The State of York High School

Amy Jacobson, Sara Lasker, Megan Morse, Gabriela Rivera-Morales

Welcome Families and Community Members!

First Things FirstFamily Engagement Is Vital!

Research over the last forty years provides educators and parents with a substantial body of evidence suggesting that parent involvement and engagement is associated with children’s academic performance and social competence.

Importance of Family Collaboration

The most accurate predictor of a student's achievement in school is not income or social status, but the extent to which that student's family is able to:

1. Create a home environment

that encourages learning.

2. Communicate high, yet

reasonable, expectations for

their child's achievement and

future careers.

3. Become involved in their child's education at school and in the community.

Benefits of Family Collaboration with Schools

1. Students achieve more, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background or the parents' education level.2. Students have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and complete homework more consistently.3. Students have higher graduation rates and greater enrollment rates in post-secondary education.4. Educators hold higher expectations of students whose parents collaborate with the teacher. 5. Student achievement for disadvantaged children not only improves, but can also reach levels that are standard for middle-class children. In addition, the children who are farthest behind make the greatest gains. 6. Children from diverse cultural backgrounds perform better when parents and professionals collaborate to bridge thegap between the culture at home and at the learning institution. 7. Student behaviors such as alcohol use, violence, and antisocial behavior decrease as parent involvement increases.8. Students will keep pace with academic performance if their parents participate in school events, develop a working relationship with educators, and keep up with what is happening with their child's school.9. Junior and senior high school students whose parents remain involved make better transitions, maintain the quality of their work, and develop realistic plans for their future. Students whose parents are not involved, on the other hand, are more likely to drop out of school.

But it's more than just Parents!

Teacher Collaboration Gives Schools Better Results

The world's best school systems depend on teacher collaboration, but the concept has not caught on in the U.S. We found schools where teamwork is making a difference.

The Collaborative “esprit de corps” at York High School

Teachers at York High School report that there is a strong sense of overall community among the administration, faculty, and students. There is a strong emphasis placed on school spirit and Falcon Pride.

However, teachers around the district do not feel that there is much collaboration going on between teachers themselves. Teachers in the core subject areas at York and Bruton High School do not share planning periods and often do not even have the same lunch block. In addition, many teachers have three preps making it difficult to find any common planning time.

Collaboration with families varies from teacher to teacher, but it appears to be an area that the school can work to improve. Parents do have access to y-Line, y-Feeds, y-Talk, and y-Vids, all of which provide information about upcoming events and revamped initiatives.

The Collaborative "esprit de corps" at York High School (continued)

For teachers at York High School, there are a few collaborative activities that they actively participate in:

• Department meetings are held on a monthly basis; every department member is expected to attend and share the current status of their classroom.

• Department heads also hold intermittent "call-up" meetings when they have to address issues that affect the entire department (for example, upcoming standardized tests or common assessments).

• IB curriculum teachers meet on a weekly basis to provide informal status reports and organize instructional material.

• ALL teachers must attend NING (or "In Service") meetings, which delineate universal objectives for school-wide initiatives. The objectives are then posted online on an open Twitter account that teachers can consistently reference.

Achievement AccomplishmentsYork High School Report Card Data

• State Accreditation Status: Fully Accredited• Federal Accountability: Met All Federal AMOs

• Met accreditation benchmark in English, math, history, science, and graduation and completion index (met math objective based on three-year average)

• Met Virginia AMO for reading in all three proficiency gap groups• Met Virginia AMO for math in all three proficiency gap groups (met based on

three-year average in Gap Groups 1&2)• Met federal AMOs for participation and performance in reading and math (met

math performance objective based on three-year average)• Met federal AMO for Federal Graduation Indicator

• 30.84% of students enrolled in AP courses in 2011-2012 compared to 21.97% in 2009-2012

• 62.64% of students graduated with an Advanced Diploma in 2011-2012• 88% of students in AP Calculus scored a 3 or above on the 2012 AP test

• Only 1 weapons offense in 2011-2012

Percentage of Students Passing Mathematics Performance Test

Current Areas of Focus

Percentage of Students Passing Mathematics Performance Tests by Subject (2011-2012)

Current Areas of Focus

York High School's Respect for Diversity

In an interview with assistant principal Shelley Cihak, she disclosed the following about YHS and diversity:

• York has a huge self-contained program (with it’s own wing), which she believes adds to the overall diversity of the school.

• York also has a wide range of SES. About 13% of students are on the free or reduced lunch program. There is also a sizeable portion of the student body that does not have access to Internet at home. Students have access to multiple sets of laptop computers and three computer labs at anytime.

• There are a lot of transitory families (and, subsequently, students) including those who struggle with homelessness. Students who face these struggles are constantly supported by school counselor, who have access to welfare liaisons.

York High School's Respect for Diversity

• Ms. Cihak has seen the ELL population dwindle at York. Currently only two students receive ELL services.

• ELL students work directly with a travelling language teacher

• The York community is “polarized” as well, which actually means that York is a strongly self-segregated community. Seaford, for example, is mostly white, low SES families that have been there for a long time or live there permanently. Lackey is comprised of mostly low SES black families. There are no active integration efforts at YHS.

Students from Grafton and York took first place at the "Odyssey of the Mind" competition at Menchville HS in Newport News.

Opportunities for family involvement at York High School: What YOU can do

• YHS Band Boosters

• PTSA

• Volunteer in the School Division, see http://yorkcountyschools.org/community/volunteers/default.aspx

School volunteer coordinators assign volunteers to teachers, administrators, librarians and other school personnel as needed for such jobs as:

o Classroom Assistant

o Tutor

o Library Assistant

o Clerical Support

o Recreational Assistant

o Bus or Hall Monitor

o Lunchroom Helper

• Attend/provide input at York County Special Education Advisory Committee

Communities in which YHS students live, worship, work, and

play1. Where students LIVE:

Zoning Information at: http://yorkcountyschools.org/parents/enrollment/docs/yhs_yms.pdf

2. Where students WORSHIP:

http://yorktown.explore-virginia.us/Profile/churches/

Yorktown Baptist Church, St. Joan of Arc Church, Grace Episcopal Church, Crooks Memorial United Methodist, St. Mark Lutheran Church, Masjid Abdul Aziz Islamic Center of Williamsburg, Williamsburg Hellenic Center/St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox

3. Where students WORK:

McDonald’s (e.g. one student is known to work 8 hours after school 5 days a week)

Other fast food restaurants in Yorktown/Williamsburg

Babysit for friends/neighbors

4. Where students PLAY:

Local Parks such as Back Creek Park, Charles Brown Park, Chisman Creek Park, Kiln Creek Park, New Quarter Park, Wolf Trap Park

Public Boat Landings

Yorktown Waterfront

York County Sports Complex

Colonial Williamsburg/Jamestown

In-school Resources to Address Data Concerns

Increasing York High School's math SOL

results to the division average among all

high schools is the main area of concern.

The Assessment & Compliance Coordinator, Howard Townsend, and Dove Halverson, the Math Department Chair, carefully analyzed student results on EOC tests and benchmark tests. From their analysis, the math department constructed an improvement plan. They provided a mid-year update on the state of the improvement plan following midterm exams.

School Improvement Plan: MathematicsStudent Performance Goals• Improve student achievement for all students. (Gap groups 1 and 2 are areas of specific

concern.)• Provide ongoing, relevant, responsive, data driven remediation for students in need.

Pursue the use of USATestPrep program for ongoing remediation.

Department Goals• Increase school SOL results to the division average among all high schools.

(Improvement from 2011-2012 results by at least 5% for all SOL topics.)• Encourage students to achieve competence in course material by providing relevant and

rigorous instruction.

Areas of Strength• Teachers consistently provide after school help for students in need. These sessions

frequently run long after contract time.• Teachers use assessments that reflect the county, state, and College Board curriculums.

These assessments reflect the rigor and scope required by these courses.• Respect and collaboration exists within the department.• Teachers strive to create positive relationships with all students.• Department members are well qualified and knowledgeable about subject matter. They

are willing to attend professional development sessions to improve math instruction.• Department members are willing to remediate any students who need help. Many

department members run after school or Saturday review sessions prior to SOL testing.

School Improvement Plan: Mathematics

Areas of Weakness• Most teachers have 3 preps thus reducing the time available for planning and reflection.• Lack of common planning time by subject.• SOL content pacing does not allow much time for student exploration or the ability to alter

instruction time frame.

Data Collection and Analysis• Teachers use formative assessments to provide information to students and their parents

as well as to identify areas of concern.• Common assessment data: PLC teams generate common assessment questions and

compare data to guide instruction.

Technology• USATestPrep will be purchases. Students will be encouraged to use this program to

identify areas of weakness. They can then access the program either at school or from home.

• Teachers will include appropriate technology in lessons.• Prior to the spring SOL testing, teachers will take their students to the computer lab to

practice the VDOE items. This will allow students to become more familiar with the TEI items (click and drag, multiple answer, etc.).

Curriculum Mapping/Unit Plans• Teachers are following the YCSD curriculum and pacing guide. The curriculum is aligned

with the Virginia Standards of Learning and EOC tests.

Community Resources for Family/Student Support

1. York Foundation for Public Education, Inc.

Assist York County students to prepare for successful completion of high school and entrance into their chosen career paths (i.e. Career Mentorship Program, post-secondary scholarships, career awareness events).

2. York County Parent Resource Center

Help parents become effective partners in planning and implementing appropriate special education programs for their children.

3. Resources for Homeless Students/Families

• York-Poquoson Social Services Food Pantry

• Lackey Free Clinic Family Counseling Center

• Avalon Center of Williamsburg

Community Resources for Family/Student Support

4. York County Parks & Recreation

• York County Sports Complex

• Youth Sports Leagues

• Local Parks (e.g. Wolf Trap Park, Yorktown Waterfront, Back Creek Park)

5. Juvenile Services—Community Supervision

• provides home-based family-centered intervention for juvenile delinquents who are at risk of being placed out of their home and community

6. York County D.A.R.E Program (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)

Vision for Future Collaboration

Overall, York High School is a great place for our students and teachers. The hard work in the classroom is rewarded each year when York earns full accreditation from the state. The sense of community is very apparent, and students have a strong feeling of belonging among their classmates.

There is always room for improvement, however, and York is constantly looking for ways to better student learning. After reviewing an overwhelming amount of research indicating the positive effects collaboration has for the school as a whole, this has become a primary area of focus at YHS. The teachers and administrators at YHS will aim to collaborate more with each other as well as with you.

Our Plan to Improve Collaboration

1. More teacher planning, both across subjects and across grade level. This will allow not only for sharing of ideas but also a more interdisciplinary curriculum.

2. A push to expand back to school night to get ALL parents involved.

3. More opportunities for parents and community members to get involved at YHS.