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

Louisiana High School Redesign SummitLonnie Luce, PhD, Deputy Superintendent of Schools

May 2, 2007

Who are Greenville County Schools?

High School Reform in South Carolina – the Three R’s

Why 9th Grade Redesign in GCS?

District Leadership What is Next? Wade Hampton High School’s

Freshman Academy Questions

AgendaAgenda

Golden Strip Career Center – 512

JH Bonds Career Center – 425

Enoree Career Center – 350

Donaldson Career Center – 450


2006 SC High School Redesign Commission Report

I. Building Rigor High Expectations High Academic Standards Rigorous Course Work Personalized Support Varied Learning Styles



II. Building Relevance Create a high school

curriculum meaningful to students and tied to a real-world knowledge and skills

Ability for students to choose a curriculum that fits their interests, everyday lives, and future plans



III. Building Relationships Students academically

perform better when they are known, valued, and contributing members of a learning community.

• Increased number of AP, IB, and Honor course offerings

• High academic standards• Professional Development support • Curriculum Resource Teachers at all high schools• New Uniform Grading Scale (2007-2008)

Rigor in GCSRigor in GCS

• Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) Implementation

• Dual Credit Offerings• Virtual High School • Twilight Schools • Distance Learning• Credit Recovery• Technology Integration

Relevance in GCSRelevance in GCS

• Smaller Learning Communities (6 sites)

• High Schools That Work (8 sites)

• Vertical Teams• Graduate Greenville • Alternative pathways

to graduation

Relationships in GCSRelationships in GCS

• Only 5% of retained 9th graders will go on to graduate.

• More students fail ninth grade than any other grade of school.

• Students who repeat at least one year are three times more likely to drop out of school than students who have not failed a grade.

• 60% of students with multiple risk factors in eighth grade graduate from high school on time, compared to 90% of other students.



• The performance of students in Algebra I is the single most reliable indicator of their earnings at age 25.

• A study of 56 Georgia and Florida high schools found that schools with extensive transition programs had significantly lower failure and dropout rates than those schools that did not offer comprehensive programs.



Freshman Academy ResultsFreshman Academy Results

Berea High 2004-05 2005-06

9th Graders Retained 151 51

Attendance Rate 92.38% 92.93%

Referrals 1,196 1,002

JL Mann High 2004-05 2005-06



Referrals 1,253 963

Hillcrest High 2004-05 2005-06




Freshman Academy ResultsFreshman Academy Results

Mauldin High 2004-05 2005-06


Attendance Rate - -


Wade Hampton High 2004-05 2005-06




Travelers Rest High 2004-05 2005-06


Attendance Rate - -

Referrals 848 806

• Applied for Small Learning Communities Grant (Awarded $2.1M for SY04-05 to SY06-07)

• Decentralized implementation (see goals)• District level meetings to discuss best

practices with other SLC schools

District ApproachDistrict Approach

High School Schedules 07-08High School Schedules 07-08

7 Period DayCarolinaEastsideGreenvilleJ. L. MannMauldinRiversideSouthsideTravelers Rest

8 Opportunity BlockBereaBlue RidgeGreerHillcrestWade HamptonWoodmont

• Implement HSTW district-wide • Transition 9th grade Small Learning Communities into

Clusters and Majors• Offer dual credit courses for more Carnegie Credit• Continue implementation of standards-based

curriculum• Increase number of Distance Learning opportunities • Increase the percentage of students taking honors, IB,

and AP courses• Expand the “possibilities” of the Twilight Schools • Educate middle-grades students, parents, and

teachers about rigorous high school studies• Establish a “Parental Involvement” training for schools

What is Next?What is Next?

Lance Radford, Principal

• Grades 9-12 (389 Freshmen)• 1300 students• Gender

• Male = 642 Female = 658• Ethnicity

• A = 2%• B = 25%• H = 7%• O = 1%• W = 65%

• Poverty Index (FARMS) approx. 35%• Zoning • School of choice (21%)

What Are We?What Are We?

INITIAL GOAL OF THE

FRESHMEN ACADEMY:

Reduce the 9th grade retention

rate

WHHS Freshman StatsWHHS Freshman Stats

2003-04 2004-05 2005-06

9th Graders Retained 111 75 51

Attendance Rate 92.92% 92.05% 93.58%

GPA 1.975 2.274 2.793

Referrals N/A 4,298 2,095

Enrollment 407 433 412

HSAP Pass Rate N/A 68.9% 75.6%

One size does not fit all Flexibility Things are not done in isolation District level meetings with other

schools that have 9th grade academies Take chances OK to throw out what didn’t work

(even though you may have spent a lot of money on the effort)

District SupportDistrict Support

Isolate the first year freshmen in major academic classes

Dedicated Freshman Academy Coordinator

Dedicated Guidance Counselor & Administrator

Dedicated Freshman Academy Faculty with time for collaboration built into the day

Incentive Programs for Teachers and Students

SREB: HSTW Freshman Academy PhilosophySREB: HSTW Freshman Academy Philosophy

Tutoring programs Double blocking classes Small class sizes Teaming & Collaboration of teachers Professional Development for teachers Summer Bridge Program

SREB: HSTW Freshman Academy PhilosophySREB: HSTW Freshman Academy Philosophy

Hire and retain quality teachers

It must be the Teachers choice to be a part of the Freshmen Academy

Teacher Incentive program

Wade Hampton High School’s

Formula for Success

Wade Hampton High School’s

Formula for Success

Personnel• Dedicated AP, Coordinator & Guidance

Counselor• The School Principal must be involved• Choosing teachers that want to be in the

academy• Professional Development specific to the

needs of FA Teachers•2-day Pre-School Retreat

• United Philosophy•all 9th graders can be successful•9th graders must not fail•High expectations for all students•Consistency when enforcing rules•Keep students in class & disruptions to a minimum

• Incentive program

Communication• Weekly Freshmen Academy teacher

meetings/planning• Constant contact with parents (grades /

attendance)• Spring Fling Information Thing

Student Support• During the school day tutoring• 9th grade hallway• Small Class Sizes• Peer African American Male mentoring program• Increased Rigor, 25% of freshmen now take AP

classes• AP pass rate is 44%• Double blocking lowest achieving students in English

and math• 4X4 schedule with only 2 academic classes per

semester• PTSA sponsored summer school• Free credit recovery• First Friday• Student of the Month• Back-to-School Kits

Curriculum• Common Teaching Practices (Agenda & EQ on the

board)• Common Course Syllabi (Horizontal Alignment)• MAP Testing for placement decisions

What Worked?What Worked?

What Didn’t Work?What Didn’t Work?Personnel• Part Time Coordinator• Part Time Administrator• Assigning teachers to teach

Freshman Academy classes

Curriculum Freshmen Success classes Common planning for teachers Double blocking all freshmen in math classes Delayed start (traditional schedule)

Communication• Transition programs with feeder middle schools• Monthly newsletter mailed home

Student Support Teaming Double blocking all freshmen in English and

math Freshmen lunch Using ISS as the primary discipline action for

9th graders Rescheduling students who were not

successful in English or math Excessive levels within courses After school tutoring (transportation problems)

Wall to wall Career Academies The new focus on 10th grade South Carolina – The Education and Economic

Development Act (EEDA) 16 Career Clusters (With Majors) Personal Pathways to Success Transition from Middle School to High School to

College/Workforce Individualized Graduation Plan (IGP)

What’s Next?What’s Next?

Questions?Questions?

Comments.Comments.

Louisiana High School Redesign SummitMay 2, 2007

Documents

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