting procedures. All ASB money is stored in an on-campus safe prior to depositing in the bank. The exception to this is money being actively used for an event. For evening athletic events, there is a “night drop” that is used and checked daily by the site bookkeeper.

Resources have been allocated for activities that support the mission and vision of JAGHS. This has occurred through LCAP funding as well as the site’s general fund. Department and teacher budgets are set based on enrollment and department chairs work with the principal to determine appropriate expenditures with specialized LCAP funding. The district LCAP has devoted specific funding to support the LCAP goals for at-risk populations that include ELs, students with disabilities, and SED. The LCAP budget is developed at the district level based on feedback from LCAP committee groups designed to meet the needs of students.

The LCAP and general funds are put in place to support the schoolwide action plan, allocations are reviewed on an annual basis to determine effectiveness. There are several specialized categories of funds which provide direct and indirect support for students. These categories include: graduation, student incentives, VAPA, athletic supplies, career awareness, CTE equipment, instructional support materials and supplies, musical instrument cleaning and repair, parent involvement, professional development, remediation materials, IC materials, STEAM, and student transportation.


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One major change since our last Full Self-Study has been the addition of our IC which is funded through the LCAP. The IC has a classified staff member for documentation of services, a full-time classroom teacher to provide educational supports, and a Student Assistant Specialist from the Stanislaus County Center for Human Services to provide social and emotional support. Students are referred to the Intervention Center for a variety of reasons, and the IC team works to provide appropriate support and interventions.

JAGHS and the District are committed to keeping a well-maintained facility that fosters a positive school community. When students, parents, staff, and community members walk on to campus they comment on the cleanliness of the campus. Our newer facility provided a conducive learning environment for students. All classrooms are fitted with access to technology to enhance instruction and students receive a device they can take home and keep for the school year.

Each classroom building administrative office has a conference room available for IEP, SST, and 504 meetings to support student learning. Elective courses (such as art, drama, CTE, world languages, business technology, digital media, and kinesiology) have appropriate facilities to support their instruction.

Textbooks are adopted and supplied by the district for all students. We analyze textbook numbers and student enrollment on an annual basis to provide information for the Williams Act. Working through department chairs and department budgets, teachers are able to request and receive additional supplemental materials, such as novels in English classes and other supplies needed to aid instruction. The principal works with department chairs each year to set a budget that corresponds to department needs as well as additional requests.

Every teacher in the district has been provided with a Surface Pro, and every student, grades 7-12, has been provided with a device, and each classroom is equipped with its own WiFi router. There are also projectors in each classroom which are easily connected to teacher devices. Currently, some classrooms are being updated with 80” TVs in lieu of projectors. Every teacher has a document camera that connects to their display to help guide students with physical documents. Every teacher is given an opportunity to have a media cart in their classroom. If a teacher is in need of technology assistance, the district provides access to on site and remote technicians. All requests by staff members for technology assistance are made through a helpdesk email account or phone call. This triggers a work order ticket for technicians to prioritize and monitor.

Certificated teachers have access to resources that help them become more effective teachers and grow as educational professionals. The Modesto City Schools District offers a “Professional Development Catalog” where teachers can sign up for different courses and seminars, which range from curriculum implementation to online platforms that foster learning in students. Due to lack of Title I funds, our site is limited on resources that other sites in the district have access to. The district tries to supplement support through LCAP for major site needs.

The action plan provides a long-term goal that is broken down into annual achievement marks. The school utilizes portions of the district SPSA as well as district goals and LCAP to provide a singular focus for the Site Leadership Team. All funds are allocated in accordance to the district LCAP goals to support the schoolwide action plan. The decision making process regarding the


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allocation of funds is open and transparent amongst the department. Every department chair seeks input from department members about supplemental materials.

Supporting Evidence

District LCAP School Budget IC room Williams Act Reports Technology in Classrooms Student Devices District PD Catalog SLT Meeting notes ASB account sheet ASB audit reports Accounting manual


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ACS WASC Category A. Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership, Staff, and Resources:

Summary, Strengths, and Growth Needs

Review all the findings and supporting evidence and summarize the degree to which the criteria in Category A are being met. Include comments about the degree to which these criteria impact the school’s ability to address one or more of the identified critical student learning needs (Task 2, Chapter II).

Summary (including comments about the preliminary identified major student learner needs)

The mission and vision statements of Gregori High School were developed as a collaborative process utilizing input from staff and stakeholders that include students and parents. The vision statement was identified to lead the school in developing lifelong learners. Gregori also worked collaboratively to develop the SLOs that align to the mission and vision. The mission and vision was aligned to the district mission/vision/values as well as the District Strategic Goals. Our school supports this mission by providing a variety of programs to meet the needs of the students and assist them to reach their life goals. The mission of Gregori and the education and support that is provided at Gregori are supported and monitored by a team at the district level. Gregori enjoys the participation of many parents being active members in their student’s educational support system. The facilities at Gregori high school are 10 years old; however, many visitors feel the school looks new. The grounds and custodial crews do a tremendous job keeping the campus in remarkable shape. The hiring of highly qualified staff members starts with the applicants applying to a posting on EdJoin. The applicants are first screened for appropriate qualifications, then the site administration screens through the applications for potential interviewees. For positions that are a challenge to fill with credentialed applicants, we have hired qualified interns in the past that have proven to be great hires. If an intern is hired, there is an extra level of support provided. All teachers have access to ongoing PD to further their professional development. The resources at Gregori are limited in comparison to other schools in the district due to not receiving Title 1 funds; however, Gregori works to provide sufficient resources for programs on campus through allocated funds. One area of concern is funding to provide interventions within the school day; Gregori is investigating low cost options.


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Prioritize the areas of strength and growth for Category A.

Category A: Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership, Staff, and Resources: Areas of Strength

• CTE Education provided to students with increased facilities • Pathways for CTE • Offering Work-based learning internships • ASVAB testing provided • Naviance utilized by staff and students • G230 credit recovery program • Intervention Center • TOPS • Connection with local Union Halls • Parent Involvement • Cohesive staff • Modern facilities with amenities necessary to support high-quality instruction and student

learning • District and site focus on professional development • Staff commitment to student achievement • Increased Collaboration time • Collaboration with Departments and SLCs • Intervention amongst students who need extra help in the classroom (Advanced Peer

Tutors) • JNN • FBLA • Internal communication, i.e. Friday updates, Remind app, etc. • Student and Staff access to technology

Category A: Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership, Staff, and Resources: Areas of Growth

• Continue building community ties: Community outreach- better community communication and Social Media, etc

• Analysis of the allocation of resources to support Small Learning Communities • Subject/grade level meetings with coworkers and all sites (not just Gregori) to work on

specific subjects in small parts. From here, we can build upon our planning in increments • Improve communication between the school and parents as to what is going on at the

school (general information) Improve parent communication of and involvement with school activities, information, and the schools' vision and mission, e.g. all phone calls Getting information out to parents on things like lockdown (investigate a school-wide Remind account for parents)

• More parking • The administration needs to stabilize • Keep technology use and approaches manageable, without overwhelming faculty • CTE programs for STEAM still need more Science and Engineering opportunities • Have delineated path for parents and students to guide SLC choices


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Category B: Standards-based Student Learning: Curriculum

B: Curriculum

Co-Chairs Jamie Fredericksen

Melissa McHale

Certificated Brandi Miller

Christine Clark Joseph Armanious

Jim Davis Kari Dykes

Loretta Fillpot Jim McCarthy Steve Merenda Priya Mishra

Jennifer Moreno Claudia Narez Mark Skujins

Matt Soderlund

John Souza Scott Szostak Kristen Taylor Lamar Wallace Marcus Whitten David Winfrey

Ana York

Parents Debbie Duchala Susan Paulson

Students

Jocelyn Fahlen Hunter Miller Cassey Perez

Ryan Anderson Krisha Vyas


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B1. Rigorous and Relevant Standards-Based Curriculum Criterion

All students participate in a rigorous, relevant, and coherent standards-based curriculum that supports the achievement of the schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, and the college- and career-readiness standards in order to meet graduation requirements.

Findings

At Gregori, curriculum is a fundamental and guiding component for learning on campus. Curriculum design, implementation, effectiveness, and fidelity make the content easier to disseminate to students. Curriculum is selected at the district office via a committee that is made up of teachers and a district director. The committee analyzes data, research, and looks for California Standards alignment in determining the best selection for adopted curriculum, which leads to guaranteed and viable curriculum (GVC). Once a curriculum is selected, it requires board approval and is embedded into the course outline. Teachers at Gregori High School follow district-adopted curriculum. Curriculum is selected after a series of pilot programs and review of standards. Teachers are responsible for implementing the curriculum in the classroom and maintaining a high level of rigor based on those standards. The level of rigor and mastery teachers expect in their classrooms can be judged based on the students’ performance on district-created benchmark assessments. Teachers meet in PLC teams to analyze the scores and data from those assessments; they also use this analysis to drive their instruction. The data is used to determine if students have mastered the standards or if re-teaching is required. Students can attend tutoring hours if remediation is needed. However, Gregori realizes there is a need to provide intervention within the school day. Teachers work to communicate the learning goals and expectations for their lessons to students each class meeting. Learning objectives and/or success criteria (along with standards) are prominently posted in the classroom to articulate to students what their learning goals are. To gauge mastery in the classroom, teachers use a variety of strategies. Teachers also check for understanding during lessons. This happens in a variety of ways. Employing strategies like Answer, Cite, Expand (ACE) the Question, Think Ink Pair Share (TIPS), and calling on random non-volunteers helps to ensure that students are engaged and focused during lessons. Teachers use information from checking for understanding in order to determine if students are ready to progress to the lesson or if re-teaching is required. Most courses at Gregori High School meet a-g requirements and counselors work tirelessly with students to ensure their classes align with their academic and/or career goals. Gregori is working to create a pathway or capstone for several CTE courses in order to meet CCI. Additionally, there is a robust Advanced Placement and Honors program for all core areas and many electives.

The staff at Gregori feels that an important part of their job is preparing students for life after graduation. They want to know where students end up and how successful they are once they get there. Teachers want to know how many students attend college, trade school, junior college, and directly into the workforce. Staff at Gregori meet with representatives from local colleges and


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employers to make sure that what they are teaching is what these institutions value. They want to make sure that graduating students are ready for life after high school. During high school, students are given a variety of opportunities to explore avenues which may be available to them post-graduation. All tenth grade students are given the PSAT 10 exam available through district LCAP funds. The exam provides students insight into the aptitude of their strengths, prepares students for rigorous standardized tests required for college admission, and provides the school with AP Potential information for balloting. Other PSAT tests are offered to freshmen and juniors. There are also multiple opportunities for students to take the ASVAB. This is an additional test that provides students insight into aptitudes they may possess. The mission and vision and SLOs help guide curriculum and instruction decisions for Gregori High School. Curriculum committees work to ensure congruence between academic and college and career readiness standards. Teachers then develop lessons and assessments to help students gain skills to meet those standards with real-world applications. The PLC teams come together to design common assessments to identify the level of mastery of specific skills within the standards. The PLC teams analyze the data and teachers have discussions about successful instructional practices and implement plans for students who did not meet mastery requirements. The increased structure and time for collaboration have led to an increased appreciation for the PLC process. On an annual basis, the department chairs at Gregori schedule meetings with the two main feeder schools that are from separate districts. Due to Gregori’s attendance boundary, most feeder schools come from K-8 districts outside of Modesto City Schools. The purpose of these meetings is to make vertical articulation plans where teachers discuss balloting and student expectations. Considering two separate feeder districts with varied expectations, and the significant change from middle school to high school, it is crucial that these meetings take place to lay the foundation for a smooth transition to high school for all of our incoming 9th grade students. It is equally important for the teachers at the middle school level to understand the expectations and skills that are expected when students arrive at Gregori. Additionally, elective teachers visit feeder schools during balloting to highlight their programs for students. Prospective students are invited to “shadow” current students for a day where they follow a current Gregori student around to all of their classes. The eighth graders have the opportunity to meet teachers, experience high school classes, experience a block schedule, meet current students, and experience the amazing positive school culture that is established at Gregori High School. This helps students acclimate to Gregori for their freshman year. Yearly, Gregori hosts an Open House for eighth grade students and their families, which provides them with an idea of what to expect when they arrive at Gregori in the fall. Students and families preview prospective Small Learning Communities in action and meet teachers that they may have during their tenure at Gregori. Each year, before school starts, Gregori hosts its round-up event called CLAW (Classes, Lockers, and Welcome). This is where students receive their laptop devices, get a tour of the campus, purchase PE clothes, and meet new friends and teachers. These are all excellent examples of how far above and beyond the staff at Gregori are willing to go to make sure that the students are successful.


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Gregori administration works with feeder schools to identify students who have historically been at risk and work to enroll them in Gregori Summer Launch. The Summer Launch program is designed to help bridge the gap for the students academically and help them feel nurtured. The program provides students an intimate tour that allows them to know the support systems that are in place on campus and where they are located. Additionally, advanced peer tutors help serve as an ongoing mentor. Teachers in the program provide study and note-taking skills and other strategies to help incoming students be successful at Gregori. Guest teachers are brought in for content-specific lessons to help bridge the gap and to give students an opportunity to know more familiar faces on campus. Gregori partners with community organizations to help provide internships to students. These internships are paired alongside curriculum so students get the best of both worlds. Students learn a trade with companies like Flory and Beeler Industries (two local companies that provide machinery and services for local agricultural needs). Students also have opportunities to participate in internship programs with Careers in Manufacturing. These internships help students to develop skills they learned in foundation level CTE courses (Ag Mechanics, Welding) and apply them to real-world situations. Additionally, these students are exposed to soft skills needed to be successful in the workforce. All of these programs teach a trade skill while the students are enrolled in academically rigorous curriculum of study. When they graduate from high school they have the skills to put to immediate use as well as a diploma that can take them many places in the workforce. SPIE (Stanislaus County Partnership in Education) offers a unique opportunity for teachers to participate in on-the-job-like training in a field of their choice (such as manufacturing, wine industry, agriculture, technological fields, etc). This helps teachers to experience first-hand the tasks that will be expected for students entering those fields, and to realize the skills needed to succeed in these positions. The SPIE program offers a unique perspective and real-world experience for teachers who choose to participate. An integral part of parent communication is through the Student Information System (SIS) PowerSchool. Parents and students both have access to separate accounts. After setting up an account, it is possible to see all of the student’s grades, assignments, attendance, and provides a connection for teacher communication via email. As soon as a teacher inputs an assignment in PowerSchool, parents and students have access to pertinent information such as the due date, the point value, and cumulative grade. Since parents have access to this information, they can see how their student is performing and might provide insight to the reason their student may be struggling (i.e. missing assignments, tardies, absences, etc.). Several teachers utilize Schoology (Student Learning Management System similar to Google Classroom) that also has a parent platform.


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Supporting Evidence

CLAW schedule Master Schedule a-g approved course list Curriculum Committee notes Board Meeting Agendas SLT meeting notes California School Dashboard Articulation Notes PSAT score reports ASVAB score reports Department Meeting notes

https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist/institution/2413




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B2. Equity and Access to Curriculum Criterion

All students have equal access to the school’s entire program and are provided assistance with a personal learning plan to meet the requirements of graduation and are prepared for the pursuit of their academic, personal, and career goals.

Findings

Students, staff, and parents have open lines of communication when it comes to curriculum. Counselors hold presentations in English classrooms designed for students to fully understand the balloting process and sequencing of classes. During the balloting process, some teachers have one-on-one conversations with their students about the classes they should ballot for. Students are encouraged to take the more rigorous course options during balloting and expectations of these courses are clearly communicated. Students then take the ballots home to discuss these choices with their parents. Once all of the choices are made, parents sign the ballots and students return the forms to their English teacher who gives them to the counselors; additionally, students submit an electronic ballot on PowerSchool that finalizes their course selections. The students meet individually with their counselors during a scheduled class meeting to make the final balloting submissions. This meeting ensures that a-g and graduation requirements are being met with the course selection, and prioritizing elective selection. Counselors hold one-on-one meetings with each senior at the start of the year to make sure that they are balloted for everything that they need to meet graduation requirements. Additional meetings happen a handful of times during the year at varying times to try and accommodate as many parents as possible. Seniors, counselors and teachers work together closely during the year. If a senior’s grades fall into the D and F range, teachers make contact with parents to inform them. By working as a team, the parents, teachers, counselor, and students can develop a plan for success. There are several opportunities for students to take Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors classes at Gregori. All students are encouraged to try at least one of these classes during their high school experience. These advanced classes help to bridge the gap between high school and college through the level of rigor and relevance. The philosophy at Gregori High School is to expose more students to Honors and AP courses rather than to focus on limiting enrollment to increase AP pass rates. With this philosophy, teachers have committed to provide more scaffolding, structures, and interventions to help students be successful with a rigorous curriculum. Through this practice, Gregori High School has been highlighted as a US Newsweek Silver High School for the last three years. The teachers on campus are creating enriching environments in their classrooms that foster academic excellence. They are using innovative approaches to teaching that encourage student exploration of ideas and hands on learning experiences both in and outside of the classroom. Any student may enroll in an AP course and are strongly encouraged to do so. There is no admission test for AP courses and students are not required to maintain a minimum GPA to remain enrolled. The Turn Around Opportunities Program (TOPS) is housed on Gregori’s campus. This is a place for Freshman and Sophomore students who are not experiencing success in a typical classroom


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setting to receive support and credit recovery opportunities. Students receive remediation in order to get back on track for graduation. Once they have recovered their credits, students are placed back into the mainstream classroom setting. There are two teachers at Gregori that work solely with the TOPS program and are working to get students back on track for graduation and teach them employable skills that they are not getting elsewhere. TOPS students also have a counselor who supports them on campus, and a student-assistance specialist from the Stanislaus County Center for Human Services. At Gregori, through a variety of program offerings, students can obtain skills that can lead to a successful transition into post-high-school options that may include college, career, trade schools, and military or any combination of those options. Gregori utilizes the CCI and a-g rates to monitor student preparedness. Longitudinal data shows that of Gregori students who attend college, a majority go to Modesto Junior College (MJC) followed by students attending a four-year university. Gregori is working to track students who attend MJC and move on to a four-year program; however, data is inconsistent and could be improved to better track these students. Implementation of programs such as Work Experience, Future Farmers of America (FFA), Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) have helped to provide skills for future success. Many of these special programs are connected to a student’s SLC. For example, the Career Technology SLC offers agriculture classes, medical classes, and some of the STEM classes. These appeal to students’ specific interests while still maintaining a high level of rigor and relevance. Two other SLC’s offer their own type of specialized curriculum. The fourth SLC, Global Studies, offers a wide variety of Advanced Placement courses for the students, which they take as part of their elective courses. Additionally, Gregori offers a variety of elective programs: Ag Mechanics, Landscape and Design, Teacher Assistance, Office Aide, Advanced Peer Tutor, Art, Sculpture, Drawing and Painting, Floral Design, Orchestra, Jazz Band, Choir, Concert Band, Broadcast Journalism, Multimedia Production, Yearbook, Business, Marketing, Drama, Theater Stagecraft, Leadership, Computer Applications, Photography, Speech and Psychology. In addition to these plentiful course options, there is a need for additional courses as a part of a clear pathway for students to develop skill sets that lead to careers. We feel that this would broaden the exposure that students are getting to real world skills that apply to future employment. Gregori Special Education Department has strategically worked with elective teachers to help lower level students grow their skills. Additionally, in Fall of 2019 Gregori hired a Career Navigator with funds from a grant at the county level. All high schools in the district hired for this position at the same time. This is a new position and we are working to integrate into our thriving career center. This person is responsible for tracking duel enrollments in college, becoming familiar with site programs, and making connections with local business partners that can connect to school programs and student goals. The Counseling Department works to ensure students are aware of the a-g requirements. Additionally, we have a College Counselor that works to inform students about SAT and ACT testing, scholarship information, college application information and timelines, including coordinating application submissions with students and teachers. With the new Career Navigator


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we hope to better track students that take classes at Modesto Junior College (MJC). Moreover, our WEX coordinator collaborates with the military to offer ASVAB testing several times a year. Counselors work to guide students to ensure they take the correct classes based on their individual needs. Our counselors along with department chairs and special programs teachers work with the feeder schools during balloting for articulation. This is challenging with several outside of district feeder school districts; however, the staff works diligently to ensure students and middle school teachers are aware of all the programs that Gregori offers. We are working to improve articulation; this spring we will host a Gregori Day for one of our largest feeder schools. This will allow incoming 8th grade students to see the programs on campus in person. For students on an IEP, Special Education teachers attend the transition IEP meeting for incoming 8th grade students. All Gregori parents are able to acquire a PowerSchool account and check their student’s attendance, grades, and any missing assignments. With this access they can check as frequently as desired; however, grades are only as current as the teachers input information. Contractually, teachers must keep grades up-to-date within two weeks. Parent surveys state this can be too long to wait to support from home and wish the window was required to be shorter. Many parents will email teachers for progress checks if they have questions. Additionally, several teachers utilize Schoology (similar to Google Classroom) that contains assignment information. Gregori hosts Back-to-School Night, Open House/8th grade Information Night, AP Night, and College Information Night to provide parents/guardians information and be available for questions. We strongly encourage parents to play an active role in their child’s education and desire them to be involved and on our campus. This is evident when the gym and MPR are full on parent nights. Students that have graduated from Gregori have created a panel called Gregori Rise. This panel helps answer current students’ questions about college and careers so it is not such a foreign concept upon graduation. Our college counselor works closely with Gregori Rise to make sure that all inquiries are relevant and answered appropriately. Currently Gregori Rise is not as active as its first years, but next year there is a current Senior who plans to revive the program. The college counselor also holds college workshops on campus. Campus representatives are invited to Gregori so students can ask questions, fill out applications, and have their fears put at ease. Financial Aid events are held on campus as well for both parents and students.

Supporting Evidence

Master Schedule Ballots Parent Information Nights US Newsweek Reports TOPS referrals and data reports Gregori Rise website Transcripts AP Potential Report SAT/ACT score reports IC reports


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ACS WASC Category B. Standards-based Student Learning: Curriculum:


Review all the findings and supporting evidence and summarize the degree to which the criteria in Category B are being met. Include comments about the degree to which these criteria impact the school’s ability to address one or more of the identified critical student learning needs (Task 2, Chapter II).


Gregori works to provide GVC and utilize the PLC process to go through the cycle of inquiry. The efforts have started the process of having CFA within common subject or grade level classes. Our desire is to obtain the level of adherence to curriculum and the PLC process to assure students and parents that regardless of the instructor, they can expect certain rigor in the scope and sequence for the courses at JGHS. As we progress through this journey we will work to identify specific-targeted interventions for students that do not meet standard on Essential Standards. Our mission is to have every JAG meet the CCI. Our AP classes are open to all students that meet the prerequisites. Students have access to a variety of programs that will assist them in developing employable skills. As we progress and develop more cohesive programs that align to meet the CCI, we will focus on Soft Skill attainment throughout these programs. Parents and guardians being welcomed on campus and informed through a variety of platforms have been contributing factors in having connected parents and guardians. Gregori would like to continue to grow in this area, but celebrate the involvement we currently have. Prioritize the areas of strength and growth for Category B.

Category B: Standards-based Student Learning: Curriculum: Areas of Strength • High number of students enrolled in AP classes and taking the AP test • Gregori offers open access to all AP courses • Internships with local businesses and organization that are linked with curriculum • Formal collaboration time is scheduled to create and fully implement curricular changes

brought on by Common Core State Standards • Departments have effectively collaborated to identify Essential Standards for all core

subjects and grade level classes • Students are well-informed of a-g requirements • Students are well-informed of college information through the College Counselor • Thriving career center with the strong efforts of the WEX Coordinator and Career

Navigator • Students have access to a variety of CTE courses and programs to explore future career

opportunities


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Category B: Standards-based Student Learning: Curriculum: Areas of Growth

• Even though we have made strides in developing PLC teams; however, we have work to

do to develop CFA, use data to inform curriculum and instruction, use data to plan/develop/implement interventions

• There is a need to investigate ways to increase current offerings to align with a Capstone pathway to increase CCI

• There is a need to investigate ways to increase CTE pathways to SLCs on campus • There is a need to further develop consistent high expectations for ALL students • There is a need to investigate ways to address the disproportionality with AP

demographic enrollment


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Category C: Standards-based Student Learning: Instruction

C: Instruction

Co-Chairs Danielle Jackson

Jahir Salazar

Certificated Corrie Johnson

Melinda Cogburn Lori Gaines

Diana Gonzalez Brittany Hughes

Nicole Inderbitzen Melanie Joseph

Karrie LaBarbera Sophie Lobry Katie Merenda Tracy Moore

Danny Moreno Amanda Neslen

Joe Orlando Josephina Padilla

Pete Rogers Jocelyn Skujins

Mike VanderMolen Lindsey Vaughn

Marielena Zuniga

Parents Christine Ashrafzadeh

Lordi Roueil

Students Nate Bowman Aracelli Lopez Sophia Franzia

Dominic O’Keeffe


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C1. Student Involvement in Challenging and Relevant Learning Criterion

To achieve the schoolwide learner outcomes, academic standards, and college- and career-readiness standards, all students are involved in challenging and relevant learning experiences.

Findings

Gregori faculty create lessons that foster challenging and relevant learning experiences for all students. The implementation of a master schedule that supports the Small Learning Communities (SLCs), SBAC test results, student observations, and district and site walkthroughs help establish these rigorous instructional practices. A high percentage of our students take rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) or Honors courses, and if not, they are enrolled in College Preparation (CP) courses. These courses prepare students for college and/or careers. Most non-reclassified English Learners have the opportunity to enroll in Academic Language Development (ALD); additionally, students who have a low Lexile reading score are provided with remediation by placing them in Read180. Both courses are designed to prepare students for the rigors of college and career. In mathematics classes, remediation is offered through a Secondary Math I support class. Placement in this class is based on grades and teacher recommendations. The district offers faculty members curriculum maps as well as benchmark exam results which helps support the students in achieving high marks on their formative and summative assessments. Teachers offer digital summative assessments through Schoology, final projects, presentations, or Socratic Seminars in place of an exam. Gregori teachers have high expectations for students and this is communicated to them through a variety of mediums. Teachers in their PLCs (Professional Learning Community) have selected essential learning standards, and have provided clarity for students by establishing these standards in student-friendly terms. That is, teachers communicate these essential standards in their classroom in a variety of ways (through online publication, by communicating through handouts and worksheets, by writing them on the board and dictating to them, etc). Since teachers use common language schoolwide, students understand the learning expectations that teachers have regardless of the grade level or content they are in. Using common language such as “show what you know” and “ACE the Question” in all classrooms helps establish the norm that students should know what is expected of them during class time. In 2018-19 school year each PLC team went through a full cycle of the PLC process three times, one for each of the first three quarters. This school year as PLC teams, subject/grade level teams meet during collaboration to plan CFA and work through the Collaboration Outcomes. Most teams are in the early adoption and implementation of this plan. As a site we will work to develop further steps of the cycle of inquiry by using data to inform instruction as well as planning and developing specific-targeted interventions. As a site we have made progress in identifying the Essential Standards and emerging with CFA; however, we need to improve in the use of data, instruction, and interventions in the cycle.


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Supporting Evidence

Teacher Lesson Plans Master Schedule Classroom Walkthroughs Course Syllabi Department meeting notes SLC meeting notes EL data Scholastic READ 180 reports California School Dashboard



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C2. Student Engagement through a Variety of Strategies and Resources Criterion

All teachers use a variety of strategies and resources, including technology and experiences beyond the textbook and the classroom that actively engage students, emphasize creative and critical thinking skills, and applications.

Findings

Gregori teachers use a variety of instructional and student engagement strategies to facilitate learning in the classroom. Some of these strategies include using online platforms such as Schoology, Nearpod, Quizlet, Quizziz, OneNote, StudySync, and many more. By utilizing these different online platforms, students are exposed to online collaboration and technology-dependent assignments for future endeavors in education. Furthermore, teachers use formative assessment strategies to gauge student progress on their language proficiency across disciplines. By asking students to ACE or CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) the Question, students not only hear common language across disciplines but gain practice with their literacy and writing skills throughout their academic careers at Gregori. Teachers have also implemented other learning strategies throughout their lessons, which include “Reading with a Pen,” Think-Ink-Pair-Share (TIPS), Structured Partner Interaction, and a variety of checking for understanding strategies. Some of these CFU strategies are done throughout the lesson by using online apps such as Spiral, Nearpod, Socrative, etc. Teachers also implement Writers’ Workshop to strengthen student writing on an ongoing basis. When students “Read with a Pen,” teachers have a key that they give students (e.g. star next to a main idea, a question mark next to a confusing concept, a light bulb next to a clarifying component, etc). When students complete a TIPS activity, the teacher presents a question where students are told only to think about the question and not write or talk at all; students then take a few moments to write down their response (Ink), and then share with their partner. Teachers also strategically pair their students for Structured Partner Interactions. Teachers work to provide structure for pair-share activities so students know what they are supposed to discuss and whom they are supposed to discuss it with. One partner is labeled Partner A, and Partner B, for example. These structured academic conversations are utilized schoolwide on a frequent basis. Teachers work to develop standard-based lessons that foster creative and critical thinking in all students. They develop lessons to allow students creativity while maintaining the level of rigor required for academic success. Even though teachers do not solely rely on technology, they frequently utilize technology within their lessons. There are certain applications which allow students to express their creativity, for example, the app FlipGrid gives students only ninety seconds to create a video response to a specific topic. Teachers work to create lessons where students engage in creative and critical thinking. Project-based learning assignments help students to develop their application of knowledge while at the same time developing their collaborative skills. When developing lessons, teachers frequently work to embed real-world applications. After a foundation of knowledge is built, several teachers work to incorporate strategies for students to apply their knowledge. This can be seen in the classroom where teachers utilize classroom


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debates, Socratic Seminar, philosophical chairs, etc. In math, the layout of the curriculum is such that students are asked to apply critical thinking skills to an introductory task where they do not have the mathematical background to solve the problem. The curriculum strategically guides them through a series of questions to develop a conceptual understanding of the task. Students demonstrate that they can apply acquired knowledge and skills at higher levels and depths of knowledge to extend learning opportunities. During their individual lessons, teachers teach literacy skills across all content areas. Students and teachers organize their learning through different mediums, such as incorporating online tools like Schoology and Google Drive, Nearpod, No Red Ink, UpFront Magazine, the New York Times, the New York Times Learning Network, and Office 360. Through the application of these websites and apps, students extend their learning opportunities beyond the traditional pencil and paper method. The use of these real 21st century skills prepare them for both college and career after high school. Through different presentation projects, students showcase their discoveries and research. Rather than submitting to a more traditional presentation, students can be more collaborative. Collaboration in the classroom is applied by the means of Google Slides, Office 360, and other electronic applications. Furthermore, students can take ownership of their learning and success by logging into their PowerSchool account, where teachers update grades at least once every two weeks. The Gregori Library website includes a support and launch page for the Gale Databases, where students can expand their research skills in four different reliable domains: Gale in Context: Global Issues; Gale eBooks; Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints; and Gale in Context: High School. Students can access these resources at all times on their devices and use it to support class research or for their own enrichment. The library website also hosts information to support college and career programs, writing and research, and other literacy efforts. Students at Gregori have a wide variety of opportunities to prepare them for a career after high school. Small Learning Communities (SLCs) focus on different aspects of career preparedness and real world experiences. The Career Tech SLC provides students with the opportunity to explore careers in agribusiness as well as the agriculture industry.

The business program at Gregori embodies CTE by combining classroom instruction with Project Based Learning, which provides deeper learning through collaboration and real-world connections. This program also works to develop soft skills and specifically focuses on behavior conducive to success in the business industry. Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) enriches the program through competitive events and activities planned by students under the guidance of the teacher. In preparing for competitive events, students are also developing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for entry and advancement in business occupations.

The agriculture program has doubled in size in the last six years. The addition of the barn provides appropriate facilities for students to raise animals and gain more livestock experience. Additionally, the introduction of the greenhouse has expanded projects in the floral program. The new or improved facilities provide opportunities for more hands-on projects for students rather than learning out of a textbook.

Through a district ROP program, students have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of career-preparatory programs. Most of these are housed on different campuses that require


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transportation to other schools during these periods. These programs give students background knowledge and training to prepare for careers, such as nursing, fire science, criminal justice, and the cosmetology program even prepares students to get their license once all requirements are completed.

Supporting Evidence

Teacher Lesson plans Technology Use data Classroom Walkthroughs Master Schedule Ballots PD agendas Library Sign-in / Database Usage Library Research Lesson Plans WEX enrollment CTE facilities California School Dashboard



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ACS WASC Category C. Standards-based Student Learning: Instruction:


Review all the findings and supporting evidence and summarize the degree to which the criteria in Category C are being met. Include comments about the degree to which these criteria impact the school’s ability to address one or more of the identified critical student learning needs (Task 2, Chapter II).


For two years there has been PD to help develop schoolwide instructional strategies. As we have been implementing PLCs in collaboration, we are proud of the work we have accomplished; however, we are aware of much work to come. We realize that crucial work needs to be accomplished in our PLC teams. Many of our staff have embraced a growth mindset, and Gregori staff works very hard to create relevant and engaging lessons. Gregori staff welcomes new instructional strategies, especially when utilizing technology. This is clearly evident in the participation with Pizza and PD. We have been able to accomplish these tasks so far due to a cohesive and dedicated staff. While we collaborate frequently with our PLC teams, staff have shared they would like to see more connection with the SLC teams, specifically with sharing instructional strategies. Teachers are quick to share technology ideas; however, we need to mirror this in other aspects of sharing instructional strategies and lesson development. In the last several years, the use of technology has grown rapidly, especially as more teachers experiment with implementation and share ideas in collaboration. As staff have become more familiar with using technology in their lessons we have seen an increase use in Schoology, OneNote, and other technology applications. In classroom walkthroughs you will see technology used for instruction, assessment, student projects, and record keeping in many classrooms. Technology has been able to provide Gregori students and staff with an interactive learning environment. Additionally, we see a need to increase interventions within the school day due to the number of students that are not being successful in their courses on the first attempt. Gregori students have access to several remediation programs; however, it is imperative that we investigate ways to provide intervention within the school day to take a more proactive approach as opposed to reactive.


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Prioritize the areas of strength and growth for Category C.

Category C: Standards-based Student Learning: Instruction: Areas of Strength • Teachers have access to technology to supplement instruction including media carts that

contain a document camera, LCD projector, and DVD player. Currently, the site is in the transition process and will provide 80-inch TV monitors with wireless capabilities as standard equipment in every classroom.

• Teachers regularly implement technology in their instructional practices (i.e. Schoology, OneNote, Kahoot, FlipGrid, Spiral, Quizizz) and have multiple opportunities for instructional technology professional development in throughout the year with a District Technology Learning Coach.

• Teachers utilize a variety of engaging, student-centered instructional practices (i.e. project-based learning activities, debates, Socratic seminars, engineering practices, and cross-curricular projects, lunchtime and after-school tutoring).

• The PLC process has provided opportunities to collaborate and reflect on instruction at the department level and new collaboration days provided at the District-level present an opportunity for continued growth in this process.

Category C: Standards-based Student Learning: Instruction: Areas of Growth

• The full development of the PLC process, including a focus on the creation of common

formative assessments, data analysis, and the implementation of intervention practices, offers an opportunity to improve instruction across the site.

• The sharing of effective instructional strategies has been effective in some SLC’s but inconsistent site wide.

• Lack of SLC purity in the majority of classes remains a roadblock to consistent student intervention as well as the ability for teachers to connect with students on a more personal level over time.

• Common Core Literacy Standards need to be addressed more consistently in all classrooms.

• Teachers need more training and support from the District-level in providing effective instruction to meet the needs of ELD and Special Education students.


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Category D: Standards-based Student Learning: Assessment and Accountability

D: Assessment

Co-Chairs Mary Fong

Jason McCoy

Certificated Juan Zamora Glenn Harris Chris Bickle John Biven

Helen Coleman Tricia Collins Waly Diouf

Janna Froehlke Brandon Harker

Paul Herrera Nancy Maxon

Linda McDougal Marianne Morales

Callie O’Keffe Jennifer Ruiz

Nick Silva Deanna Williamson

Parents Jeff McKay Jose Padilla

Students

Julia Meyer Fallon Wolfley Sarah Knowles Jessica Rodig

Skylar Nguyen


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D1. Using Assessment to Analyze and Report Schoolwide Student Progress Criterion The school leadership and instructional staff use effective assessment processes to collect, disaggregate, analyze, and report schoolwide student performance data to the school staff, students, parents, and other stakeholders. The analysis of data guides the school’s programs and processes, the allocation and usage of resources, and forms the basis for the development of the schoolwide action plan aligned with the LCAP.

Findings

Students submit assignments on different platforms for both formative and summative assessments throughout their learning. Teachers primarily use the Schoology platform for a variety of assessments, from tests and quizzes, to other assignments and projects. Furthermore, one of the functions of Schoology is integrating with TurnItIn. Students who want to pursue higher education should be accustomed to this system as they will use it in their college careers. At Gregori, several online platforms allow for quick formative assessments to be embedded within instruction, with immediate results for analysis. Some of the more common applications are Quizizz, Quizlet, Quizlet Live, Spiral AC, Edulastic, Nearpod, Plickers, Kahoot, Padlet, and Screencastify. Teachers at Gregori use the district platform PowerSchool, PowerTeacher, and Schoology to disaggregate student performance data to all stakeholders. Teachers have access to their own account and can see their students’ individual grades across all classes. All students have a PowerSchool and Schoology account and can download the apps to their smartphone, as can their parents. If students and parents download the applications, they will receive a notification whenever their teachers update their grades or post new assignments and resources. However, if a student does not have a smartphone, they can simply log on to their accounts on their district-provided device. Currently we do not have a common schoolwide grading policy, but many subject/grade level teams have common policies within their PLC team. Modesto City Schools provides teachers with curriculum maps which help them determine the appropriate performance levels that students need to reach in order to be successful in each class. These curriculum maps are aligned with the California State Standards. Each teacher provides a syllabus for their course, in which the teacher details the grade with the expected performance level. Furthermore, PLC teams work to establish mastery level performance for essential standards in each subject or grade-level class. Teachers can choose specific grading policies; while some teachers choose to have a weighted course grade (where categories hold specific weights), others may choose to have a total-points based course grade (where students accumulate points throughout the semester). Each teacher has the autonomy to choose their grading policy for their specific classes. Student grades are based on a variety of assignments that range from homework, in-class assignments, projects, quizzes, exams, and district provided benchmarks. Furthermore, students take standardized tests while attending Gregori. All freshman take the California Fitness Exam in February. Sophomores take the PSAT 10 in March and any


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sophomore who does not ballot for Science their junior year takes the California Science Test (CAST). Junior students take the SBAC test in the Spring semester. Information is communicated to students about the importance of doing their best on these exams. For CSU, the incentive is earning placement in a college-level English class instead of a stretch-level course, and for UC admissions, students will not have to take a writing placement exam. In an effort to address the SLOs, teachers check students’ grades on a regular basis. If students are not meeting the SLOs, then discussions about appropriate interventions will occur. These interventions can be both informal or formal depending on the individual case. Some teachers email each other and the students’ counselor to discuss success strategies or they initiate a formal SST (Student Study Team) process. One form of monitoring student growth is the use of grading checkpoints every five weeks. Parents and students have ongoing access to PowerSchool; however, a formal mailing of grade progress is sent to student homes every five weeks via mail or email. The Modesto City School Board Policy states that teachers are to update student grades at least once every two weeks. One major indicator we use for success is our D and F rate for classes, which is closely monitored by administrators and counselors. One of our main focuses this school year is to address the F rate with freshmen. In analyzing the data we realized if freshmen were on track at the end of the year, they are much more likely to stay on track through their senior year. We found the converse to be true as well. If freshmen were off track at the end of the year, they were much more likely to not be successful through their senior year; needing several interventions to graduate. This has led to the development of our FIT, the Freshman Intervention Team, as a proactive approach to helping at-risk freshmen succeed. FIT works to identify students at the start of freshman year, and teachers and other staff members volunteer to meet one-on-one with the identified students to assess barriers to success, and build plans together to overcome them. This program is relatively new to Gregori so we are still in the building and refining process. We plan to collect and monitor data to help us identify interventions that lead to more success in the future and higher graduation rates. Special education students on an IEP have annual meetings where the team reviews data with parents and general education teachers also in attendance. At these meetings, the data analyzed includes: attendance, discipline, academic assessments, grades, state assessments and teacher feedback. The team uses this data to finalize individual goals for each student for them to reach their IEP goals. These goals are approved by the IEP team each meeting. At tri-annual IEPs, additional assessments are used to analyze the individual need based on the current assessment. At Gregori, the Site Leadership Team maintains the vision, direction and oversight of the school’s goals and areas of focus. They work to analyze and interpret areas of measurement to determine if programs are being successful or need to be adjusted. These goals include establishing GVC and essential standards for each subject grade-level course. Additionally, in October of 2019, the SLT determined the need for addressing literacy standards schoolwide. Professional development was given based on this information that led to departments choosing literacy strategies to implement by PLC teams.


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PLC teams work with curriculum maps and data from essential standards to determine appropriate pacing as they progress through each course. Several departments have aligned essential standards vertically to help support a more cohesive program offering within their department. Gregori teachers are members of two PLC teams, one that is subject or grade-level based and one that is SLC based. Each subject or grade-level based PLC has selected essential standards to teach throughout the year. Students will demonstrate mastery in each of these essential standards across all disciplines. Each department chair attends a monthly department chair meeting at the district office where they work to review and assist their programs. These discussions consist of graduation requirements, credits, course completion, remediation, and homework and grading policies. At the start of the 2019 school year, the district began to offer professional development incentives that would allow teachers to earn .05% of their salary to attend six hours of professional development outside of their work hours. All of these PD offerings are aligned to the district goals as well as the LCAP goals. Teachers have the autonomy to choose if and what PD offerings they sign up for ranging from learning strategies to classroom management and everything in between. Since Gregori is not a Title I school, allocation of resources is limited to general funds and identified LCAP funds. Within the normal operating budget, this leads to a much smaller supplemental access to resources compared to other schools in the district. These limited resources are focused on the following areas: Career Awareness; CTE; Parent Involvement; Professional Development; Remediation Materials; Intervention Center Materials; and STEAM. These site resources are used to support the programs on campus and are evaluated on an annual basis.

Supporting Evidence

Classroom Walkthroughs Curriculum Maps Course Syllabi District Assessment Calendar PLC Department meeting notes Student work SST and IEP meeting notes Student Grade reports CFA California School Dashboard Interim Assessments District LCAP SARC report Physical Fitness test results



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D2. Using Assessment to Monitor and Modify Learning in the Classroom Criterion Teachers employ a variety of appropriate formative and summative assessment strategies to evaluate student learning. Students and teachers use these findings to modify the learning/teaching practices to improve student learning.

Findings

Teachers at Gregori utilize a variety of methods to provide effective assessments in order to measure student achievement. One commonly used practice across campus is common formative assessments (CFAs). During the PLC process, each department has established mutually agreed upon essential standards for each subject or grade-level course. After PLC teams select these essential standards, they create mutually agreed upon CFAs. One strategy that has been utilized as a CFA that had a profound impact was having students ACE the Question. Throughout each of their classes, students would practice with ACE-ing the Question, and this strategy proved to be effective across all disciplines. PLC teams utilize common assessment guiding questions, which are: specifically which students did not demonstrate mastery?; which instruction practices prove to be most effective?; what patterns can we identify from the student mistakes?; how can we improve this assessment?; what interventions are needed to provide failed students additional time and support?; and how will we extend learning for students that have mastered the standard? This allows the PLC teams to collect, analyze, and use assessment data for curricular and instructional decisions. Teachers across disciplines also give standardized district benchmark exams in Quarters 1-3. The district provides the results of these benchmarks to department chairs who then share the information with their respective department members. This process is continually monitored, especially during the 2019-20 school year in which the Modesto City Schools District has created a benchmark exam committee to examine the effectiveness and accuracy of these standardized tests. In reviewing the data, there seems to be a disconnect between proficiency levels on district benchmarks and standardized testing in both ELA and math. Gregori teachers inform students of the expected level of performance in classes in a variety of ways. They utilize course syllabi, verbal instructions, daily agendas, learning objectives, rubrics, and sample exemplars for projects. In addition to academic expectations, Gregori has established a PBIS matrix to reinforce positive behavior consistent with our school’s vision. For students needing extra assistance, we have After School Tutoring four days a week. Two years ago we noticed most students needed assistance with math so now tutoring is under the guidance of a credentialed math teacher. Several teachers offer extra assistance in their own classroom before school, at lunch, and after school. AP and Honors courses have delineated course outlines with clear learning goals and high expectations for performance which is linked to the potential of college credit dependent on performance on the AP test at the end of the year. Teachers have acknowledged that non-Honors courses would benefit from this clarity and feel that the way learning expectations are communicated in AP courses should be a model for other classes as well.


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The School Board has set graduation requirements for all schools in MCS. Counselors work with students individually to evaluate their education needs and learning goals as they journey toward graduation. Sometimes this includes providing students with alternative settings such as MVA (Modesto Virtual Academy), LTIS (Long-Term Independent Study), G230 (Graduation 230), Home & Hospital, work experience, Dual Enrollment, and internships. Students reported they are exposed to rigorous courses that lead to college success, but some felt that Gregori could improve intervention and remediation options on campus to help struggling students. They feel the only on-campus remediation available is Extended Summer School (ESS) and regular Summer School [ESS utilizes APEX online curriculum that is a-g approved that meets after school two days a week].

Supporting Evidence

Classroom Walkthroughs Curriculum Maps Course Syllabi District Assessment Calendar PLC Department meeting notes Student work Student Grade reports CFA California School Dashboard Interim Assessments Tutoring Center Sign-in sheet



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ACS WASC Category D. Standards-based Student Learning: Assessment and Accountability:


Review all the findings and supporting evidence and summarize the degree to which the criteria in Category D are being met. Include comments about the degree to which these criteria impact the school’s ability to address one or more of the identified critical student learning needs (Task 2, Chapter II).


As a summary, the Focus Group assessed the level of implementation with the variety of criteria in this section. They have found they have been met with a varying degree of success. Gregori is proud of the work done to lay the foundation for PLC teams; however, in regard to CFA, we have much work to do. We need to develop appropriate CFA that are rigorous, relevant, informative, and have the ability to lead to collaborative discussions in PLC teams. This would help us build common pacing for improvement with work on GVC. Additionally, this will lead to increased ability to have PLC team conversations about specific and targeted interventions within the school day for struggling students. Regarding class syllabi and student grading, we would benefit from having more of a common grading policy schoolwide. We feel our culture of creating CFA that are rigorous and relevant to us is important work that needs to be done. As we look back on the words that Mr. Gregori has left us: “I never expect more of you than I do of myself…but I gotta tell ya…I expect a lot of myself.” We need to do a better job communicating our high expectations to students, and have the ability to frequently measure and inform students on progress of their learning; this means improving our types and frequency of meaningful feedback for students. Prioritize the areas of strength and growth for Category D.

Category D: Standards-based Student Learning: Assessment and Accountability: Areas of Strength

• Foundation work on CFA • Foundation work to develop effective and common intervention • Department data analysis to find common struggles and inform teachings/strategies • Foundation work on providing timely and meaningful feedback with formative

assessments • Varying methods of assessment (Digital, testing, projects, etc) • Formative Assessment within lessons using technology (Kahoot, Quizizz, Quizlet) • Pretest and posttest to demonstrate progress toward mastery of concept • Common shared rubrics provided to students • Teacher and student created rubrics • Self/peer grading opportunities • ACE the question, TIPS, etc.


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Category D: Standards-based Student Learning: Assessment and Accountability: Areas of Growth

• Need to work to develop assessments that simulate real-life career/college objectives • Need to investigate the possible implementation of a portfolio assessments that

showcase student cumulative semester/annual work • Need to work to develop more 1-on-1 interaction initiated by teachers about grades and

establishing teacher-student relationships • Need to work to develop common pacing amongst PLC teams, and use this to align test

dates to allow PLC teams to use collaboration to discuss data from the assessments • Need to investigate ways to incorporate SLC teams by having cross-curricular

collaboration projects between multiple subjects toward a common theme • Investigate the need to teach more test-taking strategies


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Category E: School Culture and Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth

E: Culture

Co-Chairs Stacey Damas

Jennifer Pirrone

Certificated Vincent Benitez Lindy Findlen Ryan Green

Alison Kuykendall Brittany Nelms Christine Perez Jennifer Pirrone Shelly Taylor

Vanessa Valdez Francisco Vazquez

Parents Rachel Wetzel

Stephanie Longstreth

Students Anya Baily

Erica Axtell Marcos Alvara

Carson Croasdale


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E1. Parent and Community Engagement Criterion The school leadership employs a wide range of strategies to encourage family, business, industry, and community involvement, especially with the learning/teaching process.

Findings

JGHS employs a wide variety of methods to communicate with and encourage the participation of JAG families and the community. PowerSchool, School Messenger, Schoology, Facebook, and the marquee are all programs that are used to communicate information. Additionally, families and community are invited to attend the variety of information nights we have on an annual basis that include: Back-to-School Night, Open house/8th Grade Parent Information Night, College Information Nights, and AP Information Night. Typically, we have heavily attended nights by families and staff members. Parents are strongly encouraged to become active at Gregori and are provided with a variety of parent organizations to choose from.

Gregori parents are involved in many aspects of our school. They are involved in Curriculum adoptions, athletic booster club, Ag booster club, and the Gregori Parent club. The Gregori Parent club serves as the parent involvement committee, Sober Grad committee, as well as schoolwide general support. Parents are encouraged to provide input regarding prospective curriculum options and how it may affect their students. Gregori seeks parent volunteers for events such as Day on the Green, chaperones for field trips, and supervisors for student activities.

Parents of EL students are invited to be part of the ELPP (English Learner Parent Partnership) committee on campus that make decisions regarding our English Learner population and how best to serve them. All EL parents receive a personal phone call in Spanish inviting them (not a phone dialer) to each meeting; also, a flyer is posted for the upcoming meeting. Attending these meetings besides EL parents are: Associate Principal, Concentration Counselor, other invited guest for specific topics requested, as well as open to the public. The meetings cover set topics such as graduation requirements, balloting, grades, attendance, reclassification requirements, or any other topic requested by parents. Meetings are usually held in the evenings at Gregori; however, we held one at the local elementary school in hopes of increased attendance this fall. This was not a success, so we are looking at offering morning meetings with coffee to see if we can increase participation.

Even though we would consider parent involvement a success, we feel that in many ways this is an area we can constantly improve. Parent surveys show they feel connected with the school, but would like to increase involvement. In teacher surveys, they feel like “the parents who need to be involved are not.” We are constantly looking to improve this data point and make all parents feel welcome and connected with Gregori.

Teachers often meet with parents on a one-to-one basis to discuss student progress. These meetings are initiated by either the teacher or the parents. Plans can be made to get students on track or to provide additional support for students who may be struggling not only academically but also emotionally.


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Our WEX coordinator conducts frequent visits to surrounding business partnerships. He works with programs on campus to align student internships with local businesses. Currently, most are connected with our Ag program and the local Ag industry, but with the new Career Navigator position we are looking to mirror this with other surrounding industries. 90% of past students in this internship programs that have graduated, received job offers after graduating and are still employed. The remaining 10% were offered jobs; however, due to attending a college not within driving range had to decline offer of employment. We consider this a 100% success rate so far.

Additionally, MCS has contracted with an outside agency to offer social-emotional supports for students. MCS contracts with CFHS that provide SAS. Gregori has three on campus; one is for our IC room, one is dedicated to TOPS, and one is for general schoolwide needs. The data has shown an increase use of this service as students benefit from this service.

Supporting Evidence

Parent Information night flyers PowerSchool reports School Messenger reports Facebook views Marquee announcements Parent Organization list Internship list Student/Parent/Staff Surveys CFHS data


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E2. School Culture and Environment Criterion

The school provides a) a safe, clean, and orderly place that nurtures learning and b) develops a culture that is characterized by trust, professionalism, high expectations for all students, and c) maintains a focus on continuous school improvement.

Findings

School Safety is our primary concern; however, we no longer have Modesto Police or Stanislaus County Sherriff officers as School Resource Officers (SRO). In lieu of this previously existing contract, the district has provided a School Safety Officer (SSO). This employee has special training; however, is not an armed SRO. This employee only has non-lethal options. In feedback from parents, students, and staff they would like to see SRO’s back in MCS high schools. In addition to our SSO, we have five full-time campus supervisors. Gregori has a School Safety Plan. The School’s Safety Plan sets out the expectations for all staff members pertaining to regular drill and evacuation protocols. Additionally, drills and evacuations are performed on a routine basis to ensure staff and students are aware of what they are to do in case of certain emergencies. After each practice, staff are invited to provide input so we can further improve the process we have. At the start of each school year, there is an informational training that occurs for students in the form of a safety PowerPoint that all teachers administer in a given period of the day.

We have policies in place to ensure a safe, clean and orderly learning environment. This includes having: clear student behavior expectations, effective supervision, organized emergency procedures, internet safety test, and immaculate facilities. The grounds and custodian crew maintain a clean environment. Classrooms, offices, and common areas are cleaned on a daily basis with deeper cleanings taking place during school break periods when students are not on campus. If there is an issue with facilities, there is a work order process to address the issue. If site employees are unable to resolve a particular issue, then it becomes a district work order to provide more specialized services. If resources are unavailable in district, then the task is contracted out to a specialized service contractor. Based on survey data, staff, students, and parents feel Gregori has excellent and well-maintained facilities. Staff data shows a vast majority feel their work order requests are dealt with in a timely and efficient manner. Internet safety is a concern for our technology-forward district, especially now that students have a1-to-1 device. Students are required to take an Internet Safety test each year. This reviews the acceptable use policy and provides other internet safety information and assessments. Violations are monitored through our tech department who commutates with site administration. Internet safety is also addressed in our Student Conduct Code that is reviewed at the beginning of each school year. Our district has group policies on all devices, and an internet filter to support safety and security onine. Additionally, teachers have access to Lanschool program to monitor student devices in their class as well as set their own restrictions on websites or programs. Plagiarism is also a problem in this area, aided by TurnItIn, there is accountability for work turned in this way.


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Facilities are inspected regularly by appropriate personnel. Fire lanes are painted in our parking lots and around other appropriate places on campus. There is signage in the parking lot and on campus to direct guests as well as to clearly direct traffic. There are appropriate signs for handicapped parking, permit required, visitor check-in, and surveillance notices. With facilities, one common feedback from staff, students, parents, visitors and guests is that Gregori could desperately use more parking. One of the planned parking lots on the original blueprints were cut for budget reasons. Gregori has worked very hard to build and maintain a positive culture on campus. The administration, staff, and students all work together to keep the school positive and welcoming. One of the new administrators hired this year established a School Culture Club that is doing a book study with the book School Culture by Design Phil Boyt. The Culture Club has created both the Lawnchair Lunches and Walking Wednesdays that has worked to build a more cohesive staff. With Lawn-Chair Lunches, staff are encouraged to bring their chairs outside and eat with other students and staff. It gives them a chance to get out of their classrooms and enjoy the campus and all its beauty. Staff members get to experience a renewed sense of camaraderie and the students get to see their teachers in a different light making the staff more approachable. During Lawnchair Lunches, Leadership students bring a variety of games and activities, from Spikeball to hula hoops, giant jenga, giant Connect four, and cornhole. Teachers and students participate in these fun activities which builds the sense of community and family that our school enjoys. This supports the reputation that Gregori is a large school with a small community feel. In an effort to promote health and wellness, Gregori has instituted Walking Wednesdays. Essentially, during lunch on Wednesdays, teachers and students walk laps around the inner part of campus. With the demands of day to day activities, Walking Wednesdays are seen as a time for staff bonding. It is a time for teachers and students to get outside, enjoy some fresh air, and engage in informal discussions. These discussions could be tied to school business or personal matters, building camaraderie and trust. The School Culture committee found that research shows that side-by-side talking gets people to be less defensive and open up around items that may previously have been difficult or confrontational. Gregori is made up of four small learning communities (SLC): Career Technology, Global Studies, Digital Media and Business, and Visual and Performing Arts. Our students get to choose their SLC upon enrollment, based on interest level and classes offered within that group. This allows the students to decide what sort of classes they want to take while still fulfilling their graduation and university admission requirements. It also gives the students a chance to create lasting relationships with both teachers and students with like-minded goals. It creates a smaller community within a larger campus. Additionally, Gregori’s offices are unique from other schools and districts as they align to be SLC focused instead of compartmentalized. Counseling and discipline services are offered by staff within an SLC as opposed to having one discipline office for the entire school and one counseling office for the entire school. Another way that we create the feeling of a smaller and safer campus is with our lunch program. With a campus that houses 2,300 students, we only have one lunch period. Our Food


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Service Team is a cut above the rest with the speed and efficiency with which they serve our students. Campuses with similar student population sizes have two lunch periods. The students are able to get through the lines and enjoy their lunch time with friends quickly and easily. We have set up several different places where students can get lunch. There are cafeteria lines as well as food cart lines. Students can choose where they go for lunch and eat a variety of nutritious choices. Student choice is very important at Gregori. Students are given the choice of classes, lunch options, elective choices, and extracurricular activities. Activities on campus help to motivate the students and keep them on the right track. We have a variety of choices for students to explore such as clubs, sports, and specialized classes; students can choose to do things that really appeal to their interests. Students are given the ability to design their educational experience so it lines up with their future goals. Student choice leads to an enriching experience on campus. Gregori has also placed an emphasis on making students feel welcome and celebrating differences. Our Global Club that has Global Week each year that celebrates many cultures, our HYLC celebrates Dia de los Muertos, and has collaborated with the library for an altar display to teach about the event. We also provide a supportive environment for several students that are on Individual Transition Plan (ITP). All students that confide in a staff member that they are transitioning are encouraged to work with the Principal. All ITP’s have to go through the Principal to ensure a plan is in place and adhered to that allows students to feel safe on campus in all aspects. Gregori has even had a student transfer to our campus due to hearing feedback on experiences of past students who felt supported and respected. Gregori updates the school safety plan on an annual basis with feedback from a school safety committee. Additionally, an injury/illness committee meets on a quarterly basis to address any issues that need to be addressed on campus. Gregori participates in several drills throughout the year consisting of evacuation, lockdown, and earthquake. Along with specialized classes and activities for students to participate in, students are often recognized for their achievement, both academic and extracurricular. One award that students can earn is the Academic Block G. While the Athletic Block G is given for achievement in varsity athletics, the Academic Block G is given for outstanding achievement in academics. This is an award that the students apply for and are awarded each year. It is based on having excellent academic standing, participating in an academic based competition club, and/or qualifying for Lifetime Membership in the California Scholarship Federation (CSF). Students can earn a Block G during their first year of qualification and a Lamp of Knowledge pin for every subsequent year of qualification. Students wear these awards with pride because it is something that they worked hard for and earned. Each year, we have an estimated 100 students that apply and qualify for this award. The Renaissance Reward program is another way that our students can be recognized for their success. We have four levels of Renaissance qualification and they are all based on non-weighted grade-point averages. Students can earn a Platinum card (4.0 GPA), a Gold card (3.5-3.99), a Blue card (3.0-3.49), or a Teal card (a .5 GPA increase or perfect attendance). Students qualify for this award every quarter and are rewarded with activities based on their


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qualifications. Gregori provides a schoolwide reward every quarter and teachers may choose to offer individual rewards within their classrooms. Examples of schoolwide rewards given in the past are movie days, assemblies, pizza lunches, and lanyards. Teachers offer awards like pencils, extra credit, positive reinforcement, and assessment retakes. Membership in the California Scholarship Federation (CSF) is a highly sought after award on our campus. Students must apply and qualify for this state run program every semester. If students qualify four out of their last six semesters of high school, they earn Lifetime Membership in CSF. This comes with many accolades, including a white gown at graduation in lieu of a blue gown, a seal on their diploma, and their name in the graduation program. Each year, about 4% of the state’s high school senior population qualifies for this prestigious honor. Each year at Gregori, however, about 12-18% of the high school senior population qualifies. At the end of the year, seniors are selected for department awards. Each department chooses a student who has excelled across the four years of high school in that specific department. There is also one student chosen who has excelled in every academic area. This student is known as the Overall JAG award recipient. There are perpetual plaques in the library where each student’s name is printed upon receipt of the award. All of these awards are presented at our graduation ceremony in front of the students’ peers, families, and the community. Our students have the opportunity to earn awards that are not just based on academics. Each month, our district gives the teachers an opportunity to nominate a student for an award based on a specific character trait. This gives the student recognition in front of the school board at their monthly meeting. Another award that students can earn is called the JAG award. Students are chosen for this award by individual teachers. Each teacher chooses a recipient based on student growth, demeanor, obstacles overcome, etc. It is not an award focused only on academic achievement. These characteristics make this award special for students, families, and teachers. We have also given JAG awards to parents who are especially active on our campus. These are typically parents that have helped with our Ag and sports programs above and beyond the average parent volunteer. These awards and recognition events are only one way that Gregori maintains a positive school culture. Some of our students are victims of terrible circumstances. Teachers and counselors have become the first line of defense for several students. While both of these groups have the very best interests of the students in mind, sometimes that is not enough. Gregori is lucky enough to have three counselors from the Stanislaus County Center for Health and Human Services on campus 100% of the time. These counselors are here to make sure that students are getting all of their emotional needs met during the day. They schedule meetings with the students to discuss things that are happening at school or home, and also set up services outside of school for the students if the need is there. One of these counselors works specifically with the Turnaround Opportunity Program Students (TOPS). She is there to make sure that the students in that program get caught up with credit recovery and meet their individual goals. Another counselor works full-time in the Intervention Center and the third counselor works with the general student population. The counselor in the IC is there to discuss the behavior that resulted in them being sent there and what they can do to change their behavior and respond more appropriately to the situation next time. She works closely with the students sent to IC as well as the teacher in the


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classroom to supervise students. The goal is to keep the referrals to the IC to a minimum and shorten the list of repeat offenders. Teachers at Gregori have gone above and beyond to help to make sure that students are given the best chance at success. Individual teachers hold tutoring hours after school and at lunch time in their own classrooms. This gives the students an opportunity to remediate work and receive one-on-one help with skills that they may not have mastered the first time. Some teachers have also created a tutoring lab on campus. This is open four days a week after school (not on Wednesdays, which is collaboration). Any student is welcome and teachers rotate in and out when they are available. Some teachers are volunteering their time to help struggling students in addition to the paid teacher. This speaks directly to the amount of work that teachers at Gregori are willing to put in so the students can succeed. Students are given ample opportunities to learn and remediate skills and practice what they know so they feel confident in their abilities. Additionally, at the end of the first semester, Leadership students organize a schoolwide tutorial session called Cocoa and Cram. Teachers volunteer to go and work with students studying for finals while drinking hot cocoa and socializing. Along with all of the rewards that our students are eligible to earn and receive, teachers also earn awards and recognition. One way that teachers are recognized on campus is through our Lighthouse Award. Each month, two staff members are given this award by their colleagues. It is given in front of the entire staff at our monthly meetings. This award is extra special for staff because it is given by peers and for the simple reason of being a shining light on campus. By recognizing each other, our staff continues to feel a level of camaraderie and our positive culture and morale stay high. This also gives us an opportunity to acknowledge the different accomplishments of peers that some may not normally hear about. Teachers can also be awarded the Staff Member of the Year every May. This person is both nominated by teachers and classified staff for being a colleague that goes above and beyond the call of duty. An important aspect of the culture at Gregori High School is the collective shared responsibility that students and staff share. Campus safety is a huge component in the positive culture that makes up Gregori High school. It is extremely important that the students and staff feel safe when they enter campus. Gregori has taken measures to ensure the safety of all parties. Staff is aware of safety plans and procedures in the tragic event that something happens on campus. The procedures are well rehearsed yearly and each teacher has a flip chart in the classroom with detailed procedures for a host of events. Teachers are also confident in the campus supervisors’ alertness and response time. Teachers rest assured knowing that if they call for help, a campus supervisor will be there very quickly. This gives the teachers and students confidence in their school’s safety plan. Gregori has also instituted a Safety Hotline where students can either text or call in information about things happening on campus that make them feel unsafe. It is an anonymous hotline used for reporting purposes. It has helped the administration at Gregori to catch student bullies and prevent actions against the campus. This hotline has proven to be an invaluable asset to the administration, staff, and students at Gregori. Staff at Gregori also have an all staff Remind account. The Remind App allows for quick bursts of information to be disseminated very quickly. This is sometimes more reliable than email in an emergency. Alerts go straight to


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smartphones and smart watches while teachers are working on keeping students safe as well as informed. The district has also installed a new program at all campuses this year called Raptor. This system is installed in every main office and visitors are required to use it before they come on to campus. The system scans the ID’s of the visitors and checks their backgrounds. This helps to ensure that dangerous individuals do not enter campus. Each visitor is given a printed badge with his/her picture on it to prove that the ID has been through the Raptor system. If someone enters campus without one of these badges, it is the responsibility of the person who sees them to direct the individual to the main office and alert campus supervisors of the unknown individual on campus.

Supporting Evidence

School Board Meeting agendas and videos School Safety Plan Student/Staff/Parent Survey results Work Order tracking Raptor reports Safety Hotline Posters Emergency Procedure flipchart Lighthouse awards list Tutoring Center Sign-in sheet CSF List Renaissance list Culture Club meeting notes


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E3. Personal and Academic Student Support Criterion

All students receive appropriate academic and multi-tiered support to help ensure student learning, college and career readiness and success. Students with special talents and/or needs have access to a system of personal support services, activities, and opportunities at the school and community.

Findings

Teachers at Gregori also help to create and maintain the culture. Gregori, along with Modesto City School District, has implemented a plan for constant teacher collaboration. The district is also implementing the ideas and strategies that will turn the school into a Professional Learning Community (PLC) site. These strategies are bringing about increased collaboration time among teachers and staff. The district also worked with the teacher union to implement more early release days in the calendar. These early release days were put in place for the sole purpose of collaboration meetings. Teachers are working together to create cross curricular lessons, intervention strategies, and common formative assessments. This speaks directly to the culture of Gregori as one of putting students first. Teachers work together to make sure that the students are educated to the best of their ability and are not afraid of asking for help. Starting in 2017, Gregori implemented Joe Gregori Day. As an SLT, we decided to honor Joe on his Birthday every year. The idea was to give students and staff an insight into who Joe was as a person and continue this tradition in the future years. Many members of the community have a connection with Joe in some way, but 50 years from now that would not be the case. This day is designed to carry on the legacy he has left behind, and for future students to know more about the amazing man he was. Students learn things like his favorite music, where he went to school, what hobbies he had, his first car, and information about his family. We plan on continuing this tradition on October 30th every year. Starting in 2017, Gregori implemented the Lighthouse Award. There are two perpetual awards that are passed on each month at the Faculty Meeting. Whoever receives the award the month before nominates a staff member that can be certificated or classified. At the meeting they state who they are honoring and why they have a positive impact on them or the campus.

Gregori works directly with students to provide any support structures that are needed. Teachers often hold tutoring hours in their classrooms after school. Students are encouraged to attend and find value in these experiences. This one-on-one support may be just what the students need to boost their performance in class and cause their grades to improve. This level of support can give students the little extra push they need to feel more confident in subject area and perform better in class.

A new program that Gregori is instituting this year is called Saturday Academy. Students who have been absent or are struggling in class are encouraged to attend this program and receive instruction in a small group setting. Teachers who choose to participate in this program are allowed to provide remediation or enrichment to the students that attend. Some of the AP teachers create small group study sessions to help better prepare the students for success on the AP exams. Other


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teachers hold remediation sessions for students to help them better understand past or current material.

When students are seriously struggling, either academically or emotionally, teachers and staff at Gregori take steps to help provide support the best that they can. One step that may be taken is one called a Student Study Team (SST). This is a team of educators, parents, administrators, and the student who all get together to try and best help the student with whatever he/she is struggling with. If these are academic struggles, the team would help direct the student to supports on campus. If the struggles are more emotional or having to do with home-life, the team can put interventions in place or refer to an outside organization for help. The goal of this team is to help the student and his/her family the best solution for the situation causing the student and/or family strife.

Our WEX coordinator does frequent visits to surrounding businesses. He works with programs on campus to develop and continue student internships with local businesses. Currently, most relate to our Ag program and the local Ag industry, but with the new Career Navigator position we are looking to mirror this with other surrounding industries. 90% of the past students in this internship programs that have graduated, received job offers after graduating and are still employed. The remaining 10% were offered jobs; however, due to attending a college not within driving range had to decline offer of employment. We consider this a 100% success rate so far.

Our College Counselor holds general informational meeting for students and parents on college, scholarship and financial assistance. She also meets with students individually and utilizes Naviance to keep student profiles and plans up-to-date. She works with students on necessary information for applications such as: recommendation forms, application completion, financial aide, scholarships and applying for them, as well as researching individual school requirements. She also continuously posts announcements on Schoology for students so they are aware of important pending deadlines.

Additionally, MCS has contracted with an outside agency to offer social-emotional supports for students. MCS contracts with CFHS that provide SAS. Gregori has three on campus; one is for our IC room, one is dedicated to TOPS, and one is for general schoolwide needs. The data has shown an increase use of this service as students benefit from this service.

Currently, there are support classes within the Master Schedule to support struggling students. We have: READ 180, ELA Support, Math Support, Success Skills, Parallel Courses, and Resource. After School students have access to After School Tutoring. There is a need that has been identified to increase the intervention within the school day to meet the needs of the students.

Gregori has a wide variety of clubs, extracurricular, and co-curricular. Gregori also offers a large number of athletic teams in boys, girls, and co-ed sports. All students are encouraged to participate in clubs, activities and athletics. Gregori has the highest participation in the district and has several championships in the short history of the school so far (receiving the athletic excellence for the league for several straight years). All students can try-out for athletics provided they meet the CIF eligibility requirements. We have facilities for all our sports on campus except for golf and aquatics. We are currently the only school in the district without a pool. Our aquatics teams must travel to other sites for practice and games (often having late nights due to sharing facilities and practicing after the home site is complete with their practice).


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Gregori has several thriving clubs on campus that can be seen active on campus throughout the school year. Any student can start a club, provided they follow the start-up guidelines (need an advisor and create a constitution). We have a very active and thriving Leadership class that works all year to provide a great high school experience for students at Gregori.

Supporting Evidence

Collaboration Calendar MTA contract Joe Gregori Day observations Lighthouse Award recipient list Tutoring Center sign-in sheets SST meeting notes College Information nights Naviance reports Master Schedule


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ACS WASC Category E. School Culture and Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth:


Review all the findings and supporting evidence and summarize the degree to which the criteria in Category E are being met. Include comments about the degree to which these criteria impact the school’s ability to address one or more of the identified critical student learning needs (Task 2, Chapter II).


Gregori has effective communication with all stakeholders as reflected in our survey results. Families can be involved on campus in a variety of ways including parent run organizations. With the access to TC-II translator position, families that speak Spanish have translation services. All communication home is translated into Spanish. Parent involvement in the IEP process is high, having most parents meeting with the team at school as opposed to a phone IEP meeting. Our school is a safe, clean and orderly campus having a welcoming environment where students, parents and community members feel welcome. The Culture Club is in the developmental stage but have many plans to increase the positive culture that already exist on campus. Our discipline incidents have an increase number of drug and alcohol related incidents. This is a concern that seems to be increasing especially with vaping. Our Leadership class and PHAST club are trying to take on this issue head on, having PR campaigns in dealing with the rise of concern. The Staff at Gregori demonstrates a great deal of care and concern for student well-being. We offer several layers of support for students who struggle both academically and social-emotionally. The staff is successful in identifying student who need support and provide them with individualized care or referring them to appropriate supports. There is still room for growth in this area around offering interventions within the school day.


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Prioritize the areas of strength and growth for Category E.

Category E: School Culture and Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth: Areas of Strength

• Our culture is about support of all people involved in school • Everyone is supportive with teachers and students • Student athletics seems to be a good motivator for students • Extra-curricular activities motivate students • Student recognition-JAG awards, character awards, department awards, renaissance • Teacher recognition • Lots of info nights for parent communication • EL nights with parents • Renaissance to help support students • Camps is outstandingly clean-amazing custodial staff • Campus supervisor’s response time and willingness to help • Food services moves students through the lines as quickly as possible • One lunch for 2300 kids • Office staff has open communication with teachers • Safety hotline for students • Student advocates from Health and Human Services • Student Leadership/ASB activities for both students and staff • Ample collaboration time • Small Learning Communities • Professional Learning Communities • Professional Development opportunities are ample • IC • After School Tutoring • After school tutoring held by individual teachers

Category E: School Culture and Support for Student Personal and Academic Growth: Areas of Growth

• There is a need to investigate ways to provide teachers info on students’ discipline and

provide them access to discipline historical records • There is a need to investigate additional support for general education teachers with

students being pushed in on an IEP • There is a need to improve communication from previous teachers/counselors/special ed

teachers on transfer students (students from class to class) • There is a need to investigate ways to improve communication between special ed and

regular ed departments • There is a need to provide better communication with new teachers about various

programs on campus • There is a need to investigate ways to improve the tardy policy • There is a need to investigate ways to improve Cell Phone policy • There is a need to investigate ways to provide information to parent around new policies

and procedures in ways other than just the conduct code • There is a need to investigate ways to assign Staff parking spots


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Prioritized Areas of Growth Needs from Categories A through E

Prioritize the growth areas from the five categories.

• Develop more effective PLC teams. The full development of the PLC process, including a focus on the creation of common formative assessments, data analysis, and the implementation of intervention practices, use data to improve instruction across the site. The sharing of effective instructional strategies has been effective in some SLC’s.

• Better community outreach and communication through Social Media, events, etc. Share successes with public and with school (individuals and programs, academic, athletic, and artistic).

• Improve communication between the school and parents as to what is going on at the school (general information).

• Lack of SLC purity in most classes remains a roadblock to consistent student intervention as well as the ability for teachers to connect with students on a more personal level over time.

• Need better support for students and teachers as more students in special education are being pushed in to general education courses.

• Increased vocational offerings and pathways aligned with SLCs.


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Chapter IV: Summary from Analysis of Identified Critical Student Learning Needs • Summarize the identified critical student learning needs based on profile and Focus Group

findings. Summarize the identified major student learner needs based on profile and Focus Group findings and California School Dashboard Results for student groups.

After all the Focus and Home Groups provided input into all the categories in the previous section and an analysis of the areas of growth for each category we have determined the CLNs. We then used these to develop the Action Plan.

1. To better serve our goals around student achievement, Gregori High School would benefit from creating PLC teams with more structure and coherence around the cycle of inquiry. To identify Essential Standards for each course and sequence, create common assessments, use data to inform instruction, and create specific and targeted interventions.

Rationale: We are proud of the work we have completed around the PLC teams; however, we feel we are not leveraging the power behind them to their full capacity. We have done some work in laying the foundations, and creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration; however, we need to improve in the process.

2. Gregori High School needs to continue efforts to create a rigorous but supportive environment for all our students; particularly for specialized populations that include EL, Special Education, 504, Foster, Homeless, and Migrant. This should be accomplished through collaboration with intentional data analysis within the cycle of inquiry. This data analysis needs to incorporate a reflection of instructional practices that address the specific needs of these student populations.

Rationale: We are proud of the work we have done with setting up foundations with our PLC; however, we need to leverage this resource with the increase of collaboration time to address the needs of all our students with an emphasis on the student population groups are in the most need.

3. Gregori High School needs to continue to build a more effective PBIS system to meet the needs of Tier 1 students. We need to incorporate our PBIS system with higher staff participations and more frequent use by students. This should be accomplished with the further implementation of the PBIS Rewards application and incorporate more teacher stores within the program. We also need to identify interventions for Tier 2 and 3 students.

Rationale: We have worked to develop a PBIS system that utilizes a PBIS Rewards application for staff and students. We need to better utilize this application to incorporate for a more robust support system for students.


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4. Gregori High School needs to continue to develop the SLC’s within the fabric of the school culture. There needs to be further incorporation of purity and changes to the master schedule to facilitate this. There also needs to be improved communication to students prior to them choosing an SLC. Additionally, there needs to be an analysis of Capstone courses in pathways and their alignment to SLC’s and the connection to the College and Career Indicator (CCI).

Rationale: Through student and staff surveys and other inquiry methods, we have discovered the need for more cohesiveness within our SLC’s. Information indicates a disconnect amongst staff and students with their SLC. We need to better inform students when balloting, specifically incoming Freshman, about SLC’s on campus and how they connect to student’s future goals.


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Chapter V: Schoolwide Action Plan A. Revise the single schoolwide action plan. Ensure the plan is aligned with the Local Control

and Accountability Plan. B. State any additional specific strategies to be used by staff within each subject area/support

program to close achievement gaps of student groups in the schoolwide action plan. C. Describe the school’s follow-up process, ensuring an ongoing improvement process. Formal action plans from each Home Group are not necessary; the critical emphasis is the consensus and commitment from all stakeholders to implementing the various sections of the schoolwide action plan.

Our district has utilized the LCAP process to meet with stakeholder committees to establish an LCAP for our district. Additionally, the SPSA template was developed and is revised each year at the district level. Gregori High School worked with the goals from the LCAP, SPSA, the SLO’s, and CLN identified through our Self-Study to revise our WASC Action Plan. Below are the are the areas of strength and areas of growth that have been identified through the Self-Study process that have assisted us with identifying areas needed in our Schoolwide Action Plan.

Areas of Strengths Areas for Growth

Instruction/Collaboration • Early release days provide

opportunities for PLC collaboration at the department level. Increased collaboration days present an opportunity for continued growth in this process.

• Formal collaboration time is scheduled to create and fully implement curricular changes brought on by Common Core State Standards.

• Continued development of common formative assessments in all departments around Essential Standards.

• PLC teams use data to find common struggles or successes and inform teaching strategies and to aid with instructional intervention.

• Small Learning Community structure • Professional Development

Opportunities

Instruction/Collaboration • The full development of the PLC

process, including a focus on the creation of common formative assessments, data analysis, and the implementation of intervention practices, offers an opportunity to improve instruction across the site. The sharing of effective instructional strategies has been effective in some SLC’s but inconsistent site wide.

• Literacy Standards need to be addressed more consistently in all classrooms.

• Teachers need more training and support from the District-level in providing effective instruction to meet the needs of ELD and Special Education students.

• Develop more effective PLC teams • Cross-curricular collaboration projects

between multiple subjects toward a common theme

• Teach more test-taking strategies and other “success skills”

https://www.mcs4kids.com/district/lcff-and-lcap/workshops-2018-2019


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Technology

• All teachers have a Surface Pro, and all students have access to an HP 360.

• Classrooms have media carts that contain a document camera, LCD projector, and DVD player. Some classrooms are now equipped with 80” TVs in lieu of the projector.

• Technology PD is available often. • Teachers regularly implement

technology in their instructional practices for real-time checks for understanding, or to manage content, grade, and communicate with classes (i.e. Schoology, OneNote, Kahoot, FlipGrid, Spiral, Quizizz)

• Internships with local businesses and organization that are linked with curriculum

• Varying methods of assessment (digital, traditional, projects), including pretests and posttests to demonstrate mastery

• Common shared rubrics provided to students

• Schoolwide instructional strategies shared in site-led PD, and focused on quarterly.

Communication/Outreach • Many Co- and Extra-curricular

activities offered • Parent information nights, including

EL parent nights. • Student Leadership/ASB activities

and events for students and staff • Purposeful Back to School Night &

Open House events • Internal communication including

Friday Updates, other staff attendance emails, events emails, etc.

Technology

• Utilize available technology in order to work on teacher aligning test dates and major assignments

Communication/Outreach

• Continue building community ties • Better community outreach and

communication through Social Media, events, etc.

• Improve communication between the school and parents as to what is going on at the school (general information)

• Have delineated path for parents and students to guide SLC choices

• Communication from previous teachers/counselors/special ed teachers


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• Communication to grade levels via Schoology for announcements and updates

Support Services/Safety

• Supportive and dedicated custodial staff who keep our campus outstandingly clean.

• Campus supervisors know students and are willing to help, keeping response time as quick as possible.

• Nutrition services serves all students at lunch so we can have a single lunch and maintain block schedule

• Office staff communicate regularly and effectively with teachers and administrators

• There is a safety hotline for students that students can call or text

• Social Emotional Support Services by Health and Human Services

• Modern facilities • Safety updates via Remind app • New Raptor system as district norm

for checking in all visitors Intervention

• PLC collaboration time includes continued working progress of effective and common intervention

• Intervention center, PBIS, RP • After school tutoring program, as

well as tutoring held by individual teachers

• G230 and TOPS program for credit recovery, targeted interventions

on transfer students (students from class to class)

• Communication between special ed and general ed departments

• Communication with new teachers about various programs on campus

• Roll out new policies to parents in a way other than the conduct code

Support Services/Safety

• More parking • Analysis of the allocation of resources

to support small learning communities • Need to analyze/evaluate current Tardy

policy • Need to analyze/evaluate cell phone

policy Intervention

• Lack of SLC purity in the majority of classes remains a roadblock to consistent student intervention as well as the ability for teachers to connect with students on a more personal level over time.

• Need better support for students and teachers as more students in special education are being pushed in to general education courses


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College/Career

• High number of students enrolled in AP classes

• Internships with local businesses and organization that are linked with curriculum

• ASVAB coordinated with military • PSAT 10 • Naviance workshops each year, with

Work Experience coordinator, college counselor, and library media teacher

• Connection with local Union Halls • Courses with direct career

connections, some examples are: FBLA, JNN, Work Experience, PAL, Medical Technology, and CTE Agriculture pathways

Recognition/Culture

• Positive School Culture • Student recognition: JAG awards

annually, character awards monthly, departmental awards annually, Renaissance rewards quarterly.

• Teacher recognition: Lighthouse awards monthly, certificated and classified awards annually.

• New staff culture club, events including “Walking Wednesdays,” and lunch “picnics”

• Clear behavioral intervention system and plan (intervention center collaborating with rest of site)

College/Career

• Increased vocational offerings and pathways aligned with SLCs

• Assessments that simulate real-life career/college objectives

Recognition/Culture

• Consistent high expectations for students

• Maintain school traditions • Share successes with public and with

school (individuals and programs, academic, athletic, and artistic)


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Modesto City Schools LCAP Goals

• GOAL 1: Provide facilities that are safe and welcoming to enhance and maximize learning opportunities

o Action #1: Improve facilities for student, parents and staff o Action #2: Equitable access to technology o Action #3: Increase student computer literacy o Action #4: Decrease suspension rate o Action #5: Increase parent communication and engagement

• GOAL 2: Increase student achievement to ensure each student demonstrates success with California State Standards and be College and Career Ready

o Action #1: Increase achievement to ensure college readiness o Action #2: Provide student support to meet college and career readiness o Action #3: Additional staff to coordinate services o Action #4: Alternative programs to meet student needs o Action#5: Increase awareness of careers and life skills

• GOAL 3: Support student’ academic and social success by providing access to remediation and enrichment opportunities and promoting positive well-being

o Action #1: Provide access to remediation/credit recovery o Action #2: Maintain support for enrichment/health and wellness programs o Action #3: Increase access to support services at each site

Link for Reader Friendly Version Link for Full Version Gregori Critical Learner Needs

To better serve our goals around student achievement, Gregori High School would benefit from creating PLC teams with more structure and coherence around the cycle of inquiry. To identify Essential Standards for each course and sequence, create common assessments, use data to inform instruction, and create specific and targeted interventions. Gregori High School needs to continue efforts to create a rigorous but supportive environment for all our students; particularly for specialized populations that include EL, Special Education, 504, Foster, Homeless, and Migrant. This should be accomplished through collaboration with intentional data analysis within the cycle of inquiry. This data analysis needs to incorporate a reflection of instructional practices that address the specific needs of these student populations.

Gregori High School needs to continue to build a more effective PBIS system to meet the needs of Tier 1 students. We need to incorporate our PBIS system with higher staff

https://www.mcs4kids.com/documents/MCS%202019-20%20LCAP%20-%20ENG.pdf

https://www.mcs4kids.com/documents/2019_Local_Control_and_Accountability_Plan_&_Annual_Update_Modesto_City_Schools_20190612.pdf


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participations and more frequent use by students. This should be accomplished with the further implementation of the PBIS Rewards application and incorporate more teacher stores within the program. We also need to identify interventions for Tier 2 and 3 students.

Gregori High School needs to continue to develop the SLC’s within the fabric of the school culture. There needs to be further incorporation of purity and changes to the master schedule to facilitate this. There also needs to be improved communication to students prior to them choosing an SLC. Additionally, there needs to be an analysis of Capstone courses in pathways and their alignment to SLC’s and the connection to the College and Career Indicator (CCI).


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Goal # 1: Improve Distance from Standard by +10 points or maintain green/blue status Fall 2020 CA Dashboard for ELA.

Subject: English Language Arts

LCAP Alignment: LCAP Goal 2, Strategic Goal 1

Rationale: In our efforts as a District to reach green status on the CA Dashboard in ELA, each school needs to have a positive growth of 10 or more points from the DFS or maintain green/blue status.

Measurable way to assess Means to monitor and report progress

• CA Dashboard • SBAC score results • District benchmarks • CFA for essential standards • Student grade reports • Documented progress on Collaboration

Outcomes • Collaboration notes • Classroom walkthroughs looking at

instructional adjustments geared towards improving student learning based on collaboration conversations

• PLC teams use results from CFA • Monitoring of instructional norms • Monitoring of literacy practices • Collaboration notes • Share out successes during SLT and faculty

meetings

Steps including professional development Timeline

• Provided PD on PLC in July 2019. Focus on success criteria for each essential standard. Outlined Essential Standards Chart, and provided with six common assessment guiding questions.

• Provided PD on literacy strategies in October 2019. Focused on schoolwide literacy standards and connected literacy strategies.

• Over the next three years we will have two full PD days per year (one in August and one in October). SLT will work to develop a priority plan in the following areas: the foundation that has been laid that need strengthening, sequential steps for implementation, and how PD would be delivered to be most effective with the staff. Initial poling from the SLT include:

• August 2019 provided survey to staff on effectiveness of PLC teams.

• September 2019 Google folders created to collect PLC evidence.

• September 2019 essential standards for each grade level in ELA established and mutually agreed upon as a PLC team. Essential Standard Chart submitted in Google folder for each PLC team

• December 2019 staff completed PLC effectiveness survey to see analyze progress

• Fall 2019 ELA PLC teams worked to write CFA for the essential standards. Each standard will be broken down into success criteria in student friendly language.

• Fall/Spring 2019-2020 ELA PLC teams will meet during collaboration to review/analyze data


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o Developing PD on writing well-crafted CFA

o Continue to use the PLC+ Playbook to further our process (next steps for our site)

o Deliver content with rotating groups where teachers on site deliver researched-based strategies during PD sessions

o Developing success criteria o Developing interventions within the

classroom o Use more technology in PD

presentations with staff

from CFA. Each team will develop an intervention plan around each Essential Standard.

• May 2019 have staff completed PLC effectiveness survey to see analyze progress

• Fall 2020 ELA PLC team will review/analyze essential standards. They will work to align with the targets from the claims within the CAASPP assessment

• Spring 2020 develop priority plan with SLT on PD plan for the site using the feedback. Investigate creating a PD development team from SLT.

• 2020-21 using data to guide discussion implement next phase in PD to further the PLC process. After each PD session in August and October, review with SLT and discuss any changes needed to the PD plan, and continue the development to build next steps.

Resources Responsible

• Collaboration • Site walkthroughs • Google Drive folders for PLC evidence • PD opportunities

• Site administration • Site teachers • PLC teams • Support staff


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Goal # 2: Improve Distance from Standard by +10 points or maintain green/blue status Fall 2020 CA Dashboard

Subject: Math

LCAP Alignment: LCAP Goal 2,Strategic Goal 1

Rationale: In our efforts as a District to reach green status on the CA Dashboard in Math, each school needs to have a positive growth of 10 or more points from the DFS or maintain green/blue status.


• CA Dashboard • District benchmarks • Interim assessments • CFA for essential standards • Student grade reports • Documented progress on Collaboration

Outcomes • Collaboration notes • Classroom walkthroughs looking at

instructional adjustments geared towards improving student learning based on collaboration conversations

• Classroom walkthroughs looking at effectiveness with new textbook adoption

• PLC team results on CFA • Monitoring of instructional norms • Monitoring of literacy practices in Math • Collaboration notes • Share out successes during SLT and faculty

meetings


• Provided PD on PLC in July 2019. Focus on success criteria for each essential standards. Outlined Essential Standards Chart, and provided with six common assessment guiding questions.

• Provided PD on literacy strategies in October 2019. Focused on schoolwide literacy standards and connected literacy strategies.

• Over the next three years we will have two full PD days per year (one in August and one in October). SLT will work to develop a priority plan in the following areas: the foundation that has been laid that need strengthening, sequential steps for implementation, and how PD would be

• Spring of 2019 two Gregori teachers (one math one science) were chosen to participate on the math curriculum taskforce.

• August 2019 provided survey to staff on effectiveness of PLC teams.

• September 2019 Google folders created to collect PLC evidence.

• September 2019 essential standards for each grade level in Math established and mutually agreed upon as a PLC team. Essential Standard Chart submitted in Google folder for each PLC team

• December 2019 staff completed PLC effectiveness survey to see analyze progress

• Fall 2019 Math PLC teams worked to write CFA for the essential standards. Each standard will be


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delivered to be most effective with the staff. Initial poling from the SLT include:

o Developing PD on writing well crafted CFA

o Continue to use the PLC+ Playbook to further our process (next steps for our site)

o Deliver content with rotating groups where teachers on site deliver researched-based strategies during PD sessions

o Developing success criteria o Developing interventions within the

classroom o Use more technology in PD

presentations with staff

broken down into success criteria in student friendly language.

• Fall/Spring 2019-2020 Math PLC teams will meet during collaboration to review/analyze data from CFA. Each team will develop an intervention plan around each essential standard.

• Early Spring 2020 two math teachers will pilot two different curriculums recommended from the math curriculum taskforce.

• Spring 2020 use information from math curriculum taskforce to plan PD for math department around change to curriculum. Develop PD plan for teachers on training for new textbook adoption.

• May 2020 have staff completed PLC effectiveness survey to see analyze progress

• Fall 2020 Math PLC team will review/analyze essential standards. They will work to align with the targets from the claims from CAASPP

• Spring 2020 develop priority plan with SLT on PD plan for the site using the feedback. Investigate creating a PD development team from SLT.

• 2020-21 using data to guide discussion implement next phase in PD to further the PLC process. After each PD session in August and October, review with SLT and discuss any changes needed to the PD plan, and continue the development to build next steps.


• Collaboration • Site walkthroughs • Google Drive folders for PLC evidence • PD opportunities

• Site administration • Site teachers • PLC teams • Support staff


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Goal # 3 Increase attendance rate to 98% and decrease chronic absence rate by 1%.

Subject: Attendance

LCAP Alignment: LCAP Goal 1,Strategic Goal 1 and 3

Rationale: Since daily attendance is an important component of student success, having students absent and chronically absent will negatively affect their performance. We feel it is important to separate the attendance rate goal from the chronic absence rate because they may require different interventions.


• Daily attendance report • Chronic absence report • Attendance Liaison reports • PBIS store report • MODD • Student, parent, and staff survey data

• Weekly attendance data to staff • Monitoring chronic absence report • SART team meetings • Attendance logs • SST meetings • IEP meetings


• SART and SARB meetings for students who are chronically absent

• Home visits • Attendance clerk calls by SLC • SLC attendance interventions • FIT individual goals • Ongoing PBIS incentives • Continue to work with PBIS team with data to

address current needs with attendance • Training attendance team • Develop a communication procedure for staff

that suspect an attendance issue • Weekly perfect attendance incentives • Use the new Culture Club to nurture the

school environment to create a safe and welcoming place students desire to be

• Use SLC teams that are focusing on attendance interventions to develop next steps for improvement

• Weekly scheduled SART meetings by SLC as needed

• Home visits ongoing as needed • Daily Attendance Clerk calls for absent students • SLC Attendance interventions weekly with

monthly reports during SLC collaboration • Ongoing FIT meetings with goal discussions

during the meetings. Quarterly data review of impact with the program.

• Weekly, monthly and quarterly attendance incentives

• Monthly attendance team meetings and share out progress with staff

• During a faculty meeting in fall 2020, provide training for communication procedures for staff that suspect attendance issues

• Inform staff of attendance data on a regular basis, celebrating achievements and highlighting areas the still need improvement with strategies to use


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• LCAP student incentive fund • Faculty meetings • Attendance team meetings • Ad council meetings • MODD and other computer reports

• Site administration • Site teachers • Attendance team


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Goal # 4 Implement Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) to decrease suspension rate by 0.5% or maintain green/blue status Fall 2020 CA Dashboard.

Subject: Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS)

LCAP Alignment: LCAP Goal 1 and 3, Strategic Plan Goal 3

Rationale: In reviewing the suspension data for Gregori HS we noticed disproportionate data with our subgroups. In an effort to put a plan in place to lower suspension and expulsion numbers, we developed a PBIS team to implement a plan based on data analysis and campus climate concerns or issues.


• Suspension and expulsion data • Incident and referral data • IC data • PBIS store reports • MODD and other computer based data • Student, parent, and staff survey data

• PBIS team meetings • Track all incidents and referrals • Document all suspensions and expulsions • Notify staff of relevant discipline and PBIS data

monthly • Track all IC data • SST • SAS data


• Quarterly PBIS team meetings • Ongoing RP trainings • Ongoing PBIS trainings • Classroom management PD offerings • Ongoing IC trainings • Provide interventions to students in IC and

investigate what interventions seem to be effective and which do not

• Mediation meetings • “Stay Away” contracts • Individual FIT goals • SLC behavior intervention meetings • Parent communication • Behavior plans • Continue to build the Inspire Schools mentor

team

• Ongoing Classroom management, RP, PBIS, and IC professional development through the PD catalog

• Ongoing mediation meetings as needed, with monthly supervision meeting on progress

• Ongoing “Stay Away” contracts as needed • By fall of 2020, provide parent communication

training PD for all staff • Ongoing PBIS team meetings with quarterly

updates to staff • Ongoing FIT meetings with individual students

on weekly basis • Ongoing SLC behavior interventions with

monthly reports during SLC collaboration • Ongoing parent communication as needed with

quarterly newsletter • Ongoing IEP meetings with use of behavior

plans as needed • Provide data to staff around discipline on a

regular basis, informing them of the progress


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• MODD and other computer based data reports • IC • SAS • SST • SLCs • PBIS team • RP team

• Site administration • Site teachers • PBIS team • Support staff


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Goal # 5 Increase graduation rate by 1% or maintain green/blue status Fall 2020 CA Dashboard

Subject: Graduation Rate 4 year cohort

LCAP Alignment: LCAP Goal2, Strategic Goal 1

Rationale: At Gregori we feel that the culminating success for students is graduation


• Grading reports • Credit remediation reports • Transcript reviews • 4-year plans • Data Dashboard • Student, parent, and staff survey data

• 4-year plans • Counseling meetings with students • Grading periods • Credit recovery meetings • SLC meetings


• Monitor grades at each grading period to identify students who are off track

• FIT team meetings • SLC team meetings • Schoolwide interventions and future PD to

enhance teacher supports and intervention strategies

• Tutoring • Saturday school • IC • 0 and 8 period classes • Credit recovery options • SSTs • IEPs • Individual EL parent meetings

• Ongoing grade check meetings with quarter review of struggling students

• Ongoing monitoring of D and F grades at grade check points

• Ongoing ESS and Summer school, recruiting students who need the intervention

• Ongoing 0 and 8th period offerings in the master schedule and look to recruit more teachers for more offerings

• Ongoing FIT meetings on a weekly basis • Ongoing SLC collaborations • Collaboration meetings for subject or grade level

to plan and implement specific-targeted interventions

• PD offering to enhance schoolwide interventions • Investigate options for intervention within the

school day and bring findings to SLT to develop next step plan


• SLC counselor • SLT • Collaboration schedule

• Site administration • Site teachers • Counselors


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• Grading period reports • FIT team • Visits to other sites to observe successful

practices

• PLC teams • FIT team • Support staff


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Appendices: A. LCAP reader friendly version

LCAP full version B. Survey results C. California Healthy Kids Survey D. Master schedule E. Approved AP course list F. UC a-g approved course list G. Collaboration Outcomes H. Essential Standards Chart I. Common Assessment Guiding Questions J. PLC Effectiveness Rubric Results (Sept 2019) K. Collaboration Folders L. CA Dashboard M. School accountability report card (SARC) N. CBEDS school information O. Graduation Requirements P. Budget Q. Glossary of terms R. Ballots

https://www.mcs4kids.com/documents/MCS%202019-20%20LCAP%20-%20ENG.pdf

https://www.mcs4kids.com/documents/2019_Local_Control_and_Accountability_Plan_&_Annual_Update_Modesto_City_Schools_20190612.pdf

https://www.mcs4kids.com/img/files/2019%20LCAP%20Survey%20Analysis-Modesto%20City%20Schools%20(April%202019).pdf

https://apcourseaudit.inflexion.org/ledger/school.php?a=NTA3NDc=&b=MA==

https://hs-articulation.ucop.edu/agcourselist/institution/2413

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1zZsxZx4xN8onqZYAYNc5IHC0V19oKgJh


https://www.mcs4kids.com/documents/Board%20Policies/Instruction/6146.1%20BP%20-%20High%20School%20Graduation%20Requirements.pdf

Documents

JOSEPH A. GREGORI HIGH SCHOOL SELF-STUDY REPORT COPY Gregori... · 2020-02-08 · 1 . Preface . Joseph A. Gregori High School completed its first full WASC accreditation report in