The WASC Self-study 2008-2009

Palo Alto Senior High School

WASC Self-Study 2008 – 2009

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A Hearty Thank You

A collaborative production of Paly teachers, students, support staff, administrators, parents, and friends, this WASC self-study has joined us together more fully as a learning community, reminding us of all the best reasons that we come to school each morning. In particular, we extend our thankfulness and appreciation to:

Our teachers – for their diligent and inspired work in this reflective effort, as contributors, Focus Group teacher-leaders, and writers

Our students - for their honest and thoughtful participation

Our support staff – for their unwavering commitment

Our administrators – for their thoughtful listening

Our parents - for their considerate and insightful feedback, both in community coffees and as parent representatives to Focus Groups

Our friends – for the wonderful meals that sustained our efforts and the steadfast support of our desire to achieve an authentic outcome

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Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education

Honorable Melissa Baten Caswell 1129 Channing Ave., Palo Alto 94301

650-823-1166

Honorable Barbara Klausner 691 Salvatierra Street, Stanford 94305

650-324-4220

Honorable Barbara Mitchell – President, 2009 550 N. California Ave., Palo Alto 94301

650-328-6027

Honorable Dana Tom – immediate Past President 1419 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto 94301

650-321-4506

Honorable Camille Townsend 2450 W. Bayshore Rd. #10, Palo Alto 94303

650-493-3410

Chirag Krishna Student member, Palo Alto High School

Phil Park Student member, Gunn High School

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Palo Alto Unified School District Administration

Superintendent: Kevin Skelly Phone: 650-329-3737 Email: [email protected]

Assistant Superintendent of Administrative Services: Scott Laurence

Phone: 650-329-3717 Email: [email protected]

Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services: Virginia Davis Phone: 650-329-3709 Email: [email protected]

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources: Scott Bowers


Chief Business Officers: Robert Golton Phone: 650-329-3801 Email: [email protected]

and Catherine Mak


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Table of Contents

Chapter I: School and Community Profile ............................................1 Chapter II: Overall Summary from Analysis of Data ...................... 50 Chapter III: WASC Progress Report Process Overview ................... 60 Chapter IV: Focus Group Reports ........................................................ 84 Chapter V: Action Plans Part A - Schoolwide ...................................................................... 165 Part B – Department Objectives ................................................ 180

PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL FOCUS ON LEARNING 2008-2009

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Chapter I

School and Community Profile


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School and Community Profile Our School

Located at the base of the San Francisco Peninsula in Santa Clara County, Palo Alto Senior High School, (locally known as ―Paly‖) is a comprehensive high school serving grades 9 through 12 in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). Since opening its doors in 1894, Palo Alto High School has consistently maintained a proud tradition of excellence, with an exemplary academic program. With the benefit of extensive course offerings in all core subjects, including multiple elective offerings and 28 Advanced Placement courses, Paly students consistently score among the highest performing students in the nation, earning SAT scores that are well over 100 points above the national mean. Fully 88% of our students attend a two to four year university with 72 % moving directly to a four-year college after graduation. Our academic preparation is second to none. Despite tight financial times, Palo Alto High School has maintained a nationally recognized journalism curriculum, an outstanding athletic program, and innovative co-curricular offerings in subjects such as theatre, video production, glass blowing, and robotics. With the generous support of our community and the district, we continue to staff the library with a full-time librarian and a part-time support aide. A seven period, modified block schedule affords students and teachers with the opportunity for curriculum enrichment through project-based learning that frequently incorporates extensive technology into fully differentiated classroom instruction. Our average class size is 28.5 with a class size cap of 22 and 25 students in freshmen and sophomore English and Math courses respectively. Along with a comprehensive Guidance department staff with that includes an inclusive College and Career Center with two full-time positions and two part-time positions, Paly has a full-time school psychologist on site daily to further support and enhance student learning. Additionally, students are assigned a Teacher-Advisor (TA) throughout their four years here, staying with the same TA from 10th through 12th grade. Our Teacher-Advisor program is a national model for the future of delivery of guidance curriculum. Meeting periodically in smaller group settings of no more than 25 students with their TA, students are afforded wide-ranging guidance services from graduation and course selection guidance for sophomores to college admissions planning for seniors. This critical one-on-one relationship between a student and his or her TA is often characterized as the linchpin of student success here. Furthermore, 76 of our 120 teachers hold at least one master’s degree and five hold PhD. degrees, and thirteen of them hold National Board certification. At least 80% of our teachers have taught here longer than six years. A number of teachers are broadly recognized as leaders in their respective fields, from our innovative journalism teachers


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to our Fulbright Fellow in the Visual and Performing Arts department, to our Robotics teacher and statewide Teacher of the Year in the World Languages department. We keenly believe that our rigorous curriculum and pioneering instruction lay the very best groundwork for our students’ achievement, and we are fully committed to continuing that tradition. Not surprisingly, many Palo Alto residents consider the school to be one of the town’s great gems. Our Community Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, the City of Palo Alto includes a dynamic mix of business and residential development. Hewlett-Packard and Stanford University and Hospitals, including Packard’s Children’s Hospital are the City’s largest employers. The surrounding community and Xerox PARC have served as an incubator for many of the tech industry’s giants. Some highlights of Palo Alto’s demographics include:

Palo Alto’s population is approximately 60,000

The mean household income is $90,377

Median the home price $1,103,000

Seventy four percent of adults hold a four-year college degree

Forty three percent of adults over 25 have at least one graduate degree Such a demographic profile makes for a dynamic, exciting educational environment at Paly. The heartfelt support provided by our community guarantees the continuing excellence and vitality of both our school and the district. Students who attend Paly typically live in the City’s northern and central neighborhoods. While many families served by Paly have lived in the community for generations, recent demographic shifts in northern Santa Clara County have brought new families and increased ethnic and linguistic diversity within our Asian, East Indian and Middle Eastern populations, adding richness and vitality to our school community. Additionally, the Voluntary Transfer Program (VTP), also referred to as the Tinsley Program, brings students from Ravenswood School District to PAUSD, with Paly as the program’s designated high school. The proximity of Stanford, the Silicon Valley business community, and San Francisco foster a socially diverse community with high academic expectations and a hearty commitment to quality public education.


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History Situated on land granted to the Palo Alto Unified District (PAUSD) by Stanford University, Paly has been at its current site since 1918. The school shares its campus with the district offices, the bus yard, and the Adult School. Current district enrollment is 11,000 K-12 students; enrollment peaked at 15,575 in 1967 with a low of 7452 in 1989. Paly’s enrollment is currently 1757 students; we expect this number to increase to 2200 within the next five years. Academics A full range of academic courses and unique electives, including an extensive schedule of honors course offerings and an Advanced Placement program provide our students with an unmatched educational foundation. The breadth of our Advanced Placement program, from AP Italian and AP Art History to AP Chemistry and AP Physics, offers students a unique opportunity to tackle the rigors of college work in an exceptional high school setting. Fully three-quarters of our juniors and seniors enroll in at least one AP course. Ninety four % of our students earn a three or higher on their AP tests. Paly students are wildly successful by any number of academic measures. In addition to our AP course enrollment, our PSAT and SAT participation rates are exceedingly high as well. Our National Merit Finalists and Commended Scholars numbers shine. Upon graduation, most of our students choose to attend either top-flight public or selective private four-year universities. Paly alumni report that the classroom curriculum and instruction they have received here thoroughly and meticulously prepare them for the demands of university course work. Co-curriculars In addition to the enduring academic preparation that we offer students, we also endow our students with far-reaching life experiences beyond the classroom through a wide range of excellent co-curricular opportunities. Paly’s journalism program includes 25% of the student population and provides our student-journalists with just such enrichment:

Paly’s online publication, The Voice, has earned the National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA) Pacemaker Award for online publications the last five years running

This web staff is the only student-journalism program to ever win a Webby. The Voice received the award, along with the People’s Choice award, in June 2008.


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The Viking, the latest addition to our program, was awarded Best in Show for a newsmagazine from NSPA during its 2008 inaugural year

The Viking also earned the Journalism Education Association ―Impact Award‖ for coverage of an issue with broad impacts on both the student body and the greater surrounding community. The magazine covered hazing in Paly athletics.

Verde, Paly’s feature magazine earned the NSPA’s Pacemaker award this year in the print division

Verde has also earned the Gold Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association four of the last seven years

The Campanile, the school’s monthly broadsheet newspaper has a staff of 70 and is in its 90th year of publication

InFocus, our broadcast journalism class produces a daily news show distributed on campus during fourth period and over the Internet

Clubs Participation in any one of our 45 clubs on campus provides students with real-life experiences of stretching individual efforts while dedicating hard work to that of the larger group. With the guidance and commitment of teachers and staff, a great number of students actively participate in these co-curricular pursuits. The additional logistical and financial support provided by our parents further enhances students’ experiences. Standing out among an extensive offering, recently Paly clubs have achieved the following acclaim:

Our Robotic team earned first place Western Region last year in Las Vegas

Palo Alto High School's Science Olympiad Green Team placed in the top ten among State finalists in 2007, last year’s results were similar

Paly routinely sends substantial numbers of student to compete in the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad – seven students competed last spring alone

Mock Trial, while frequently winning locally, customarily places in the top ten in State Finals over the last several years

Annual community service events include:


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o The Princess Project – secures prom dresses for students who may not be

able to attend prom otherwise o Relay for Life – American Cancer Society o New Global Citizens fundraising - winter dance sponsorship and

proceeds o Blood Drive – Key Club

Athletics Our athletic program is second to none, fielding some of the ―winningest‖ teams around. Over 50% of our students participate in afterschool athletics during their four years with us:

In the last several years, the boy’s basketball team has won a State championship

The football team came away with a second place showing at the State championship in 2006

Paly Vikings, from girls’ volleyball and softball to boys’ wrestling as well as boys and girls swimming and water-polo and soccer are regular contenders in CCS finals

Individual athletes receive due recognition as well. Over the past several years an average of 30 student-athletes annually register with the NCAA

Last year, one of our girls’ soccer players earned the Gatorade Player of the Year title

Several of our student-athletes are nationally and internationally ranked swimmers, divers, and cyclists

Providing a solid base for our student-athletes is a professional and experienced staff of coaches, many of who are also classroom teachers and support staff employees here on campus. We fervently believe that an understanding of adolescent performance and development fosters the enriched environment that is critical to the success of our student-athletes.


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WASC History The school received a maximum six-year accreditation term in 1997 from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The most recent WASC visit in 2003 granted the school a six-year accreditation term with a three-year revisit. Paly Core Purpose The core purpose of Palo Alto Senior High School is to affirm the potential of every student in an environment of support and inspiration, where people work together and lift each other toward great personal growth. At Paly, everyone values and benefits from our collective effort to grow and to promote human potential. Guiding this effort is our belief in the following:

Promoting personal integrity & respect

Providing a nurturing environment characterized by teamwork and collaboration

Caring for and believing in every individual

Encouraging creativity and independent thinking

Understanding growth and learning are an essential part of life

Acknowledging great effort and great fun in work and play Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs) To achieve our mission under guidance from the Board of Education we have adopted the following competencies as the basis of what we expect each of our students to know and be able to do when he or she has graduated. Additionally, our teachers and staff devoted the better part of two Staff Development Days (August 22 and October 16) and the morning of December 4 to aligning these district ESLRs to our current practices and critical academic needs. ESLRs measured by report card grades:

1. Demonstrated knowledge of key concepts, principles, processes, facts, and skills in the disciplines of:

Language Arts

History/Social Science

Mathematics

Science


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Physical Education

Visual and Performing Arts

Foreign Language

Career/Vocational Education

Health/Practical Living Skills ESLRs measured by rubric:

2. Effective communication through listening, speaking, and writing 3. Strong research skills 4. Ability to integrate knowledge across disciplines 5. Reading with understanding 6. Critical and creative thinking to solve problems 7. Effective use of technology

Demographic Data Enrollment Currently, Palo Alto High School enrolls just over 1,700 students in grades 9 through 12. This enrollment has increased slightly over the previous two years and significantly over the last 15 years. Furthermore, the district projects that the enrollment increases will continue over the next four to five years, reaching a maximum enrollment of approximately 2200 students in 2012. Last spring Palo Alto voters approved a new measure that provides $378 million to improve District facilities. Our Facilities Committee is currently hard at work to ensure that our physical plant continues to sustain the tradition of curricular and instructional excellence both at Paly and throughout the district.

Table 1.1 ENROLLMENTS BY GRADE LEVEL

Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 Grade 12 Total

1993 - 1994 337 291 293 278 1199

2005 - 2006 433 433 426 436 1728

2006 – 2007 422 429 431 408 1690

2007 – 2008 433 439 424 405 1701

2008 - 2009 498 419 441 412 1770

Historically the student body demographics at Paly have not reflected those of the county or state as a whole. We have grown richer with this increase in the diversity of our students:


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Over the last fifteen years, the student body at Paly has become more ethnically and linguistically diverse

The white student population has decreased from over 80 percent in 1993 to less than 60 percent in 2008.

The largest percent increase in the last 15 years has been in the Asian population, which has doubled from 10 percent to over 20 percent since 1993.

Table 1.3 ETHNICITY

1993 – 1994 2005 – 2006 2006 – 2007 2007 – 2008 2008 – 2009

# % # % # % # % # %

White 960 80.1 1072 62.0 990 58.6 973 57.2 1061 59.9

Latino 41 3.4 117 6.8 102 6.0 112 6.6 131 7.4

Asian 125 10.4 326 18.9 311 18.4 326 19.2 383 21.6

African-American 58 4.8 83 4.8 66 3.9 67 3.9 105 5.9

Pacific Islander 3 .3 15 .9 11 .7 9 .5 9 .6

Filipino 9 .8 10 .6 6 .4 8 .5 16 .9

Native American 3 .3 4 .2 4 .2 5 .3 8 .5

Invalid Responses 101 5.8 200 11.8 201 11.8 57 3.2

TOTAL 1199 100.0 1728 100.0 1690 100.0 1701 100.0 1770 100.0

While Palo Alto High School’s ethnicity has become increasingly diverse over the last decade, our current student demographics do not reflect the broad ethnic diversity throughout both the County of Santa Clara and the State of California:

White/Caucasian students continue to comprise the majority of students at Paly

Asian students represent the fastest growing linguistic and cultural population Table 1.4 SCHOOL COMPARISONS 2007 – 2008

Palo Alto High School PAUSD Santa Clara County California

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

White 973 57.2 5,401 48.2 65,040 25.0 1,787,192 28.7

Latino 112 6.6 874 7.8 95,668 36.8 3,046,432 48.7

Asian 326 19.2 3,002 26.8 65,196 25.1 516,553 8.3

African-American 67 3.9 322 2.9 8,074 3.1 462,330 7.4

Pacific Islander 9 .5 60 .5 1,839 .7 39,723 .6

Filipino 8 .5 55 .5 12,752 4.9 167,269 2.7

Native American 5 .3 17 .2 1,087 .4 47,451 .8

201 11.8 1,472 13.1 10,254 3.9 191,056 3.1

TOTAL 1701 100.0 11,203 100.0 259,910 99.9 6,258,006 100.3


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Special Needs Students The following special needs student populations have been identified at Paly: Special Education students; second language students; Title 1 (socioeconomically disadvantaged) students; AVID students; and GATE (Advanced Placement/Honors) students. Special Needs Populations - Special Education

Palo Alto High School Special Education program currently serves 169 students which represents less than 10% of the student population

The Special Education teaching staff consists of four special day class teachers and five resource teachers

Teachers in this program work closely with general classroom teachers, ensuring appropriate modifications and accommodations

Special Needs Populations – Structured Curricular and Instructional Support

Palo Alto offers the Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program with classes that serve all grade levels

AVID enrollment has increased from 2004 to the present from 11 to 23, with an additional 44 students in Focus on Success

Together, our AVID/Focus on Success program runs five sections, with each capped at 15 students

Our Opportunity Program, taught by a credentialed teacher and supported with an aide, is a self-contained classroom for core subjects, serves our 9th and 10th grade students who need more structure in their school day in order to complete their high school education here at Paly

Independent Study is offered here on campus and is another opportunity for struggling 11th and 12th grade students to successfully complete their high school education here at Paly

The Academic Resource Center (ARC) provides students with a centralized place to seek tutoring support and make-up missed quizzes and exams in a timely and


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convenient fashion – this year alone, 123 student peer tutors have logged over 900 hours in addition to the seven adult tutors who are an important part of the program.

The Math department offers a daily afterschool drop-in center, staffed by a department teacher, to help students with homework and additional exam preparation

Special Needs Populations – English Learners

Over 22 percent of the students at Paly speak a language other than English at home (ESL)

These students include three groups:

o English language learners (ELL) o Fluent English proficient (FEP) students

o Reclassified English proficient students (RFEP)

We will discuss these students and their unique needs more fully in the following section Special Needs Populations – GATE

In 2007-2008, Paly had over 283 students or 16.6% who were identified as Gifted and Talented.

Services for GATE students in grades 3-8 are coordinated at the district level while the Advanced Placement program is the focus at the high school level

Special Needs Populations – Title I

While the Paly community is relatively affluent and well educated, over 6% of Paly students qualify for Title 1

Our Title I population has increased slightly over the past three years

We anticipate that our Title I population increase may continue given the current economic realities


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Table 1.7 SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATIONS

2004 – 2005 2005 – 2006 2006 – 2007 2007 – 2008

# % # % # % # %

Special Ed 183 10.8 169 9.8 146 8.6 131 7.7

Total ESL 401 23.6 340 19.7 358 21.2 382 22.5

Title 1 59 3.5 60 3.5 82 4.7 105 6.3

AVID 22 1.3 10 .6 15 .9 17

GATE 212 12.5 267 15.5 290 17.2 283 16.6

AP/Honors 421 24.8 427 24.7 421 24.9 446 26.2

Total Enrollment 1698 1728 1690 1701

ESL = English as a Second Language; RFEP = Redesignated Fluent English Proficient; FEP = Fluent English Proficient; ELL = English Language Learners; Title 1 = Socioeconomically Disadvantaged based on Free and Reduced Meals

Language Proficiency Over 20 percent of the students at Paly speak another language at home in addition to English. These students are classified into three groups: English Language Learners (ELL) who are limited English proficient (LEP); fluent English proficient (FEP) students; and redesignated English proficient (RFEP) students. Our English Learner population is best characterized by:

The percentage of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students at Palo Alto High School has increased by 100 percent in the last five years

As Palo Alto High School does not have a formal English Development Program for English Language Learners, students who test as limited English proficient at the high school level in PAUSD attend Gunn High School, Paly’s sister school in the district

To remain at Paly, the district requires LEP students to waive their access to a formal program

The top six world languages spoken by ESL students at Paly are:

1. Spanish 2. Mandarin 3. Korean 4. Russian 5. Hebrew 6. Cantonese


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Over the last several years, Spanish and Mandarin speaking students have consistently accounted for over half of these students

English Learners Since 2004 – 2005, there has been a significant increase in the number of families choosing to waive their student’s access to a formal English development program. In 2004 – 2005, just seven ELL students remained at Paly without services yet currently we have approximately 50 ELL students who have chosen to remain at Paly without ELD support services. Paly does have a significant percentage of students who are fluent English proficient (FEP). Annually, LEP students are tested using the California English Language Development Test (CELDT) to determine their progress in learning English and for reclassification from LEP to fluent. Students who are reclassified as fluent are referred to as Redesignated fluent English proficient or RFEP for one year. Table 1.8 ENGLISH LEARNERS AND SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS

Year Total

Enrollment

ELL FEP RFEP Total

# % # % # % # %

2007 - 2008 1,701 50 2.9 329 19.3 3 0.2 382 22.5

2006 - 2007 1,690 30 1.8 328 19.4 0 0.0 358 21.2

2005 - 2006 1,728 22 1.3 314 18.2 4 0.2 340 19.7

2004 - 2005 1,698 7 0.4 320 18.8 74 4.4 401 23.6

2003 - 2004 1,662 34 2.0 260 15.6 1 0.1 295 17.7

2002 - 2003 1,626 1 0.1 179 11.0 0 0.0 180 11.1

ELL = English Language Learners; FEP = Fluent English Proficient; RFEP- Redesignated Fluent English Proficient


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Table 1.9a ELL STUDENTS BY MAIN LANGUAGE

2004 – 2005 2005 – 2006 2006 – 2007 2007 – 2008

# % # % # % # %

Spanish 5 71.4 6 27.3 8 26.7 12 24.0

Mandarin 4 18.2 3 10.0 12 24.0

Japanese 2 9.1 1 3.3

Korean 2 9.1 1 3.3 4 8.0

Russian 3 10.0 4 8.0

Hebrew 2 9.1 2 6.7 1 2.0

Cantonese 1 3.3 1 2.0

German 1 14.3 2 9.1 4 13.3 5 10.0

Other 1 14.3 4 18.2 7 23.3 11 22.0

TOTAL ELL 7 100.0 22 100.0 30 100.0 50 100.0

Table 1.10 FEP BY MAIN LANGUAGE

2004 – 2005 2005 – 2006 2006 – 2007 2007 – 2008

# % # % # % # %

Spanish 82 25.6 85 27.1 80 24.4 81 24.6

Mandarin 86 26.9 81 25.6 94 28.7 88 26.7

Korean 24 7.5 23 7.3 24 7.3 25 7.6

Russian 18 5.6 19 6.1 19 5.8 18 5.5

Hebrew 17 5.3 15 4.8 19 5.8 16 4.9

Cantonese 14 4.4 14 4.5 17 5.2 18 5.5

German 12 3.8 6 1.9 8 2.4 8 2.4

French 9 2.8 10 3.2 7 2.1 13 4.0

TOTAL FEP 320 100.0 314 100.0 328 100.0 329 100.0

Attendance Although PAUSD is a basic aid district and does not receive state funding based on Average Daily Attendance (ADA), attendance is an educational priority for the school and the district because it influences both the academic success of individual students and the overall instruction in the classroom. Paly enjoys a high rate of attendance. And over the last several years, Paly has experienced a disquieting wrinkle with selective student truancy. Perhaps more aptly termed ―absenteeism‖ selective period absences can best be understood as a symptomatic response to stress as well as an indicator of a student’s developing time management and planning skills. We believe that the best place for a student during the school day is in our classrooms. While daily attendance numbers remain consistently high, the period truancy rate has increased to current levels of approximately 50 percent of the student body selectively cutting at least three or more classes. In response to this, the school responded in the following ways:


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Teacher initiated conversation with student

More comprehensive use of the classroom-based practice to refuse submission of work due the day or period of the selective absence

Daily phone call home through EdConnect when either a day or period absence is noted

Teacher initiated phone call home for the purposes of highlighting and educating parents about the significance of selective truancy as it relates to stress and skill development

Broader use of classroom attendance contracts and administrative involvement to foster to students and parents more complete understanding of the significance of routine daily class attendance

Written notification of absenteeism sent home to parents upon the student’s third selective truancy

One on one conversation between the individual student and the grade-level administrator upon the third selective truancy

Initiating a discussion at Ed Council of the appropriate pyramid of interventions that is based in the classroom

Movement to on-line attendance monitoring in the classroom so that teachers can provide an immediate response to student truancies

Teacher access to semester and yearlong attendance records through SASI

Table 1.11 ANNUAL SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AND PERIOD TRUANCY

2004 – 2005 2005 – 2006 2006 – 2007 2007 – 2008

Percent Truant Percent Truant Percent Truant Percent Truant

Palo Alto High School 12.72 56.0 48.9 69.0

PAUSD 6.69 14.7 16.6 21.7

Santa Clara County 20.28 22.3 17.5 17.8

California 22.56 24.6 25.2 25.9 Truant = Number of students with unexcused absence on 3 or more days


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Student Behavior and Discipline – Suspension and Expulsion The physical and emotional safety of students is the priority at Paly. The school maintains firm guidelines for student behavior both on campus and at school events. Teachers take responsibility for establishing and enforcing their class rules at the beginning of each school year. The site discipline team consists of three campus aides, the three assistant principals, and the principal. At the beginning of each school year, each student is provided with a planner that includes the Student Handbook and during the summer, a Parent Handbook is sent home to each household. Both handbooks include a section on student behavior and address school rules and consequences. A review of the suspension and expulsion data for Paly reveals the following:

The number of suspensions has remained relatively constant over the past four years

Expulsions are rare at Palo Alto High School

The total number of suspensions is low for a comprehensive high school

Within this slight rate, the suspensions that are of concern are:

1. Physical injury 2. Drugs and alcohol 3. Stealing 4. Defiance.

The only area that has shown an increase in numbers over the last four years is that of drugs and alcohol

The relatively higher number of suspensions in this area reflects our experience with an increase in the number of students who attend school events under the influence of alcohol. In response to this trend, the school initiated the use of breathalyzers in 2007 – 2008. Initially used to confirm whether a student had been drinking on a case-by-case basis, the school has now implemented a policy of breathalyzing every student who enters a Palo Alto High School dance. The WASC surveys reflect this concern with alcohol and drug use at Paly.


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Table 1.12 SUSPENSIONS BY VIOLATION

Ed Code Description 2004 – 2005 2005 – 2006 2006 - 2007 2007 – 2008

48900(a)(1) Related to physical injury to another person 15 11 2 8

48900(a)(2) Related to use of force or violence 4 2

48900(b) Related to firearms, knives, explosive devices, etc.

1 1 1

48900(c) Related to possession or sale of controlled substances, alcohol, or intoxicants.

17 21 36 33

48900(e) Committed or attempted to commit robbery or extortion

1

48900(f) Caused or attempted to cause damage to school property or private property

2 1 5

48900(g) Stole or attempted to steal school property or private property

7 7 12 11

48900(h) Related to possession or use of tobacco products

1 3 3

48900(i) Committed an obscene act or engaged in habitual profanity or vulgarity

3 1 2

48900(k) Related to disruption of school activities or willful defiance

17 15 8 9

48900(l) Knowingly received stolen school property or private property

2 1 2

48900.2 Related to sexual harassment 1 1

48900.3 PDS-Related to hate violence 1

48900.4 Related to harassment, threats, or intimidation

1 1

48915(a)(2) Possession of any knife or other dangerous object of no reasonable use to the pupil

2

48915(c)(1) PDS-Related to possessing, selling, or otherwise furnishing a firearm

1

48915(c)(5) PDS-Possession of an explosive 1

48915(c)(2) PDS-Brandishing a knife at another person 1

TOTAL 74 62 71 68

ENROLLMENT 1,698 1,728 1,690 1,701

Table 1.13 EXPULSIONS

2004 – 2005 2005 – 2006 2006 – 2007 2007 – 2008

48900(a)(1) Related to physical injury to another person

2

48900(b) Related to firearms, knives, explosive devices, etc.

1

48915(c)(1) PDS-Related to possessing, selling, or otherwise furnishing a firearm

1

48915(c)(5) PDS-Possession of an explosive 1

TOTAL 0 2 2 1


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School Facilities

Originally built in the early 1900’s, the campus has undergone various expansions in the years since. The Tower Building and Haymarket Theater remain as locally significant and beloved buildings in the surrounding community. In 1995, the Palo Alto community passed a $143,000,000 facilities bond to improve its aging schools. As a result, Paly had several improvements made on its campus including the construction of a new science wing. In June 2008, the community passed yet another facilities bond for $380,000,000. Paly now enters a 5-year building phase which will result in the construction of the following:

A new theater

Renovation of its gymnasiums

Construction of new classroom facilities

Modernization of current classroom facilities and library center The site facilities master plan, currently under the developmental guidance of the Paly Facilities Steering Committee, will be presented to the Board of Education in March 2009. The committee consists of 12 members, including administrators, teachers, and parents. In 2007 – 2008, the PAUSD High School Task Force outlined several recommendations that guide the work of the steering committee (see Appendix). With an anticipated enrollment growth to 2200 students over the next five years, the facilities committee seeks flexible space that will accommodate the growth as well as meet changing program needs. Needs Growth in the student population strains the physical space on campus. Outdated instructional spaces further hamper both effective instruction and the delivery of support services. For example, some classrooms are not wired to support newer technologies. Lab space for some of our science courses is running shy. Additionally, the ancient HVAC system in Tower Building classroom is such that students shiver or overheat on any given day, independent of the weather. Furthermore, the old library in the Tower Building now houses the guidance department and consists of cubicles that provide very little privacy for confidential conversations. As well, the increased student support services provided by College and Career Center have caused it to outgrow its current space. The library complex now acts as the de-facto student center, fostering community within the student body while simultaneously providing support and facilitating research and technology skills. Its


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space is in dire need of restructuring as well. The adequacy and comfort of the built environment directly affect student learning. We eagerly anticipate our facilities upgrades that the community has generously voted in during last spring’s election. Additional Instructional Space Additionally, the district is reviewing and revising its graduation requirements to match those of the University of California A through G entrance requirements. These changes will likely influence the facilities as more students take four years of English and World Languages. While the current graduation requirement for Physical Education is two years and will not change, more suitable gym facilities would attract students to elective programs designed to foster life-long habits of physical activity. Currently, limited gym facilities hamper the Physical Education department’s ability to offer courses throughout all four years. It is imperative that students acquire self-care skills in anticipation of managing their wellness in college and beyond. In progress facilities planning does include construction of an additional all-weather playing field, however attracting older students to PE classes will require facilities that are equipped to offer a range of options from aerobics to strength training to yoga and the like. Also among the campus enhancements being considered:

The creation of a media arts center to house the school’s scattered media arts program, which currently include students in six journalism publications, photography, and video production

In gathering these programs in a facility focused on a Career Technical pathway, such a move would also resolve several long-standing challenges in supervision and technology inherent in the current classroom spaces

Doing so would put us in a better position to prepare students to participate in and lead social, academic and journalistic media environments in college and the professional workforce

Included in initial discussions of the building has been the idea of including a small conference space suitable for holding up to four classrooms at a time – or the entire faculty


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Faculty and Staff

There are a total of 180 staff members serving the students of Palo Alto High School:

Of the 123 certificated staff members, 114 are classroom teachers

Although the certificated staff is not as diverse as the student population, the school and district have made significant headway in hiring underrepresented minority teachers who serve as role models for Paly students

The teaching staff is highly qualified with 100% fully credentialed and over 65% holding at least one Master’s degree

Of our teaching staff, thirteen are National Board Certified Teachers

One areas of concern is the percentage of teachers who are not CLAD certified (see table below). Although Paly does not currently have an ELD Program, the population of English language learners continues to grow and the district is investigating implementing an ELD program at Paly as early as the 2009 – 2010 school year

The district is supportively working with the school’s administration to provide options for more teachers to become CLAD certified over the next two years

Table 1.14 2007–2008 CREDENTIALED STAFF

Administrators Teachers Counselors Psychologists Librarian Total

Male 2 44 0 1 0 47

Female 2 70 3.0 0 1 76

Total 4 114 3.0 1 1 123


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Table 1.15 STAFF ETHNICITY

Certificated Classified

# % # %

White 90 73.2 28 49.1

Latino 12 9.7 8 14.0

Asian 13 10.6 11 19.3

African-American 3 2.4 0 0

Pacific Islander 0 0 0 0

Filipino 0 0 1 1.8

Native American 0 0 0 0

Declined 1 0.8 8 14.0

Multiple 4 3.3 1 1.8

TOTAL 123 100.0 57 100.0

Table 1.16 CERTIFICATED STAFF -- EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Educational Level Years of Experience

BA 1 MA 2 MA Ph.D. 1 – 5 6 – 10 11 – 15 16 – 20 21 – 25 26 – 30 30 +

42 60 16 5 25 33 25 20 9 5 6

34.1% 48.8% 13.0% 4.1% 20.3% 26.8% 20.3% 16.3% 7.3% 4.1% 4.9%

Table 1.17 CERTIFICATED STAFF - CREDENTIALS

Highly Qualified

Not Highly Qualified

Fully Credentialed

Waiver/ Emergency

CLAD SDAIE/ Other

Non CLAD

86 0 123 0 34 34 47

The classified staff members at Paly include a range of support services that range from clerical support to classroom support. The classified staff at Paly can be divided into three categories:

1. Direct support for classroom teachers

2. Support for the administrative functions of the school;

3. Support for guidance services


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Direct classroom support To enhance student learning, teachers’ curriculum and instructional work is supported by a host of services. Traditionally, many of these services vary from department to department as necessary:

Accompanists support the vocal program in the performing arts

Readers provide assistance to English teachers

The science lab tech supports the lab component of Paly’s science courses

All departments have in-house clerical assistance for several hours daily

Several classified positions on campus provide curricular support to all classroom teachers. These positions include support in the copy room, the Academic Resource Center, and technical support in the four computer labs.

Administrative support functions at the school include:

Clerical support for administrators and teachers

Clerical support for the maintenance of student records

Accounting services, campus security, technology support;

Maintenance and operations of the campus

Guidance support services include:

College and Career Center

Support for the Teacher Advisor Program

Clerical support


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Table 1.18 2007–2008 CLASSIFIED STAFF

Administration FTE

Clerical Support 4.0

Health Services .875

Custodial 9.0

Accounting 1.75*

Campus Security 2.5*

Department Clerical Support 3.318

Technology Support 1.0

Classroom Support

Science Lab Tech .375*

Copy Room Support 1.0*

Classroom Aides – Special Ed 6.0

Computer Lab Aide .625

Academic Resource Center 1.0*

Accompanists V

Readers V

Guidance Support

Guidance – Clerical Support 1.0

College & Career Center 1.0

Teacher Advisor Support 1.0

Demographic Data: Student Participation in co-curricular activities Students at Palo Alto High School have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of co-curricular student activities including athletics, student leadership, the performing arts, an extensive student media program, and a variety of clubs. Fall and spring seasons both offer a ―no-cut‖ sport. Paly is a member of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) and offers both girls and boys sports teams during all three seasons at both the junior varsity and varsity levels (see table below). Participation As discussed in the introduction, fully more than 50% of our students participate in afterschool athletics at some point in their tenure at Palo Alto High School. As such, the Athletic Department is an integral part of the total educational process of Palo Alto High School. Being involved in athletics provides the student with opportunities to learn skills, good sportsmanship, develop leadership skills and learn the ideals of fair


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play and ethical behavior that are necessary for successful participation in our global community. Athletics provides our students with unique opportunities for self-discipline, self-sacrifice, and loyalty to the community, the school and the team. Palo Alto High School encourages all students to participate in athletics by offering a well-rounded program of interscholastic athletics for young men and women.

Table 1.19 PALY SPORTS

Fall Sports Winter Sports Spring Sports

Cross-Country

Football

Volleyball - Women's

Tennis - Women's

Water Polo

Basketball

Soccer

Wrestling

Badminton

Baseball

Golf

Softball

Swimming and

Diving

Track & Field

Tennis - Men's

Lacrosse –

Women’s

Co-curriculars Palo Alto High School students enthusiastically participate in student government, student media programs, and clubs and organizations with opportunities for making connections within the Paly community and beyond the school campus supporting each student’s social and emotional growth. Clubs at Paly encompass a wide range of interest that includes club sports, ethnic studies, diversity awareness, and community service:

In addition, several clubs provide students with the opportunity to compete in their

special interest such as robotics, debate, and Mock Trial

Students learn the value of service to their community through clubs such as Best Buddies and New Global Citizens as well as the Key Club and Youth Community Service

An important component of college readiness is the ability to connect with others. Our extensive offering of clubs fosters such ability in students. Furthermore, students who feel connected, both to each other and to our school, tend to report a greater sense of efficacy. In addition to a Student Activities Director, Paly also employs a community service coordinator to support student community service involvement.


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Student Leadership Paly has a wealth of student activities and programs that are organized and operated by its student leadership program:

The program is overseen by the school’s Student Activities Director

The student leadership program consists of both elected and appointed positions, twenty eight and seven, respectively (* denotes appointed position):

o SB President o ASB Vice-President o ASB Secretary o ASB Treasurer o ASB Tech Communications Officer* o ASB School Board Representative* o ASB Spirit Commissioners* o ASB Cheer Representative o ASB Athletic Commissioner o ASB Social Commissioners o Senior Class President o Senior Class Vice-President o Senior Class Site Council Rep* o Senior Class Representative o Junior Class President o Junior Class Vice-President o Junior Class Site Council Rep* o Sophomore Class President o Sophomore Class Vice-President o Sophomore Class Site Council Rep* o Freshmen Class President o Freshmen Class Vice-President o Freshmen Class Site Council Rep* o Freshmen Team Representatives (3) o Freshmen Class Representative

Leadership sends student representatives to School Site Council, PTSA, and the Board of Education

Students in the leadership program participate in the 4th period Student Leadership class


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Each semester students earn five credits for this course The leadership class is a relatively new concept at Paly and has only been in existence for the last few years. Previously, the leadership program was conducted at lunch and after school on a volunteer basis. Student Leadership conducts approximately multiple activities every year that include school wide activities such as Spirit Week, Club Day, and the Turkey Trot as well as ongoing activities such as school dances. Many of the activities that Student Leadership conducts rely heavily on parent and staff volunteers. The success for the Leadership program is evidenced by the large turnout of both of these groups to support Paly’s student activities. The school’s administration is developing a strong working relationship with Student Leadership and frequently stops by the class to discuss relevant issues. For example, this year Student Leadership and the administration worked together to address two issues that had arisen at school dances – inappropriate dancing and an increase in the number of students under the influence of alcohol at school events. Although the use of breathalyzers is not popular among the students, Student Leadership worked with the administration to develop the protocols for their use at dances. To address the harmfully inappropriate dancing, Student Leadership developed and produced an educational video that plays continuously as students are entering the dance. Student Input In order to promote the student voice at Paly, Student Leadership moved this year to re-establish the student representative system that was disbanded two years ago. The new student rep system will give all students the opportunity to be heard on school issues and have a voice in school planning. This year, the Student Activities Office (SAO) was moved to its new location in the Library Complex. Previously, the SAO had been located in the Tower Building. The move has provided Student Leadership with more space and a location that is more central on the campus. The student leaders at Paly take their roles seriously and are committed to continuous improvement in what they do. They take a great deal of pride in their work and represent the best of what defines the student culture at Paly.


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Table 1.20 PALY CLUBS

School Financial Support Funds provided by the district to the school site fall into three categories: basic allocations, non-categorical supplemental allocations, and categorical allocations. Under basic allocations, Palo Alto receives a per student allocation for instructional materials and a reimbursement for mandated costs. The basic allocation is distributed out to the departments based on student enrollments with a supplement given to courses that require additional lab materials (see chart below). The department allocations are expected to cover all on-going costs with these funds including copy costs. Non-categorical supplemental funds provided by the District have been designated for specific programs and special needs. Categorical funding provided by the District to Palo Alto High School includes funding that has been provided by the state. These funds support the School Improvement Plan (SIP), career technical education (Voc Ed and ROP), GATE, textbook purchases (IMF), counseling, and arts education.

Arts Sports Cultural

Music Club Bike Club Chinese Club

Slam Poetry Club Dance Club Christian Club

Thespian Society Spirit Club Jewish Student Union

Ultimate Frisbee Club Spanish Club

Gaming Awareness/Political Action Competitive

Chess Club Aids Awareness Club Robotics

Go Club Gay Straight Alliance Friends of Millard Fillmore

Mah Jong Club Human Nature Alliance Mock Trial

Puzzle Club New Global Citizens Debate

Rubik’s Cube Club Unity Club Science Olympiad/Science Bowl

YEAH Club

Academic Special Interest Community Service

Computer Science Club Anime Club American Disaster Relief

Latin Club Bead Club Global Literacy Club

Math Club Calliope Interact Club

California Scholarship Federation Comics Club Key Club

Model Citizen Club Flash Club Make A Wish Club

Model United Nations NASA/Aerospace Club Red Cross Club

National Honor Society Nilorado Club Youth Community Service

Parkour Club

Philosophy Club


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Community Financial Support In addition to funds provided by the District, Paly has several significant sources of income from generous community and parent groups. The one-time nature of these funds is apparent when budgeting in the out years, beyond a three-year funding horizon. Partners in Education (PiE) is a community educational foundation that provides essential supplemental funding to all of the schools in PAUSD on a per student basis. This funding has grown over the years and now exceeds the per student allocation from the District. Although PiE money may be spent on salaries, equipment, and instructional supplies, it has predominantly been used to pay both certificated and classified salaries directly fostering student learning. PiE provided approximately $240,000.00 to Paly this school year. PiE funds come primarily from parents throughout the District, as well as community donations. PiE funds are used primarily for staffing needs. Currently College and Career counseling and curriculum tech support are the two main areas of funding. Funds for science equipment came from a $1 million Science Campaign completed in 2004 by PAFE (Palo Alto Foundation for Education, PAUSD's first education foundation). Paly received $500,000.00 in science equipment as a result of the Science Campaign. Donations came from PAUSD parents, the broader community, and corporate donations. Additionally, the PTSA at Paly provides funding for specific projects. PTSA raises approximately $150K per year from Paly families. Typically, the Paly PTSA funds the following:

Support for Student Counseling Services

Purchase and Support of Technology Equipment for Teachers and Classrooms

College and Career Center Support

Support for Paly’s Teacher Advisor Program

Parent Education programs

The Paly Reporter, a monthly newsletter and the Paly Link, a weekly email

Mailing and postage of student publications to every Paly family

Support for Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation review Teacher Grants

Teacher Appreciation Activities

Community Service Support Highlights of recent projects include:

$2500 Viking Grant for ten reference electronic books

$1250 Viking Grant for student art gallery

$1500 Viking Grant for Playaway audio books


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$2500 for Discovery Education Streaming video on demand

PTSA grant for graphing calculators for students unable to afford one.

$800 Viking Grant for a document camera in the Math department.

$300 Fast Track Grant to bring a published author into speak with students in ―The Writer’s Craft‖

$300 Fast Track Grant to bring in guest instructors in Dance

$300 Fast Track Grant for sound technology in Dance Recent outside grants

$2700 grant in 2007 from the CA Student Aid Commission/AVID for

efforts to increase the number of students who filed the FAFSA.

According to an agreement between PiE and the PTSA, PTSA dollars cannot be spent for salaries. The annual PTSA budget supporting Paly is approximately $150,000. Several of Paly programs have parent booster groups including athletics and the performing arts. Except for the coaches’ salaries, the Athletic Program at Paly is funded entirely from parent and community donations solicited by the Athletic Boosters Parent Group. This income totals over $100,000 annually. Music and theatre boosters maintain similar commitments . The deep financial support provided to our campus allows us to maintain exemplary education for all students in these precarious economic times.


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Table 1.21 SITE BUDGET ALLOCATIONS

Basic Allocations (Fund 0)

Account Students $/student Allocation Carryover Total

Base 14100 1754 $105 $184,170 $0 $184,170

Mandated Costs 14100 TBD $0 TBD

PAPIE (Foundation) 14106 1754 $143 $250,331 $0 $250,331

TOTAL $434,501 $0 $434,501

Non-Categorical Supplemental Allocations (Fund 0)

Commencement 15000 $4,000 $0 $4,000

Competitive Events 14107 $2,500 $0 $2,500

Student Data Processing 15000 $2,500 $0 $2,500

Drivers' Ed 12400 $4,875 $0 $4,875

Music Repair 16201 $2,000 $0 $2,000

AVID 16700 $13,272 $0 $13,272

TOTAL $29,147 $0 $29,147

Total Fund 0 Allocations $463,648 $0 $463,648

Categorical Allocations (Fund 6)

School & Library Improvement 72600 $56,661 $29,731 $86,392

IMF Block Grant (Textbooks) 71560 1754 $61.13 $107,222 $82,884 $190,106

GATE 71400 $9,358 $8,947 $18,305

Perkins - Career Technical Ed 35500 $11,000 $0 $11,000

10th Grade Counseling 67390 $12,724 $2,520 $15,244

ROP 92000 $27,556 $0 $27,556

PE Block Grant 67613 NA $38,491 $38,491

CAHSEE Intensive Services 70550 $37,518 $37,518

Discretionary Block Grant 73960 NA $15,350 $15,350

AB 1802 Counseling 70800 1754 $62.65 $109,888 -$4,382 $105,506

AB1802 Art & Music 67610 1754 $13.35 $23,416 $0 $23,416

Totals $196,965 $211,059 $321,047

Other Income Accounts

Facilities Rental Fund 15300 TBD TBD

PTSA TBD TBD

Athletics TBD TBD


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Student Performance Data Overall academic achievement

Palo Alto High School uses a variety of assessments to measure the overall academic achievement of students including graduation data, UC/CSU A-G requirements, the SAT, Advanced Placement exams, the California High School Exit Exam, the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, and the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). Graduation and Preparation for College Palo Alto High School intends to prepare students for college, ensuring that each and every student graduates from Paly with a robust and individual plan for his or her education after high school:

Over 90% of our 2008 graduates self-reported that they intend to attend a four-year college

Despite this self-reported data, a review of the percent of students meeting the University of California entrance requirements seems to indicate a decrease in that percentage over the last several years

Although this data appears concerning, a closer review of the methodology used to compile the data reveals that there has not been common practices from one year to the next regarding the most appropriate methodology for calculating the UC eligibility

Before the 2006-2007 school year, the GPA of students was not included in the compilation. In 2007, the District added a minimum GPA of 3.0 to the calculation

As Paly moves ahead with its commitment to college-readiness for all students, we must first determine what baseline data to use in addition to calculation methodology in order to establish appropriate goals and objectives. Regardless of the methodology used, a review of the UC eligibility data by ethnicity reveals that the academic achievement of Latino and African American students significantly lags behind the academic achievement of Asian and white students. Latino and African American students are two to three times less likely to qualify for the University of California than white or Asian students are. Our achievement gap, while smaller than the gap evident throughout the state and across the nation, is nonetheless unacceptable to us.


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Table 1.22 GRADUATION DATA

2007 – 2008 2006 – 2007 2005 – 2006 2004 - 2005 2003 – 2004

Total Enrollment 1701 1690 1728 1698 1662

# % # % # % # % # %

12th

Grade Enrollment 404 408 436 399 390

Graduates 382 94.5 387 94.8 396 93.8 387 99.2 369 99.2

UC Eligible 267 66.1 253 65.4 306 77.3 280 72.4 264 71.5

Table 1.23 UC ELIGIBLE - By Ethnicity

2004 – 2005 2005 – 2006 2006 - 2007 2007 – 2008

UC Eligible UC Eligible UC Eligible UC Eligible

Total # % Total # % Total # % Total # %

White 256 193 75.4 258 202 78.3 231 162 70.1

Latino 26 10 38.5 24 13 54.2 18 2 11.1

Asian 60 56 93.3 66 61 92.4 80 61 76.2

African-American 19 4 21.1 17 8 47.1 8 0 0.0

Pacific Islander 0 0 0 1 0 0.0 3 0 0.0

Filipino 0 0 0 4 2 50.0 1 0 0.0

Native American 3 2 66.7 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0

Non-Responsive 21 15 71.4 26 20 76.9 46 28 60.9

TOTAL 387 280 72.4 396 306 77.3 387 253 65.4 382 267 66.1

SAT

Palo Alto High School also uses both the SAT and Advanced Placement exam scores to measure the academic achievement of our students. Over the last three years, the senior classes at Paly have done exceptionally well on both the SAT and the Advanced Placement exams. SAT scores at Paly in all three areas (verbal, math, and writing) have far exceeded the average scores for Santa Clara County and the state of California.

Table 1.24a SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST (SAT) SCORES

2007 – 2008 2006 – 2007 2005 – 2006

% Verbal Math Writing % Verbal Math Writing % Verbal Math Writing

Paly 84.0 629 656 629 82.3 620 644 611 78.9 617 646 617

PAUSD NA NA NA NA 84.5 624 655 615 85.5 614 649 611

County NA NA NA NA 47.9 534 572 533 49.1 530 570 532

State NA 499 515 498 35.9 493 513 491 36.7 495 516 495

Advanced Placement Course Enrollment

Enrollment in AP courses prepares students for university level work.


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In 2008, there were 446 students enrolled in AP classes for a duplicated enrollment count of 1226

The total number of AP tests taken by these students was 870

Each department determines specific requirements for enrollment in AP courses and students are not required to take the AP exam at the end of a course. This is reflected in fewer than 71% of AP students taking the exams on 2008. This percent is significantly lower than the 82% in 2007.

Palo Alto High School students perform extremely well on Advanced Placement Exams

In 2008, 94% scored a 3 or more on the exams with over 50% scoring a 5

Since 2003 – 2004, the percent of students in the 11th and 12th grade who take Advanced Placement tests has increased from 47% to 54%

Likewise, the total number of tests taken has increased from 788 to 829 An analysis of the scores for the 2007 -2008-school year indicates that the percentage of AP students actually taking AP exams varies widely from department to department. Although the lowest percentages were in the sciences, other departments also showed percentages that were less than 90%.

Table 1.24b: ADVANCED PLACEMENT RESULTS Advanced Placement Test Scores (5 = Highest; 3 Qualifies for College Credit)

Score of 5 Score of 4 Score of 3 Score of 2 Total Tests Taken

# Tested

# Enrolled Rate* Year # % # % # % # %

2007-08 426 49 272 31 122 94 32 18 870 446 829 54%

2006-07 428 49 248 29 138 94 41 12 867 421 839 50%

2005-06 413 48 255 30 137 94 38 10 853 427 862 50%

2004-05 366 47 239 30 129 93 42 10 786 421 840 50%

2003-04 333 48 220 32 107 95 31 7 698 369 788 47%

* The Participation Rate is calculated on enrollment in grades 11 and 12 though some tests were taken by students in grades 9 and 10.


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Table 1.25 2008 ADVANCED PLACEMENT TESTS BY SUBJECT

Scores

Students < 2 3 4 5

Course Enrolled Tested Percent # % # % # % # %

Art History 15 6 40.0 0 0.0 3 50.0 1 16.7 2 33.3

Art – Drawing 5 5 100 3 60.0 0 0.0 2 40.0 0 0.0

Art – 2D Design 1 1 100 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 100

Biology 112 76 67.9 9 11.8 10 13.2 18 23.7 39 51.3

Calculus AB 97 95 97.9 3 3.2 5 5.3 19 20.0 68 71.6

Calculus BC 51 52 102.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 3.8 50 96.2

Chemistry 40 38 95.0 2 5.4 2 5.4 10 26.3 24 63.2

Chinese Language 0 7 -- 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 7 100

Computer Science AB 18 15 83.3 0 0 1 6.7 8 53.3 6 40.0

Economics – Micro -- 1 -- 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 100

Economics – Macro -- 2 -- 0 0.0 1 50.0 1 50.0 0 0.0

Eng Lang & Comp -- 8 -- 0 0.0 2 25.0 2 25.0 4 50.0

Eng Lit & Comp 93 89 95.7 1 1.1 20 22.5 33 37.1 35 39.3

Environmental Science 171 59 34.5 7 11.7 9 15.3 29 49.2 14 23.7

French Language 29 22 75.9 3 13.6 8 36.4 5 22.7 6 27.3

French Literature 5 5 100 1 20.0 2 40.0 1 20.0 1 20.0

German Language -- 2 -- 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 100

Italian Language -- 1 -- 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 100

Japanese Language 14 12 85.7 0 0.0 5 41.7 3 25.0 4 33.3

Music Theory 23 21 91.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 5 23.8 16 76.2

Physics B -- 1 -- 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 100

Physics C: Elec & Mag 13 12 92.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 25.0 9 75.0

Physics C: Mechanics 13 12 92.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 12 100

Psychology 155 109 70.3 7 6.4 13 11.9 46 42.2 43 39.4

Spanish Language 83 65 78.3 5 7.7 12 18.5 22 33.8 22 33.8

Spanish Literature 45 23 51.1 4 17.4 7 30.4 5 21.7 4 17.4

Statistics 72 54 75.0 2 3.7 7 13.0 23 42.6 22 40.7

US History 74 75 101.4 3 4.0 12 16.0 30 40.0 30 40.0

2008 TOTAL 1226 870 71.0 48 5.5 118 13.6 267 30.7 487 56.0

2007 TOTAL 1051 867 82.5 53 6.1 138 15.9 248 28.6 428 49.4

2006 TOTAL 1052 813 77.3 46 5.7 128 15.7 246 30.3 393 48.3

CSU EAP For the past three years, juniors at Paly have participated in the Early Assessment Program (EAP) conducted by the California State University system. The EAP is conducted as a component of the STAR Program during the administration of the CSTs.


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In 2005 – 2006, the number of students tested was extremely low; however, the percentage tested increased dramatically over the next two years

In addition to the increase in the number and percent of students tested, the percentage of students determined as ―Ready for College‖ has increased significantly from 33% to 52% over the last three years

In mathematics, the overall 68 % percent of students scored ―Ready for College‖

A breakdown of the math scores shows that student who had completed Algebra 2 before their junior year were more likely to be college ready (86%) than students who were enrolled in Algebra 2 during their junior year (51%)

Table 1.26 EARLY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (EAP)

2005 – 2006 2006 – 2007 2007 – 2008

Grade 11 Enrollment 417 424 416

Total # Tested in EAP 107 384 371

Percent Tested 25.7% 90.6% 89.2%

English EAP % EAP % EAP %

Students Tested 87 380 370

Ready for College 29 33 124 33 192 52

Not College Ready 58 67 161 42 156 42

Algebra 2 EAP % EAP % EAP %



Ready for College – Conditional 10 26 18 30 34 31


Summative Math EAP % EAP % EAP %





Mathematics - Total EAP % EAP % EAP %





California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) An overwhelming percentage of Palo Alto High School students pass the California High School Exit Exam (CASHEE) on their first attempt during the sophomore year (see chart below). Over the last four years, well over 95% of Paly students have passed the CAHSEE on the first attempt. Although the actual numbers are small, the percents of Latino and African American students who pass the CAHSEE on the first attempt differ


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from those of Asian and white students. We see our achievement gap reflected in these percentages. Students who fail either or both parts of the CAHSEE in their sophomore year are provided with opportunities for tutoring and access to an on-line program that provides CAHSEE preparation. By graduation, we have only had one or two students annually who have not passed the CAHSEE. We provide our students with additional interventions to assist them with passing the CAHSEE in order to earn their Paly diploma.


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Table 1.27 CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM RESULTS

English/Language Arts Mathematics

Tested Passed % Tested Passed %

Class of 2010

All Students 433 422 97% 428 418 98%

Asian 100 99 99% 100 99 99%

African-American 16 14 88% 17 15 88%

Hispanic/Latino 30 25 83% 29 26 90%

White not Hispanic 269 267 99% 264 261 99%

English Learners 11 10 91% 11 10 91%

Redesignated FEP 43 39 91% 43 41 95%

Students w/ Disabilities 25 19 76% 24 16 67%

Class of 2009

All Students 413 402 97% 414 402 97%

Asian 89 89 100% 88 88 100%




English Learners 10 or fewer students 10 or fewer students



Class of 2008

All Students 425 409 96% 427 404 95%

Asian 79 79 100% 79 79 100%







Class of 2007

All Students 411 402 98% 409 395 97%

Asian 85 85 100% 85 85 100%








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STAR Data

Palo Alto High School students perform quite well on the CSTs. In 2008, in the majority of

subject areas, at least 75% of students at all grade levels consistently scored at the proficient and

advanced levels.

English and Social Studies

In English Language Arts, this high achievement pattern has been maintained over the

last three years

Although students in Social Science perform well on both the World History and US

History exams, the Social Science curriculum taught at Palo Alto High School sequences

differ from those of the state standards in the 10th

and 12th

grades

Paly has a four year social science graduation requirement that includes World History in

the 9th

grade; Contemporary World History and American Government in the 10th

grade;

US History in the 11th

grade, and Economics and other electives in the 12th

grade

Over the last three years, Paly has shifted administration of the World History test from

the 10th

grade to the 9th

grade

Math and Science

In 9th

grade mathematics, Paly offers five levels of classes

The remedial level, Algebra 1.1, is a two-year algebra course and 9th

grade students who

are enrolled in Algebra 1.1 take the General Math CST

The enrollment in this course has doubled over the last three years and scores on the

General Math CSTs are consistently and significantly lower than test scores on the

Algebra 1 CST taken by others in the 9th

grade cohort

While the number of students taking Alg 1.1 has increased, their performance has

improved dramatically, from 34% scoring at the basic and above level 3 years ago, in

2005-06, to 61% at the basic and above level last year in 2007-08. Also worth mentioning

is the fact that last year's high enrollment in Alg1.1 was an anomaly: this year we're back

to 2 sections of Algebra 1.1 only, with a total of 40 students or just 8.5% of 9th graders

In math the percentage of students scoring at proficient or advanced level, which was

already significantly higher than the state average, has risen further across the board over

the past 3 years

o 9th grade Alg: from 67% to 77%

o 10th grade Geometry: from 73% to 81%


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o 11th grade Alg2: from 50% to 56%

o 11th grade Summative Math, from 94% to 96%

In Biology, the following trends occur: in 2005 – 2006 among students who postponed

taking Biology until the 10th

grade, however, in 2007 – 2008, 10th

grade students in

Biology performed as well on the Biology CST as the 9th

grade students performed

Achievement Gap

A review of CST scores by ethnicity reveals that Latino and African American students

routinely score lower than white and Asian students in almost all subjects

In English Language Arts, the lowest percent of Asian students’ scoring at proficient and

advanced was 84% for 11th

grade students in 2005 – 2006

Likewise, for white students, the lowest percent scoring proficient or advanced was 78%

in the 11th

grade in 2006 – 2007

For Latino students scoring proficient and advanced, the highest percent was 69% in the

11th

grade in 2006 – 2007

For African American students, the highest percentage was 69% in the 10th

grade in

2007 – 2008

Similar patterns are also seen in Social Science, Math, and Science

Participation

Participation rates have increased on the CSTs over the last three years after adjusting the

testing calendar to accommodate Advanced Placement exams

This increase is particularly true for 11th

grade. In 2005 – 2006, just 60.9% of the juniors

took the CSTs. In 2007 – 2008, the percent had increased to 90.6%

Coming into alignment with PAUSD’s other high school, Gunn, AP enrollment is now

linked to CST participation with a score of proficient or better

This practice provides evidence to our higher-performing students and their parents that

AP coursework is manageable in addition to encouraging the student who might shy

away from the AP that he or she is fully capable of engaging and performing at this

college level curriculum


40

Table 1.28 CST RESULTS BY PERCENT

English

2007 - 2008 2006 - 2007 2005 – 2006

Grade Level 9 10 11 9 10 11 9 10 11

Reported Enrollment 427 412 416 423 420 424 427 431 417

English Language Arts

Students Tested 406 412 416 396 373 311 392 358 254

Percent of Enrollment 95.1 94.5 90.6 93.6 88.8 73.3 91.8 83.1 60.9

Advanced 62.0 62.0 69.0 61.0 54.0 61.0 69.0 60.0 59.0

Proficient 20.0 23.0 16.0 23.0 23.0 17.0 15.0 22.0 23.0

Basic 8.0 8.0 9.0 9.0 11.0 10.0 10.0 9.0 7.0

Below Basic 7.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 7.0 2.0 4.0 3.0 4.0

Far Below Basic 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 5.0 10.0 2.0 7.0 6.0

History – Social Science

2007 – 2008 2006 – 2007 2005 – 2006

Grade Level 9 10 11 9 10 11 9 10 11


World History

Students Tested 400 20 393 26 356

Percent of Enrollment 93.7 4.6 92.9 6.2 82.6

Advanced 34.0 0 23.0 40.0 47.0

Proficient 33.0 0 38.0 0 28.0

Basic 20.0 0 28.0 40.0 11.0

Below Basic 7.0 0 8.0 0 4.0

Far Below Basic 7.0 100.0 3.0 20.0 9.0

U.S. History


Percent of Enrollment 86.8 72.6 59.2

Advanced 67.0 56.0 52.0

Proficient 23.0 24.0 29.0

Basic 7.0 10.0 10.0

Below Basic 2.0 5.0 4.0

Far Below Basic 2.0 5.0 4.0


41

Mathematics

2007 – 2008 2006 - 2007 2005 – 2006

Grade Level 9 10 11 9 10 11 9 10 11


General Math



Advanced 4.0 0.0 0.0


Basic 42.0 31.0 30.0

Below Basic 23.0 19.0 30.0


Algebra 1

Students Tested 204 29 209 24 239 29

Percent of Enrollment 47.8 6.7 49.4 5.7 56.0 6.7

Advanced 44.0 7.0 21.0 13.0 27.0 7.0

Proficient 33.0 34.0 56.0 4.0 40.0 7.0

Basic 14.0 24.0 18.0 42.0 19.0 31.0

Below Basic 7.0 28.0 5.0 33.0 8.0 34.0

Far Below Basic 1.0 7.0 0.0 8.0 5.0 21.0

Geometry

Students Tested 126 193 13 131 210 14 113 174 18


Advanced 88.0 46.0 0 70.0 26.0 0.0 82.0 18.0 0.0

Proficient 10.0 35.0 31.0 30.0 48.0 14.0 18.0 55.0 17.0

Basic 1.0 15.0 54.0 0.0 15.0 7.0 0.0 18.0 44.0

Below Basic 1.0 3.0 15.0 0.0 10.0 57.0 0.0 6.0 17.0

Far Below Basic 0 2.0 0 0.0 1.0 21.0 0.0 3.0 22.0

Algebra 11

Students Tested 11 141 196 18 109 152 7 113 125


Advanced 82.0 52.0 14.0 89.0 65.0 13.0 72.0 17.0

Proficient 18.0 39.0 42.0 11.0 32.0 47.0 27.0 33.0

Basic 0 9.0 30.0 0.0 2.0 27.0 2.0 29.0

Below Basic 0 0 11.0 0.0 1.0 11.0 0.0 11.0

Far Below Basic 0 0 3.0 0.0 0.0 3.0 0.0 10.0

Summative High School Math

Students Tested 3 22 125 3 8 116 15 82

Percent of Enrollment .7 5.0 30.0 .7 1.9 27.4 3.5 19.7

Advanced NA 95.0 66.0 NA NA 79.0 73.0 56.0

Proficient NA 5.0 30.0 NA NA 18.0 27.0 38.0

Basic NA 0 5.0 NA NA 1.0 0.0 6.0

Below Basic NA 0 0 NA NA 2.0 0.0 0.0

Far Below Basic NA 0 0 NA NA 0.0 0.0 0.0


42

Science

2007 – 2008 2006 – 2007 2005 – 2006

9 10 11 9 10 11 9 10 11


Grade 10 Life Science



Advanced 54.0 43.0 53.0


Basic 12.0 14.0 13.0



Biology/Life Sciences

Students Tested 349 30 7 365 14 6 360 22 5


Advanced 48.0 37.0 NA 40.0 7.0 NA 38.0 19.0 NA

Proficient 30.0 47.0 NA 36.0 36.0 NA 36.0 19.0 NA

Basic 13.0 10.0 NA 19.0 36.0 NA 190 19.0 NA

Below Basic 4.0 3.0 NA 4.0 0.0 NA 5.0 29.0 NA

Far Below Basic 5.0 3.0 NA 1.0 21.0 NA 2.0 14.0 NA

Chemistry

Students Tested 310 22 282 18 287 24

Percent of Enrollment 71.1 5.3 67.1 4.2 66.6 5.8

Advanced 41.0 41.0 30.0 17.0 21.0 8.0

Proficient 35.0 18.0 38.0 28.0 41.0 8.0

Basic 21.0 36.0 28.0 33.0 27.0 58.0

Below Basic 1.0 5.0 2.0 17.0 6.0 4.0

Far Below Basic 2.0 0 2.0 6.0 5.0 21.0

Physics



Advanced 44.0 24.0 32.0


Basic 17.0 28.0 27.0




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Table 1.29 STAR RESULTS BY ETHNICITY – PERCENT PROFICIENT AND ABOVE

2007 – 2008 2006 – 2007 2005 – 2006

9 10 11 9 10 11 9 10 11

# % # % # % # % # % # % # % # % # %

English Language Arts

White 241 90 254 89 233 88 245 86 230 81 188 78 233 88 216 87 144 87

Asian 84 92 98 94 88 95 88 98 85 92 76 91 89 97 73 95 74 84

Af. Am. 17 18 13 69 19 47 14 57 22 32 17 40 18 39 14 43 10 *

Latino 40 45 28 46 23 41 31 50 25 39 19 69 24 46 28 54 12 55

World History

White 236 76 13 0 4 * 244 64 18 50 4 * 215 80

Asian 84 73 88 77 5 * 75 92

Af. Am. 17 6 13 23 1 * 1 * 14 43

Latino 40 20 4 * 1 * 30 20 2 * 26 38

U.S. History

White 227 92 186 80 138 87

Asian 87 94 76 96 74 83

Af. Am. 16 69 16 44 10 *

Latino 20 50 19 74 11 63

General Mathematics

White 17 19 17 41 5 *

Asian 3 * 1 * 9 *

Af. Am. 13 23 4 * 8 *

Latino 17 18 11 9

Algebra 1

White 144 80 17 53 1 * 155 79 9 * 5 * 168 68 14 14

Asian 21 86 21 90 1 * 30 83 1 * 1 *

Af. Am. 3 * 1 * 2 * 9 * 6 * 2 41* 7 * 3 * 1 *

Latino 23 61 7 * 2 * 14 43 5 * 2 * 14 43 7 * 2 *

Geometry

White 70 99 143 83 5 * 67 100 156 78 4 * 55 100 123 76 10 *

Asian 50 100 22 91 54 100 22 77 52 100 24 75 4 *

Af. Am. 8 * 4 * 1 * 11 36 6 * 1 * 9 * 3 46*

Latino 11 64 3 * 5 * 14 64 2 * 1 * 11 64

Algebra 11

White 2 * 71 86 147 57 7 * 54 100 106 58 59 98 80 55

Asian 8 * 63 95 22 68 11 100 51 94 26 73 6 * 42 98 30 45

Af. Am. 1 * 7 * 1 * 6 * 3 *

Latino 2 * 9 * 1 * 9 * 4 * 5 *

Summative High School Mathematics

White 2 * 9 * 57 98 1 * 1 * 60 97 9 * 41 93

Asian 12 100 63 94 1 * 7 * 49 98 6 * 37 95

Af. Am. 1 *

Latino 1 4 *


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2007 – 2008 2006 – 2007 2005 – 2006

9 10 11 9 10 11 9 10 11

# % # % # % # % # % # % # % # % # %

Grade 10 Life Science

White 251 84 222 81 208 81

Asian 97 93 85 88 75 93

Af. Am. 13 62 20 35 13 38

Latino 27 37 23 35 25 48

Biology

White 223 79 21 81 3 * 229 77 5 * 3 * 218 75 12 67

Asian 79 91 7 * 3 * 86 92 1 * 88 88 4 *

Af. Am. 6 * 10 * 3 * 1 36* 12 33 2 *

Latino 23 35 24 38 4 * 1 * 18 24 3 *

Chemistry

White 192 76 9 * 184 65 9 * 176 60 11 18

Asian 85 88 7 * 75 80 3 * 72 75 5 *

Af. Am. 9 * 2 * 7 * 2 * 7 * 4 18*

Latino 11 45 1 * 10 * 1 36* 17 35 3 *

Physics

White 184 80 144 62 100 71

Asian 70 84 1 * 1 * 68 79 55 63

Af. Am. 10 * 7 *

Latino 11 64 12 55 4 *

California English Language Development Test (CELDT)

As discussed previously, Paly has a growing number of English Language Learners among its

student population. In 2003 – 2004, there were no LEP students at Paly. Today 50 students at

Paly are LEP and attend Paly on a waiver. In 2007 – 2008, there were 38 LEP students attending

Paly. Although the majority of these students scored at the Early Advanced and Advanced

levels, two students scored at the Beginning level. These results raise concerns about these

students’ abilities to successfully engage and fully participate in the curriculum throughout the

school.

Table 1.30 CELDT RESULTS BY LEVEL

2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04 2002-03

Advanced 14 17 6 0 0 0

Early Advanced 11 8 4 0 0 0

Intermediate 9 5 2 0 0 0

Early Intermediate 2 0 0 0 0 0

Beginning 2 0 0 0 0 0

Total 38 30 12 3 0 0


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API Palo Alto performs exceedingly well on state measures for school achievement. The Academic

Performance Index (API) for Paly has historically been high and the school has consistently

scored a “10” on its statewide ranking and a “9” on its similar schools ranking. Last year, the

school’s API rose 17 points, coming in at 900. The school community attributes this increase to

the increased numbers of students who took the CSTs during the 2007 – 2008 school year. The

API for a school is calculated for all students and for each numerically significant subgroup. The

only numerically significant subgroups for Paly are white and Asian. Data are not available for

other groups of students.

Table 1.31 ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE DATA (API)

Academic Performance Index

Year API Base API Score API

Growth Target

Met Statewide

Rank Similar

Schools Rank

2007 – 2008 883 900 +17 YES 10 9

2006 – 2007 887 883 -4 YES 10 9

2005 – 2006 886 892 +6 YES 10 9

2004 – 2005 878 885 +7 YES n/a n/a

Annual Yearly Progress (AYP)

Since the inception of NCLB, Palo Alto High School has met all its AYP accountability

measures each year. The percent of all students meeting accountability measures has increased

slightly in the last four years from 88.1% to 90.1% in mathematics and from 88.8% to 92.7% in

English Language Arts (see tables below). Although African American and Latino students

perform significantly lower than Asian and white students (a concern for the school), they have

also demonstrated an increase in the proficiency criteria over the last several years in both

mathematics and English Language Arts.

Proficiency rates for the three remaining subgroups (socioeconomically disadvantaged, English

learners, and students with disabilities) raise several concerns for the school. For

socioeconomically disadvantaged students, there is not a consistent pattern of growth and the

scores have varied greatly over the last four years. As mentioned previously in this report, the

overall number of English learners at Paly is growing. The recent decrease in their performance

in both Math and ELA may be attributed to the increase in the number of EL students scoring

below Advanced on the CELDT. The scores for students with disabilities in ELA show and

increase in the percent of students scoring proficient over the last four years; however, the scores

for math have remained relatively stationary over the same time period.


46

Table 1.32 Federal (NCLB/AYP) ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES / PERCENT

MEETING PROFICIENCY CRITERIA

Mathematics 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05

# % # % # % %

All Students 425 90.1 412 88.6 416 86.1 402 88.1

Asian 93 98.9 89 94.4 77 97.4 81 96.3

African-American 17 58.8 26 42.3 22 40.9 16 31.3

Hispanic/Latino 30 60.0 30 50.0 35 57.1 20 55.0

White not Hispanic 266 93.6 256 95.7 252 92.5 256 92.2

Socio-econ Disadvantaged 22 45.5 22 22.7 22 50.0 16 50.0

English Learners 21 57.1 50 74.0 44 70.5 17 58.8

Students w/Disabilities 27 37.0 35 40.0 40 40.0 37 35.1

English Language Arts 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05

# % # % # % %

All Students 425 92.7 410 87.1 416 85.3 402 88.8

Asian 93 98.9 89 94.4 77 94.8 81 91.4

African-American 16 62.5 26 50.0 22 36.4 15 66.7

Hispanic/Latino 30 63.3 30 50.0 35 48.6 20 60.0

White not Hispanic 267 95.9 254 93.3 252 93.3 257 93.0

Socio-econ Disadvantaged 22 45.5 21 33.3 22 27.3 15 53.3

English Learners 21 52.3 50 76.0 44 65.9 17 52.9

Students w/Disabilities 26 42.3 35 31.4 40 30.0 36 38.9

Survey Data

In the fall, 2008, Palo Alto High School conducted an opinion survey of its students, parents,

teachers, and staff. The complete results of the survey may be found in the appendix. For

summary purposes, the top five and bottom five responses for each group taking the survey were

reviewed:

Overall, all groups were extremely satisfied with the educational environment at Paly

For all four groups, the bottom five responses need to be viewed with the information that

a score of above 3 indicates a positive response to the statement


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For parents, only two statements solicited an overall negative response. These statements

(see table below) indicate that parents believe that there are problems with both substance

abuse and bullying at Paly

The same is also true for teachers and staff members. Recent events including Freshmen

Friday and the new practice of using breathalyzers at school dances could have added to

this perception

Likewise, students felt there were problems with substance abuse at the school

Although students rated the education they receive at Paly highly, students ranked the

statement “I look forward to going to school everyday” as among the bottom five with a

score of 2.93

Students also felt that their opinions were not considered important when school

decisions are made

This opinion was reinforced last year when there was a movement to change the school’s

bell schedule

Currently, three days a week the school day starts at 7:50 AM. A proposal was discussed

to change the start time to 8:15 AM. In a student survey, the proposal received

overwhelming support; however, the faculty vote retained the traditional day schedule

Table 1.33 SURVEY RESULTS

PARENT OPINION INVENTORY

TOP FIVE RESPONSES BOTTOM FIVE RESPONSES

Our schools have a positive impact on the community’s property values.

4.48 Substance abuse (e.g., drugs/alcohol) is not a problem at our school.

2.85

The quality of schools influenced my decision to live in this community.

4.38 There is no problem with bullies at our school.

2.89

The education offered to students at our school is of high quality.

4.21 Students see a relationship between what they are studying and their everyday lives.

3.20

Our school uses technology to provide parents with information about our school.

4.18 Safety measures are in place to protect students traveling to and from school.

3.27

Our school is doing a good job teaching social studies.

4.04 Our school recognizes the achievements of students for all types of accomplishments.

3.28

5 - Strongly Agree; 4 – Agree; 3 – Neutral; 2 – Disagree; 1 - Strongly Disagree; NA - Do Not Know/Not Applicable – No Weight (Note: score of 3 or above indicates neutral to positive opinions.

STUDENT OPINION INVENTORY


Cheating is strongly discouraged at our school. 4.32

Students’ opinions are considered when important school decisions are made.

2.71

In our school, students have access to a variety of resources to help them succeed in their learning, such as technology, media centers, and libraries.

4.28 Substance abuse (e.g., drugs/alcohol) is not a problem at our school. 2.77

The education offered to students at our school is 4.27 I look forward to going to school each day. 2.93


48

of high quality.

Students are provided with opportunities to learn important knowledge and skills in each subject.

4.14 The amount of homework I am given help me succeed in my studies.

2.95

I have an opportunity to participate in the activities that interest me (e.g., clubs, sports, music)

4.10 Students see a relationship between what they are studying and their everyday lives.

3.16


TEACHER OPINION INVENTORY


The education of students at our school is of high quality.

4.74 There are no problems with bullies at our school.

2.49

Our school is doing a good job teaching fine arts (music, visual arts, dance, drama).

4.57 Substance abuse (e.g., drug/alcohol) is not a problem at our school.

2.59

Teachers hold high expectations for student learning.

4.55 Class sizes at our school are appropriate for effective teaching.

2.78


4.48 Teachers collaboratively develop instructional activities to help students learn across different subject areas.

3.10

Teachers are willing to give students individual help outside of class time. 4.43

Positive working relationships between teachers and administrators are supported in our school through mutual respect and effective communication.

3.14


SUPPORT STAFF OPINION INVENTORY


Our school is committed to improving student learning.

4.71 There are no problems with bullies at our school.

2.35

There are positive working relationships between teachers, administrators, and support staff.

4.48 Substance abuse (e.g., drug/alcohol) is not a problem at our school.

2.31


4.38 Students respect all adults in our school regardless of their role. 2.50

The education offered to students at our school is of high quality.

4.29 Students are respectful of school and community property.

2.96

Cheating is strongly discouraged at our school. 4.21

Students see a relationship between what they are studying and their everyday lives.

3.05



49

Nicki Hwang – class of 2009


50

Chapter II

Overall Summary from Analysis of Data


51

Overall Summary from Analysis of Data

Since opening its doors in 1894, Palo Alto High School has maintained a tradition of excellence across its community, whether that means innovative instruction in the classroom, creative expression in music, the arts, and journalism; or victory on the sports field. Today, no less than 15 of our staff members were once students here; we also have many students whose parents were graduates themselves. As visitors can see in our front foyer, the school prides itself on a rich past and a promising future. Despite tight financial times, powerful, creative teaching and learning remain the core of our work here at Palo Alto High School. Since our last report in 2003, Paly’s high rates of student achievement—exemplified by aforementioned statistics such as 88% of students going on to college; over 75% taking at least one AP course; 94% of AP students scoring 3 or above—have remained steady. Our survey data suggests that our community continues to value its strong culture of achievement here.

We have, however, seen a few significant changes: first, our student body is growing in size, with a projected increase to nearly 2,200 students by 2017. Second, with the advent of Silicon Valley’s technology boom today’s student body comes from an increasingly rich and exciting mix of cultures, with significant numbers of students from throughout the world and more than ten different languages spoken at home. Third, our leadership shifted in spring 2007, when our principal was promoted to the position of assistant superintendent and our current principal was hired. And finally, while our basic aid status has allowed us to weather many of the worst financial challenges of other California public schools, we have still faced challenges. Our leadership has worked tirelessly to continue the traditions of fiscal stewardship that have undergirded our schools’ excellence for so long, and that we continue to cherish.

Of the constants over the last six years, we have seen our culture of achievement shine brightly. As noted above, our students have consistently excelled by local, state, and national standards. So, too have our teachers, for whom instructional excellence is a daily process. We have also benefited enormously from the many, many generous contributions of our parent community. While Palo Alto has always been a community in which citizens heavily supported schools, parents have stepped up in the last six years in dramatic new ways, not only through the PTA but also through Partners in Education, our district’s parent-led, nonprofit fundraising organization. Between PTA and PiE alone, parents now contribute more than $4 million a year to PAUSD. At Paly, these efforts are further augmented by our robust Booster groups and by individual contributors. Ours is increasingly a public-private partnership, and we are most grateful for such steadfast community support. Working together, we are proud to state our confidence that as we move forward, Palo Alto High School will continue to grow and thrive.


52

Implications of the Data While this report will speak to the challenges at our school and our hopes for every one of our students in depth, we still see two broad, far reaching implications of the data with respect to student performance: The majority of students attending Paly do so with great success by multiple measures.

We know this because:

a. CST scores b. AP and honors enrollments and exam scores c. Elective course enrollment rates d. PSAT participation rates e. SAT participation rates and scores f. National Merit Finalists and Commended Scholars g. Four-year college eligibility rates h. UC and CSU acceptance numbers i. Selective university acceptance numbers j. Athletic participation k. Art and Theatre participation rates l. Co-curricular club and student service participation m. Low rates of expulsion and suspension n. Student and parent survey results o. Student 5-3-1 conversations p. Parent coffee results.

At the same time, we know that some students at Palo Alto High School who struggle. We know this because:

a. A-G requirements go unmet in some student populations b. Absenteeism c. Parent coffee reports and survey data tell us that families perceive

stress and frustration in some students. d. Parent and student survey data and parent coffees speak about

concerns with college preparation and social-emotional college readiness.

During our analysis of the various data the following key questions arose: Questions posed by our analysis of the demographic data:


53

In terms of both our facilities and teaching staff, are we prepared to accommodate the growth and meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body?

How can we increase the diversity of our staff to reflect the growing diversity of our students?

How will we anticipate and adequately prepare for additional demands among our special needs populations, including AVID and GATE?

Are we adequately prepared to incorporate the needed CLAD strategies in our classrooms to the benefit of our EL students?

How can we boost participation in athletics and co-curriculars so that each and every student feels connected to the broader Paly community outside his or her classroom?

How can we remedy the use of alcohol and drugs by our some of our students?

How do we dampen the selective truancy?

Given the growing reliance on the financial support of our education foundation, what are the next steps in working within our public-private funding structure?

Questions posed by our analysis of the student performance data:

Given that fundamentally, fulfilling A-G requirements is an equity issue, are we fully prepared to support each and every student’s success in meeting these conditions?

What steps are the most effective in boosting participation in PSATs and SATs as a means of closing the achievement gap to the benefit of each and every student?

What steps are the most effective in boosting enrollment in AP course as a means of closing the achievement gap to the benefit of each and every student?

In response to the achievement gap evident in our CST scores, what is the best way to adjust curriculum to the benefit of each and every student moving forward?


54

How can data from such standardized tests as PSAT, SAT, AP, and CST, guide us in ongoing curricular refinement?

What are the steps we must take to fully use and reason with the data such standardized tests provide?

How can horizontal and vertical curricular alignment occur most effectively and in the timeliest manner to the benefit of each and every student?

How can we facilitate the sharing of best instructional practices within departments and across the campus, fostering collaboration that recognizes the enthusiastic energy of ―young-to-the-profession‖ teachers and honors the experience of our veterans?

How can we craft the most effective remedy in response to CSU EAP data such that more students are capable of non-remedial, credit-bearing course work during their freshmen year in college?

Questions posed by our analysis of the perception data:

What are the next steps in tackling the fundamental causes of student stress?

What is the best way to counter some students’ use of alcohol and recreational drugs?

How do we most effectively blunt and ultimately prevent traditional bullying and cyber-bullying, fostering a heart-felt respect for others?

How do we best prevent theft, fostering an authentic and intrinsic respect for property?

What is the best way to inspire ethical behavior in our classrooms, on our playing fields and throughout the campus?

What are the most effective strategies and practices to guarantee complete and thorough communication between all stakeholders, including students, teachers, staff, and parents?

How can we cultivate true collegiality and mutual respect throughout our campus community?

Our response to these questions


55

In our WASC work here at Palo Alto High School, we have embraced the guiding principle that we want to understand and reach ―each student, every day.‖ Beginning in February 2008, we began a series of introspective meetings in which our staff moved both within departments and across the school to ask how our quest for excellence can touch every classroom and activity on campus. In keeping with WASC standard process, we divided stakeholders into their focus groups and simultaneously put home groups to work. Our instructional supervisors and administrators also did extensive leadership work together so that our process could be its most resilient and authentic. In spring 2008, we individually mapped our classroom assessments from our grade-books to California content standards, reviewed our findings from our individual work, met first with individual colleagues teaching similar courses and successive courses, and then as departments. Our process reflected the school’s attention to the 2003 WASC visiting team’s recommendation that the school use data to drive its decisions. We noted common trends and documented questions that arose from these comparisons. These trends and questions were then forwarded to the WASC coordinator and the Leadership Team to draw school-wide conclusions. At the same time, we wanted to take extra care to listen to the questions, comments and concerns of parents and students. In spring, 2008, our principal attended 10 parent-hosted coffees in private homes and community centers across Palo Alto’s student community in order to discuss key areas of student life. Over 175 parents attended one of these events, giving us a wealth of data over and above our parent surveys and focus group parent representatives. The generosity of spirit and quiet thoughtfulness with which our parents provided us with their insights and observations of our work with their children cannot be overstated. On campus, the WASC coordinator conducted parallel group interviews with over 400 students from across all grades and interest groups at the school. Students welcomed the opportunity both to speak out as well as to listen to their peers. Paly teachers opened their classrooms to such discussions, giving over the day’s lesson to our WASC coordinator so that our students could participate more fully in our WASC work. Essential Focus After much discussion using this mix of numerical, anecdotal, documentary and survey data, the Leadership Team identified three overarching goals for the school, which also paralleled our district’s recently adopted Strategic Plan. Working from these principles, the Leadership Team guided staff to address these key questions:


56

Is alignment between teachers of similar and successive courses coordinated so that each and every student learns successfully?

Are instructional practices and strategies appropriate for each and every student to successfully complete CSU/UC entrance requirements?

Do classroom practices and administrative policies foster emotional safety for each and every student in all classrooms and throughout the campus?

In response to these questions, as a faculty we developed the following understanding of our work moving forward: Critical Areas of Need ~ Essential Focus Goal 1: Horizontal and Vertical Curricular Alignment – the idea that teachers work together in the best interest of each and every student at Paly. We confirmed our classroom understanding of this critical academic need by looking at the following data:

a. Faculty curricular mapping b. Students meeting A-G requirements c. Transcript analysis d. Student and parent survey results e. Facilitated student conversations f. Parent coffees reports

This critical need correlates to ESLRs two, four, five, and six. As a school, we

intend to develop horizontal and vertical curricular alignment, linking standards with ESLRs, within departments and across departments as well as District middle schools, such that successive courses within departments as well across departments systematically build on prior knowledge in order to foster student learning and achievement and such that teachers deploy uniform instructional strategies and students experience consistent instruction appropriate to their grade/developmental stage – keystone skills and habits of mind. Goal 2: College Readiness and Post-secondary planning – the idea that we intend to prepare each and every student for college and that each and every student graduates from Paly with a robust and individual plan for his or her education after high school. We confirmed our classroom understanding of this critical academic need by looking at the following data:

a. Faculty curricular mapping


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b. AP and honors enrollments and exam scores c. Elective course enrollment rates d. PSAT participation rates e. SAT participation rates and scores f. National Merit Finalist and Commended Scholars g. Four-year college eligibility rates h. UC and CSU acceptance numbers i. Selective university acceptance numbers j. Athletic participation k. Art and Theatre participation rates l. Co-curricular club and student service participation

This critical need correlates to ESLRs two through seven. As a school, we intend to explore and develop systematic and uniform deployment of keystone skills across departments, integrating with curricula at suitable grade/developmental stage. Goal 3: Support for all Students – the idea that each and every student is supported in his or her personal and academic work. We confirmed our classroom understanding of this critical academic need by looking at the following data:

a. Faculty curricular mapping b. A-G requirements c. Athletic eligibility numbers d. Transcript analysis e. ACS referrals f. Truancy g. Student and parent survey results h. Student 5-3-1 conversations i. Parent coffees results

This critical need correlates to ESLRs number two and six. As a school, we intend to develop structures to provide academic support with the school day and beyond; as well, we intend to develop a formal and systematic pyramid of intervention to foster and support each and every student’s personal and academic achievement and success. Moving Forward We intend to approach all three goals by working from these two guiding principles.

We will guided by equity:


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Equity is the principle that individual teacher, staff, and institutional practices and decisions are grounded in delivering to each and every student that which he or she needs in order to be personally and academically successful.

And we will be driven by Professional Learning Communities ~ knowledge skills that teachers, staff, and administrators need in order to successfully address areas of essential focus, we will acquire:

Skills to identify appropriate data and then reason with that data to make sound decisions regarding refinement of practice and instructional strategies.

A working understanding of ―keystone‖ skills, recognizing how they appear in student behavior as well as how they are embedded in daily instructional strategies.

Ownership and daily implementation of differentiation in theory and in practice.

Closing Thoughts: As we have explained throughout this report, Palo Alto High School has proudly maintained its long record of excellence in teaching and learning. Our staff has pushed itself to high levels of professionalism, parents have stepped up again and again to provide support, and above all, students have demonstrated an outstanding range of talent.

And now, our WASC evaluation year draws to a close, we have seen yet again more exciting growth in Palo Alto High School’s culture. Although school staff members work in a wide variety of roles, and while they, along with parents and students here, have often prided themselves on their uniquely distinct styles, each has come to clear and satisfying consensus on Paly’s guiding principles and key areas of need. To come to these decisions, they have extended their tradition of dedication to the most important values of this school. Their hard work and collaboration have shone, and we have every reason to believe that these qualities will continue to illuminate our work over the next, exciting six years.


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Ari Kamin - class of 2009


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Chapter III

WASC Progress Report Process Overview


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WASC Progress Report Process Overview

Palo Alto High School went through its last WASC self-study in 2002/3. The school’s principal received another position outside the district halfway through the self-study process, and teacher leaders, working with an interim principal, defined the three critical areas of need for the school. The WASC Visiting Team expanded on their vision with six further recommendations. The school received a six-year accreditation with a three-year interim visit and follow up progress report. This progress report and visit were completed successfully in 2006, and Palo Alto High School finished out the full six years of its 2003 plan. Since 2003, Palo Alto High School has maintained the strong, challenging, and creative academic programs, which have always been its hallmark. But the school has also seen several exciting changes. First, we have benefited from six years of strong leadership. In 2003, Paly’s then-interim principal was replaced by a permanent principal, one experienced in the district principal with a strong grasp of high school issues. In spring of 2007, the principal was promoted to the position of Assistant Superintendent for Administrative Services. Our current principal joined the school in fall 2007, bringing over two decades of experience as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal. This 2008-2009 WASC self-study has been an additional catalyst for growth and stability, as staff has come together across the school to discuss what is most important for our students now and for the next six years. This progress has occurred in the context of well-regarded change in our district-wide leadership as well. In 2007-8, Palo Alto Unified School District hired its new superintendent, Dr. Kevin Skelly, acquired two new School Board members, and adopted a new Strategic Plan under the guidance of renowned consultants, McKinsey and Company. Palo Alto citizens also rallied to help the schools, renewing and extending a parcel tax of $493.00, which now provides approximately $9 million annually to PAUSD.

Additionally, in June 2008 the community generously voted to approve a $378 capital bond measure for facility improvements. Partners in Education, our community’s parent-led, nonprofit fundraising foundation, currently contributes approximately $2 million annually, and PTA units raise an additional $1.9 million. While stable and robust funding is always a challenge in California, PAUSD looks forward with hope and optimism, due to the strong involvement of our committed community. The following chapter summarizes Palo Alto High School’s progress toward its revised WASC Action Plans, adopted in 2003-2004, comprised of its initial three goals along with the visiting committee’s six recommendations. At Palo Alto High School, our


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Administrative Team and the Ed Council jointly oversee this on-going WASC improvement work. Since our last full visit, the Admin Team membership of the Principal, three Vice-Principals, the Teacher-Advisor Coordinator and the Student Activities Director has expanded to include Technology Coordinator, and the Staff Development Coordinator (who serves as the WASC Coordinator). The Admin Team meets weekly. The Ed Council includes the Admin Team and the Instructional Supervisors (Department Chairs). The Ed Council meets biweekly, with the Admin Team finalizing the meeting agenda. Each spring, the Instructional Supervisors are responsible for conducting evaluations of the departments’ progress on each of the school goals and reporting on that progress to Ed Council. The Principal compiles these evaluations into the annual report submitted to the PAUSD School Board. This annual comprehensive evaluation forms the foundation of the Single Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA) for the following year. For each school goal, three to five tasks are identified. All stakeholders including the Admin Team, the Ed Council, the PTSA Executive Board, and the School Site Council discuss and approve the SPSA before final Board of Education approval and adoption. As educational research attests, a fundamental benchmark of effective school leadership is the daily performance of its professional staff. Palo Alto High School’s staff brings a wealth of experience, training, and talent to the critical task of educating our young people; the school’s successful graduates and many awards are a witness to its success. Still, leadership transitions and uncertain funding climates can challenge any organization. Palo Alto High School has worked progressively to advance its 2003 goals. And as future chapters will demonstrate, WASC 2008-2009 has renewed our staff’s commitment to authentic reflection and refinement of our daily work toward excellence for every student, every day.


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Report on Progress Made on the Schoolwide Action Plan of the 2003 WASC Self-Study

Goal 1: Our school community will provide students with skill development and knowledge to post-secondary options, such as career options, technical training, travel, community service, and higher education.

Visiting Committee Recommendation Recommendation 3: Increase awareness and acceptance of a wider variety of career/vocational opportunities.

As recognized in California’s new Career Technical Education standards, the academic and personal skill sets necessary for college are merging with the skill sets necessary for many post secondary vocational training programs as well as the skills sets necessary to be successful in the work place. In other words, it is no longer sufficient to say that the goal of high school is to get into college; while we do hope and strongly expect that every Palo Alto High School graduate will be able to do so, we also need to ensure that every student has a robust plan for his or her post-secondary education. In alignment with PAUSD’s new Strategic Plan, Paly has refocused its energies on college-readiness for every student, expanding the definition of college-readiness to include possible attendance at one of California’s most respected educational resources, community college, as well as the acquisition of social emotional skills students will need in order to be successful in any post secondary educational environment. The school recognizes that there are several paths leading to college and other post-secondary educational options. Our goal, further extended in 2008-9 Action Plans, is that any student who leaves Paly will be college ready or will have an alternate plan that will leave the option of college open for the future. In line with this goal, each academic department continues to integrate career awareness into its curriculum and instruction. These strategies range from the simple and straightforward-- such as selecting textbooks that contain information on careers--to more complex ones such as using instructional strategies that require students to use skills and techniques reflective of a particular career or work skill-set. For example, after pursing staff training at Google headquarters in Mountain View, the math department is currently working with Google to integrate mini-lessons on introductory computer programming into its Algebra curriculum. Departments such as Science have also implemented specific courses and programs that provide students with a


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career-exploration experience such as Teaching Practicum and Science Research Projects. Career and Vocational Pathways As a result of increasing statewide emphasis on academic standards, Paly has worked hard to discern which vocational programs will best meet the needs of students. The school has experienced declining enrollments in traditional vocational education offerings such as Automotive and Business classes. Other vocational courses, however, such as Engineering Technology (which has a robotics component) have maintained their enrollments. Because of the recent passage of a major facilities bond that includes the demolition and reconstruction of its shop facilities, there has been a growing need to redefine vocational education at Paly (including a name change to Career Technical Education - CTE).

The school’s CTE teachers are focusing their efforts on creating CTE pathways that can lead students to both two-year programs at the community colleges as well as four-year programs at selected colleges and universities. This year, the Home Economics teacher implemented the introductory level of Interior Design and will introduce the next course in the sequence next year. She is working with one of the local community colleges as well as San Jose State to ensure that the course content and instruction prepare students for the programs offered a the post-secondary level. Likewise, this year the school embarked on a joint venture with Foothill Community College to offer on-line computer science courses on the high school campus. In the past, the course offerings in the computer sciences at Paly have been limited by student interest and finding teachers with the appropriate expertise.

The nearest community college, Foothill Community College, offers an extensive online program in the computer sciences. In its first pilot, 30 students are taking Intro to Java online from Foothill under the direction of a Paly teacher. Students will receive both high school credit and UC transferable credit from the community college. Based on the success of the pilot this semester, the school will be adding more on-line courses in the computer sciences. Also evolving at Paly is an expanded concept of Career Technical Education that includes less traditional pathways such as the performing arts and media arts. With the recent addition of a sports magazine, the only high school publication of its kind in the nation, Paly has on of the most vigorous and comprehensive student media programs in the state. The media program includes a student newspaper (Campanile); a student magazine (Verde); a student sports magazine (The Viking); an online 24-7 news service (Voice); and daily news broadcast (In Focus). Students enrolled in these award-winning journalism classes at Paly earn CTE graduation credit and develop hands-on experience in all aspects of publications. Furthermore, students are afforded the opportunity to


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practice those skills we all recognize as critical to success after high school; skills that include cooperation and partnership, timely compliance with deadlines, ethical behavior, as well as thoughtful and innovative thinking.

Currently, the Media Arts teachers are investigating the development of structured media arts pathways at Paly that will provide its students with expanded opportunities to explore various forms of media as a career choice. Likewise, there is a growing performing arts program at Paly that is redefining itself as a CTE pathway and coordinating with Foothill Community College, one of the premier community colleges in this field offering degrees in Technical Music, Theater, and the Arts. To accommodate these exciting changes throughout the new facilities master plan for Paly includes the construction of a Media Arts building that will house all six student publications as well as courses such as digital photography and video production. Growing Awareness Schoolwide, over the last few years the College and Career Center has expanded its services to include a full-time certificated College and Career Advisor and online access for students and parents to Naviance, a web-based planning system that supports the center’s college and career advising program. In the coming years, Naviance will also provide the school with resources to analyze data about student achievement and outcomes.

Additionally, College and Career Center has also been expanded to include Work Experience and community service opportunities. The Center’s Career Advisor works closely with the Teacher Advisors to ensure that students at every grade level have up-to-date information on college and career planning. In 2007 – 2008, every junior and senior had the opportunity to meet at least once with the College and Career Advisor to focus on his or her educational plans after graduation from Paly. These visits are strongly encouraged by Teacher-Advisors during Advisory and cover a range of post-secondary possibilities, including information and planning for a four-year university, a two-year university or career technical program and a ―gap year.‖ In concert with a full calendar of four-year college representatives who visit our campus to speak with interested students, the College and Career Center enlists teachers and Teacher-Advisors to identify target students who might find campus based workshops with speakers attractive and thereby creating opportunities for Paly students to plan visits to explore programs at the local community colleges.


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Goal 2: Our school community will work together to improve the academic performance of our underrepresented minority students, specifically to reduce the achievement gap.

Visiting Committee Recommendations and Review Committee Recommendations Recommendation #1: Explore more formalized systems of assistance for at-risk students. Recommendation #4: Use the teacher collaborative time to clarify grading, pacing, and assessments across the curriculum. Recommendation #6: Determine “essential questions” to answer with data, and how to best use data to make critical curricular decisions. Recommendation #1R: Continue to work on closing the achievement gap for all Palo Alto High School students. Recommendation #2R: Continue to work on common assessment tools. Recommendation #3R: Continue to review and use data as appropriate. Recommendation #4R: Continue to address the needs of underrepresented students. Recommendation #5R: Look at classroom practices to keep all students engaged. Closing the Achievement Gap Diversity is one of Palo Alto High School’s greatest assets. And yet, mirroring national trends, students from underrepresented minorities may sometimes struggle here. As a K-12 District, PAUSD is looking at this issue as a vertical slice, and it is a core feature of the new Strategic Plan. Here at Paly, we are mightily committed to doing whatever we can to reduce, and ultimately eliminate our achievement gap. At Palo Alto High School, the staff has taken a multi-level approach to addressing the academic performance of its underrepresented minority students. Our work is based on a hierarchy of strategies and interventions. Beginning at the classroom level, teachers have participated in trainings coordinated by district office staff to increase their awareness and subsequent practice of instructional strategies that address multiple learning styles (Elements of Instruction and differentiation form the foundation of these strategies), as well as fundamental classroom practices that foster a safe and equitable academic and social environment for all students. Using the work of scholar Claude Steele, the district-wide Equity Team ―E=Equity‖ program has trained many to utilize the practice of identify safety. Successful outcomes of this practice guarantee the emotionally safe environment that all students need in order to feel that


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their unique racial, ethnic, religious, and gender identities are fully welcomed and altogether respected in every classroom and campus space. When assembling data for the 2007-8 Strategic Plan, PAUSD discovered with dismay that while an impressive 74.1 of its graduates overall had completed State A-G requirements, only 44% of Hispanic students and 36% of African American students had done so as recently as 2006-7. These findings galvanized staff, and each department at Paly has established specific goals and strategies for addressing the academic performance of its underrepresented minority students. Most departments have begun to focus on the scope and sequence of their courses from 9th through 12th grade with the intent of scaffolding upper level courses to help ensure that all students are sufficiently prepared to move to the next level.

For example, the Science Department has targeted increasing the enrollment of underrepresented minorities in advanced level courses including honors and advanced placement as a goal over the last several years. To achieve this goal, the department has restructured it curriculum at the introductory level to provide alternative pathways for students who need assistance building the requisite skills for success in upper level classes. Likewise, in English the department is reviewing its 9th grade curriculum, which has both honors and college prep lanes, and investigating the possible methods of integrating the two lanes and focusing on providing a wider diversity of students with the skill sets necessary to be successful in its higher level selective courses.

Additionally, the math department recently began restructuring its course content with the goal of increasing the number of students taking four years of math at Paly and increasing the number of students completing Calculus. In addition, the Math department has hosted an afterschool math tutorial lab to assist students who are struggling for the last several years. Annually, each department reviews its achievement data for underrepresented minority students and modifies its strategies based on the outcomes. Campus Wide Efforts – Teachers and Counselors working together Several non-departmental programs have been implemented at Paly to address the academic performance of underrepresented minority students. The AVID Program at Paly targets incoming 9th grade underrepresented minority students who do not have a history of college attendance in their families. The program provides structured classroom support in study skills, college advising, and academic tutoring. Now in its tenth year, the AVID program serves students in grades 9 through 12. In 2008 – 2009, the school restructured its reading program and implemented Focus on Success to assist at-risk students with the development of a variety of skills (both academic and social-emotional) that are designed to increase their academic success. The AVID coordinator


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and Focus on Success teacher work closely together to maximize the use of resources and coordinate services. At the school level, Paly has focused its efforts on the early identification of potentially struggling students and providing appropriate school level assistance. The Teacher Advisors work closely with the guidance counselors and administrators to quickly intervene when academic or behavioral issues (such as truancy and attendance) arise. Teachers know that their students’ Teacher-Advisor is that crucial extra set of eyes that can be enlisted in order to remedy a small challenge before it becomes unwieldy and potentially more pervasive for the student.

To this end, at least once each semester, the TA Program Coordinator conducts grade-level brown bag lunches where concerned teachers meet together with the Guidance counselors, the school psychologist, and the VP of Curriculum to discuss the needs of individual students who are struggling in their respective classrooms. Frequently, such struggles are systemic in nature and again, early intervention can correct potentially sidelining challenges for our students. When a student comes to the attention of our Guidance staff in this regard, interventions might range from a discussion with student and TA, to phone calls home, a student and parent SST with recommendations for peer tutors and Academic Resource Center support, and/or an Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) referral for onsite mental health counseling. At Palo Alto High School, nobody wants to see students ―falling through the cracks.‖ In keeping with this thorough approach, and in recognition of the need for careful tracking of student progress, the school established an at-risk database in 2004 to identify and track struggling students. Several times a year, an ad hoc task force meets to review the database and focus on specific students to ensure that each receives the resources necessary to be academically successful.

Community Outreach Over the last several years, Paly has increased its outreach efforts to the parents and families of underrepresented minority students. In conjunction with the District Office, the Guidance Department at Paly also conducts two to three evening meetings a year for VTP families from East Palo Alto. These families represent the majority of underrepresented minority students at Palo Alto High School. These evenings are held both at the school and at various locations in East Palo Alto. We always provide Spanish speakers for the purposes of translation at each of these gatherings. The evenings focus on providing families with information on college-readiness and academic support services for students. Also featured during these evenings is the Foundation for a College Education, an East Palo Alto non-profit advocacy foundation that provides students and families with the tools they need to navigate the college admissions process.


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Since 2007 – 2008, the school’s administration has conducted several on campus focus group meetings with Paly’s VTP students, ―Pizza with the Principal‖ during the school day. In candid and straightforward conversations, our VTP students have identified the kind of support services they feel would help them be more successful at Paly. Some strategies have been broad-based, such as the departmental course alignment work mentioned above; others have been individual, practical steps that arose from candid conversation with students. When it became apparent, for example, that weekend and afterschool transportation were hurdles for students traveling to take the PSAT, the school moved to offer the exam during the school day for all juniors during the 2008 – 2009 school year. Data Analysis and Curricular Decisions Finally, as the examples above illustrate, Paly has taken a more comprehensive approach to its use of data – both quantitative and qualitative/perception – to examine trends among its underrepresented minority students and to better focus our resources and interventions. The established at-risk database continues to be broadened and refined annually. It provides a tool for tracking individual students and providing early targeted interventions.

In addition, Paly staff has taken a deeper look at existing data by disaggregating and analyzing it student-by-student to answer key questions and inform instructional practices moving forward. Over the last two years, teachers have been provided access to Cruncher data so that critical quantitative analysis of individual student achievement can begin in the classroom by the classroom teacher. WASC recommendations and BTSA training of newer staff have been fundamental to these efforts. Fully understanding the past academic performance of a student assists a teacher in planning the appropriate differentiation for that student in his or her classroom now. Furthermore, such information informs decisions for needed curricular adjustments in the near future. Currently, teachers of junior level English courses, in response to classroom performance and Cruncher data, have adjusted and refined various writing assignments to better promote and elevate student success in these courses. As such, collaboration with similar course and or grade-level instructors, teachers results in stout data-rich analyses of broader school-wide cohorts.

Likewise, the Math department, after reviewing and correlating college acceptance and math course enrollment, discerned a pattern of AB/BC Calculus enrollment and entry to the nation’s more selective universities. In combination with research-based literature detailing collegiate success, defined by successful four-year BA/BS course of study, with four years of high school mathematics, the math department extended this corollary throughout its scope and sequence. The department will institute changes to


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course curriculum such that curriculum is more closely aligned to state assessments with the goal of increasing the numbers and success of all students in our math courses.

Moreover, last year, the Ed Council reviewed and compared individual CST results with students’ transcripts in an ongoing effort to determine how we might better support each and every one of our students. Although previously the school had used GPA as a data point to measure the achievement gap, by examining disaggregated data, it has become clear that more dimensional measures of achievement are necessary because GPA does not reflect the actual coursework students select. Because one of our outcomes for all students at Paly is academic college-readiness, the school now focuses on the University of California course entrance requirements as a more telling measure of achievement for all students at Palo Alto High School. As teachers become more cognizant of these precise measures for achievement, expectations for students naturally rise. High expectations, backed by comprehensive data analysis, encourage each and every one of our students toward higher achievement. In short, our achievement gap is a matter of grave concern to Palo Alto High School staff, students, and parents. As this WASC’s action plans will show, our work is far from over. We are fully committed to extending our efforts systematically over the next six years, and as long as it will take to ensure that every student can succeed here.


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Goal 3: Our school community will work collaboratively to reduce student stress through balance of academic, extracurricular, and leisure activities, for better overall health habits and academic performance.

Visiting Committee Recommendations Recommendation #2: Expand both systemic and individual opportunities to reduce student stress and encourage social and emotional growth. Recommendation #4: Use the teacher collaborative time to clarify grading, pacing, and assessments across the curriculum. Recommendation #5: Design a more comprehensive staff development plan to continue the school’s efforts in creating a more nurturing, supporting environment. Balance While Paly prides itself on being a challenging, academic place, no one in our campus community wants to see students overwhelmed by stress. As 2003 WASC goals noted, this distress is an issue that particularly requires the collaboration of all stakeholders—students, staff, and parents. We fervently believe that when students are strained and anxious, their academic performance plunges and their social-emotional health suffers. In response to our WASC goals as well as local, state and national trends (the book Stressed Out Students was written by a local Stanford professor), Paly has taken a two-pronged approach to understanding and alleviating the issues associated with student stress, both academic and social emotional factors. We have focused on strategies and interventions that address student stress related to personal choices or social-emotional health as well as academic challenges. In this regard, the school has focused on curricular and instructional issues that may be contributors to stress. As upcoming action plans will show, it is our belief that course alignment, horizontally and vertically, plays a key role in reducing student stress. Individual teachers are seeking alignment, making curricular decisions, within their classrooms by asking, ― Does this particular assessment speak to the material students have studied in my classroom this last week?‖ Departments plan to come together to better understand linkages and alignments between state standards and state assessments. All students do better, emotionally and academically, when they understand completely understand the definition and boundaries of what they must know and be able to do, leading to fuller comprehension of how one level of knowledge leads to another, from one semester to the next. Social-emotional health, the first aspect of the school’s response, was initially spearheaded by the Balance Task Force, which provided recommendations based on


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annual surveys conducted on social norms and student stress. A part of this work was a social norming campaign to facilitate student awareness of healthy lifestyle choices. In 2005 – 2006, the Balance Task Force was absorbed into the Stressed-Out Students (SOS) Committee. Over the last several years, the SOS Committee has continued to provide guidance and direction for the school’s response to dealing with student stress and our efforts to promote social-emotional health. The committee has focused on research relating to stress and sleep among teenagers and provides an annual analysis to Ed Council and the faculty in these areas. Finally, students and staff alike have participated in annual expeditions to Camp Everytown (formerly Camp Anytown). PTSA contributes scholarships to make this opportunity available to any student who chooses to participate. Academic Demands and Social Emotional Health The fragmented academic demands, the second aspect of the school’s response to concerns about student stress, were originally addressed by the Academic Task Force. This group investigated strategies to clarify academic expectations for students and to assist students with time management related to class work. Recommendations from the Academic Task Force have been presented to the Ed Council for discussion and implementation. Over the last several years, the Ed Council has taken on the work of the Academic Task Force. As a result of the phenomenal and instructive initial work of both the SOS Committee and the Academic Task Force, several initiatives have taken place at Paly over the last three years. The Teacher Advisor Program has incorporated stress awareness into its curriculum and the teacher advisors work closely with both students and their parents to monitor both the academic and co-curricular workloads of students. In addition to the Teacher Advisory Program’s work, the guidance counselors at Paly provide mental health support services for students and work closely with Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS), which provides on-site mental health services for students at Paly.

Complementing the school’s work with parents, the PTSA has organized parent groups to discuss issues that are specific to a particular grade level. For example, during their monthly meetings, the 9th grade parent network group may discuss the transition to high school; the 10th grade parents may discuss driving and dating; the junior parents discuss the academic work load, and the senior parents focus on sharing information on the college applications process. Likewise, the PTSA has designed and conducted parent programs that address the social emotional health of students. These programs have included workshops on stress, presentations by sleep experts, and expert panels on mental health issues.


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Clarification of Academic Expectations and Assessments Under the direction of the Ed Council, teachers and departments have worked collaboratively to bring clarity to academic expectations and assessments and increase communication with parents and students in order to reduce the academic stress that students are feeling. Ed Council has implemented the following measures:

Department specific testing days have been formalized by department to ensure that students are not overburdened by assessments on any given day;

Departments have reviewed homework as an instructional tool and developed policies to limit the amount and type of homework assigned over school breaks.

Long-term assignments may not be assigned a due date that immediately follows a school break;

To increase communication regarding academic expectations, teachers use InClass, a web-based communication tool linking students with their teachers.

Teachers post class expectations, assignments, and, in a growing number of cases, grades. As an incentive to use InClass, each teacher has been provided with a lap top computer. Many teachers have found that grade disputes and confusion about assignments have decreased significantly with the use of InClass.

Each department at Paly devotes time throughout the year to discussing and sharing best practices for grading policies, assessments, and homework assignments. Most departments have made progress on the development of common assessments and some departments, such as math and Foreign Language, use common assessments extensively.

In the last year, there has been an increasing emphasis on common assessments and the alignment of course content in order to clarify academic expectations for students and parents.


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HIGHLIGHTS OF PROGRESS MADE BY DEPARTMENT AND CONTENT-CONCENTRATION AREAS ON THE SCHOOLWIDE ACTION PLAN OF THE 2003

WASC SELF-STUDY REPORT Highlights

Over the last six years, each of our academic and student-support departments as well as content-concentration areas have worked mindfully and with great intention in our schoolwide efforts to meet our WASC goals. Please find, by department, both a broad description of our successes and a summary of our future goals, linked to our critical needs, below. Consider reviewing our past annual reports in the appendix for a fuller explanation of our past successes. Looking forward to the work that lays ahead of us, we have developed detailed action plans, again by department, which are also in the appendix. Career Technical Education (CTE) Highlights include:

Robust award-winning robotics program attracting both boys and girls;

Paly courses alignment with online courses;

Hiring a credentialed teacher to teach home economic program, including Cooking and Interior Design.

Upgraded music, arts and video-design spaces, including necessary technology infrastructure

Goals that lay ahead:

1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Alignment with state standards in all classes and the development of

common rubrics and assessments across CTE content areas.

2. Support for all students: a. Expanded use of online courses to connect more students with CTE

curriculum.

3. College readiness and post-secondary planning:

a. Reach out to the surrounding community through the use guest speakers and advisory boards in order to connect students with real-world examples and opportunities;


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b. Develop formal career pathways that clearly demonstrate post-secondary opportunities;

c. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all CTE curricula.

~ Please find a detailed action plan of these goals in the appendix ~ English Department Highlights include:

Adoption of administration CSU EAP assessments annually;

Increasingly common assessments, especially in 9th and 11th grades;

Adoption of new literature to better reflect needs and interests of our students;

Expanded course offerings, such as Facing History and Ourselves in 10th grade to engage our students more fully;

Annual essay-grading calibration in the Fall;

Expanded student media with online presence with the launching of the Voice;

Expanded student media with a high school sports magazine, The Viking. Goals that lay ahead:

1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Generate a comprehensive scope and sequence such that content is

aligned to State standards and each course builds successively upon the next;

b. Develop a grade-level coach model for teacher support.

2. Support for all students: a. Push forward with a decision to formalize and refine scope and sequence

of 9th and 10th grade English courses in order to close the achievement gap.


a. Adjust elective offerings and core literature to better reflect current needs and interests of students;

b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all English curricula.

~ Please find a detailed action plan of these goals in the appendix ~

Guidance Department Highlights include:


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College and Career center staffed by certificated college counselor, formally certificated and experienced classroom teacher;

An increased PPS counselor to student ratio;

Added Focus on Success for students entering 11th and 12 grade;

Expanded hours and staffing of our Academic Resource Center;

Implemented online attendance;

Moving toward online grades;

Increased use of InClass;

Revised course catalogue for readability and clarity;

Established far more effective web communication, particularly for college planning;

Acquired and have begun using Naviance, an internet based tools for post-secondary planning;

Continued bi-yearly student surveys to assess student perception of our ―Progress on School Goals.‖


1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Improve transitions from middle school to high school; b. Adjust Teacher-Advisor curriculum to better reflect the current needs of

students and families.

2. Support for all students: a. Expand Teacher-Advisor curriculum to fully meet the needs of our

students in special education and with disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.


a. Supplement Teacher-Advisor curriculum to better meet the needs of all students, but especially those who are first generation college bound and those whose families attended university before emigrating to the US;

b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Guidance curricula.


History and Social Studies Department Highlights include:


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Introducing new course, AP Economics;

Added Foreign Policy;

Ongoing best practices review of strategies for integration of connectivity to and relevance of curriculum in students’ daily lives;

Brought in alternative assessment methods – Clickers and Scratchers

Increased use of primary documents in accessing and engaging with history in US History course;

Increased project based assessments in freshmen classes. Goals that lay ahead:

1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Develop benchmark assignments and assessments to confirm on-going

alignment among and between courses; b. Develop a consensus regarding the skills needed to successfully manage

these benchmark assignments and assessments.

2. Support for all students: a. Generate an inventory of student skills needed to operate successfully in

history and social studies courses; implement instruction of these student skills.


a. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all History and Social Studies curricula.


Math Department Highlights include:

Opening and staffing of after-school drop in tutorial center;

Introduction of an advanced problem-solving after-school course;

Expanded offerings to help more students attain academic college readiness;

Finished development of common assessments within a department scope and sequence;

Completing new text book adoption Goals that lay ahead:


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1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. With the final adoption of new textbooks, adjust curriculum accordingly

so that more students may successfully enroll and complete four years of math.

2. Support for all students:

a. Secure ongoing funding for expanded math resource center hours and staffing;

b. Offer a full year of math during summer school; c. Collaborate with other districts in offering online courses.


a. Increase access and enrollment numbers in all levels of math classes, especially those for seniors;

b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Math curricula.

~ Please find a detailed action plan of these goals in the appendix ~ Physical Education Department Highlights include:

Expanded after school sports program by bringing on Girls Lacrosse;

Early-stage planning for a possible Intramural program has begun;

Coaches handbook that forms the foundation of our coaches’ training was completed with training scheduled to begin in the fall of 2007;

Increased number of coaches who are also certificated teachers employed on our site.


1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Align and expand curriculum to make four-year physical education

enrollment a robust option for all students.

2. Support for all students: a. Continue to participate fully in the Teacher-Advisor program; b. Investigate other processes and models to promote health and safety of

teachers and students during classes.



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a. Establish personal fitness plans for all Physical Education students to promote lifelong healthy-living lifestyles and patterns;

b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Physical Education curricula.


Science Department Highlights include:

Completion of a successful AP audit;

Transcript analysis to inform course offerings and adjust curriculum;

Added G level courses in Science, including Integrated Science and Foundations – both providing the necessary scaffolding to support more students’ successful enrollment in more rigorous science courses;

Extensive analysis of achievement gap and performance to inform curricular decisions.


1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Finish curricular alignment such that students may successfully enroll in

four years of science; b. Develop and implement common benchmark assignments and

assessments to provide continuous feedback regarding such alignment.


science courses; b. Implement instruction of these student skills.


a. Increase enrollment of students enrolling in at least one AP course; b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Science

curricula.



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Special Education Department Highlights include:

Implementation of the Instructional Supervisor position;

Acquisition of CAHSEE preparation online support – PLATO;

Expanded subject area resource course offerings

Web based IEPs;

Increased parent and general classroom teacher communication;

Calendar adjustments to manage scheduling of meetings more productively, ensuring more successful meeting outcomes.


1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Balance alignment to standards with flexibility to meet special education

students’ needs.

2. Support for all students: a. Early determination of student needs; b. Incorporation of all available technology to meet students’ needs; c. Enhance communication with all stakeholders for the benefit of our

students.

3. College readiness and post-secondary planning: a. Foster smoother transitions to grades 9 and 10; b. Expand understanding of CTE career pathways; c. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Special

Education curricula.

~ Please find a detailed action plan of these goals in the appendix ~ Visual and Performing Arts Department Highlights include:

Expansion of theatre arts course offerings– check stage tech offering

Expanded vocal program

Addition of digital photography

Added sections to ceramics and glass-blowing

Expanded video production


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AP music theory and AP Art History remain vital courses


1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Align curriculum and instruction to meet current best practices.


a. Determine and then remedy obstacles to enrolling in our arts courses in order to increase enrollment of at-risk students.


a. Expand opportunities for students to work with guest artists, clinicians and other art professionals;

b. Expand presentations and linkages within the curriculum on career paths; c. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Visual and

Performing Arts curricula.

~ Please find a detailed action plan of these goals in the appendix ~ World Language Department Highlights include:

Complete successful AP audit;

Designed and implemented alternative delivery of advanced languages;

Added AP Japanese and Chinese;

Added Spanish for Spanish Speakers course consistently;

Implemented a summer immersion program in Mandarin to train teachers and accelerate student learning;

Participated in restructuring Spanish immersion program at District feeder middle school in order to better prepare incoming District freshmen


1. Horizontal and Curricular Alignment: a. Complete current course alignment and introduce new course offerings

within aligned structure.



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a. Complete development of shared understanding and practice of best world language strategies for the benefit of student learning and engagement.


a. Expand opportunities for students to incorporate work with technology in their target language;

b. Expand and implement current curricular offerings designed to foster an understanding of our students’ roles and responsibilities as global citizens;

c. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Visual and Performing Arts curricula.


Final Thoughts on our Progress Over the last six years, all of us, working both as members of various departments as well as members of a broader Paly community, have thoughtfully sought to do the greatest good for each and every one of our students. Our WASC work, while challenging at times, always inspired us, reminding us of our rightful purposes in our daily work with our students in our classrooms, in our art studios, on our playing fields, and on our Quad. In looking back over our efforts to make real progress in closing our achievement gap, in providing genuine and meaningful post-secondary planning, and building sturdy structures that foster students’ social-emotional health, a singular insight comes into view. We have whole-heartedly attempted to meet our students where we find them, moving each and every one of them to a better place than where they began when they entered as young 9th graders. It has truly been to their benefit that we have endeavored to shape a more genuine campus; one that is more welcoming, that is more accepting, and that is more inspiring. We have never wavered from the belief that each and every student is worthy of our attention and expectant hopes for his or her future success. Our critical needs that we wrestled with so vigorously this last year have blossomed into authentically student-centered goals, goals that we keenly anticipate meeting.


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Yelena K class of 2009


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Chapter IV

Focus Group Report


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Introduction At Palo Alto High School, our staff prides itself on its dedication, creativity, and extensive professional training. As previous chapters have described, a majority of our teaching staff holds a master’s degree or above, with additional faculty members holding National Board certification and many other honors. Throughout our work on WASC, our entire staff has reaffirmed how deeply the adults on our campus are committed to a culture of excellence in their own work, both as models to students they teach and as professional leaders in their own right. As our surveys indicate, the vast majority of our teachers experience strong satisfaction in their jobs at Palo Alto High School, and both parents and teachers consider excellent teachers to be a standout feature of the school. In their intense, day to day work, however, both individual staff members, and whole departments, can sometimes find it tricky to stay in touch with colleagues across the campus, especially when it comes to resolving complexities that challenge any educational institution. For Paly’s staff, then, WASC’s Focus Groups have offered a welcome, exciting chance to come together across the whole school to pursue our shared commitment to student success. Meeting steadily over the last full year, our teams have looked at our individual classroom practices, schoolwide programs, district and school performance data, and annual reports to better understand Paly’s many strengths and forthcoming areas for further growth. We have sought to build fuller awareness of what we do well and to develop a comprehensive understanding of how to extend our efforts in the future. Team Structure As directed by the Focus on Learning Process, each focus group included staff representatives from all departments and levels of service in our school. In addition, two parents were assigned to each Focus Group; these parents—ten all told--also met repeatedly as a team with a coach/facilitator, and their group reflected the demographic composition of our student body. Each full Focus Group team was led by two faculty co-facilitators who in turn reported back to the WASC coordinator and Leadership Team. In most cases our team leaders were classroom teachers who chose to take on a more extensive leadership role in our school community during our WASC year. While these team leaders played a key task in each group, we also asked that everyone step up fully to contribute. Decisions Decisions were made by consensus whenever possible—and indeed there were few major disputes in any group. Additionally, various individual members of the group—not necessarily just the leaders—assumed responsibility to write the final report and organize each group’s evidence portfolio. The focus group report reflects the comprehensive and authentic work of our staff this last year.


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Student Voices As visitors will note, we did not appoint specific student representatives to the Focus Teams, because we found it so difficult to narrow numbers while still representing the broad diversity of our student body. Instead, the WASC coordinator and administrators organized an extensive briefing and interview process that shared focus group work and gathered perspectives from over 400 students over the fall semester of 2008. We invited students, at random, to participate in lunchtime ―Pizza with the Principal‖ meetings where we embarked on a facilitated discussion of ―what works well at Paly and what could work better.‖ Additionally, classroom teachers opened up their classrooms to our WASC coordinator for these rich student discussions. Students had the opportunity to voice their thoughts and to hear one another’s ideas and concerns. These conversations are summarized by one of our seniors and can be found in the addendum. Taken all together, we believe that our Focus Group structure has enabled us to do broad, inclusive, and effective work for our school. Highlights of our Team Process As at any busy comprehensive high school, time has been a precious commodity in this team process. For the last year, Palo Alto High School has devoted at least three hour-long faculty meetings per month to its WASC work, as well as four full staff development days (the full schedule of our meeting times is also included in our appendix). At every opportunity, we have worked hard to consider our school’s work deeply and to hear one another’s perspectives fully. Our meetings proceeded with respect and even a sense of fun, whether in the ERC, SSRC, the MRC, Mrs. Paugh’s classroom, or the ―inner sanctum‖ of the History and Social Studies Department. Depending on the season, some athletic coaches needed to leave early occasionally for practice or arrived a bit tardy after morning workout. Additionally the library’s support staffer would stay behind to keep the library open for students, and the front office staff helped to keep the health office open during our collaboration sessions, and as on all high school campuses, the dean of students was paged once in a while. The PTSA fortified us with healthful and wholesome snacks as well as hearty breakfasts and strong coffee as we made our way through the criteria in our respective groups. In short, we maintained an ambitious working schedule that also yielded an important additional result: it enriched our sense of professional community, and in fact made us hungry for even more. Our results Over the last year, each focus group completed three core tasks:


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1. Members engaged in deep, structured conversation about WASC’s criteria for that

group, using a broad range of evidence ranging from classroom instructional documents and observations to the school’s ESLRs, strategic plans, and vision statements.

2. Each group assembled an Evidence Portfolio that included documents from across the school pertaining to each criterion, as well as a special statement from that group’s parents that summarized parent perspective on those issues, as drawn from the parent survey, our special community coffees, and these parents’ own experiences and community connections.

3. Writers from each focus group assembled all these evidence pieces, as well as notes

from eleven months of structured conversation, to create the reports in this section. As this review highlights, our faculty takes real pride in the accomplishments of these focus groups. The essays below speak to a year of findings, and form a comprehensive pathway between our schoolwide goals, which emerged from our work together, and our Action Plans, which explain how we plan to meet our goals. It has been nothing but exciting and, frankly, quite inspiring to see the many ways that colleagues have been enacting Paly’s tradition of excellence; and then to understand how much we can accomplish together as we move forward in the professional learning communities we have established. These interactions are a wellspring of our strength.


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Focus Group A Organization: Vision and Purpose, Governance,

Leadership and Staff, and Resources

Focus Group Leaders:

Liz Brimhall – Science and David Cohen - English

Focus Group Report Writer:

Liz Brimhall – Science


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A1. To what extent does the school have a clearly stated vision or purpose based on its student needs, current educational research and the belief that all students can achieve at high academic levels? Supported by the governing board and the central administration, is the school’s purpose is defined further by expected learning results and the academic standards

Findings Evidence

Vision Paly’s core purpose and mission statements are posted in all of our classrooms and published in our student handbook and school profile, in both hard copy and on our school website. We also devote instructional time to explaining our mission and vision during the beginning of the school year, by implementing a special schedule with an extended fourth period to communicate priorities to our students by reviewing the student handbook. While certainly not the only occasion, this extended period with our students offers us a focused time to review explicitly our expectations for academic achievement as well as character and citizenship. Many teachers report that by annually institutionalizing these conversations with our students, frank and honest dialogue occurs more readily. Some course materials and lesson plans also highlight our school vision. Our group considers Paly’s vision to be strong, but as future sections will indicate, we support schoolwide efforts to make sure that all of our stakeholders fully embrace and enact these principles.

Paly mission Special schedule Student Handbook Staff Handbook Academic Honesty Policy Paly website Student Handout Course Outlines

Findings Evidence

Purpose When taken as a whole, we believe that our school’s main documents and policies are consistent with Paly’s core vision and with our district ESLRs. Our ESLRs, in

Academic Honesty Policy


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turn, do support state standards. For example, we do have consistent policies that demonstrate concern for healthy development and academic success, as shown on the attached documents regarding academic honesty, PSAT school day on-campus offering, calendar and schedule questions, and the use of InClass. Furthermore, we see evidence of organizational structures that support our ESLRs, such as robust departments and district-wide Steering Committees. Finally, we recognize that no policy will be effective without enactment in our classrooms. The Curriculum and Instruction Focus Groups will examine these aspects of our school in greater depth, but as our two sample syllabi indicate, we do see evidence that teachers embrace our schoolwide vision and want to see it enacted; students, in turn, have included it in mission and vision statements for some of our most influential student organizations. To track ongoing progress, the school’s Final Report also compiles evidence each year both to demonstrate compliance and indicate how well we adhere to our purpose and vision; in this way we monitor our close alignment with district goals.

PSAT Calendar InClass Teacher syllabi Annual Report

Findings Evidence

Schoolwide Practices Paly’s Leadership Team, Ed Council, and Site Council oversee activities and projects that are in alignment with school and district vision and goals, implicitly promoting teachers’ adherence to and practice of these objectives. Furthermore teacher evaluations are based on district criteria for professional teaching standards, and include evaluation of teachers’ implementation of ESLRs. We require all new teachers, those who are new to teaching as well as those who are new to our district to participate in BTSA and district-wide programs respectively. Such programs as E=E also support our vision and mission, facilitating our new teachers’ acclimation to our organization’s culture and mores.

Ed Council minutes Department minutes Teacher evaluation PAUSD Teaching Standards BTSA Program outcomes Equity=Excellence materials


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Official school publications like The Paly Reporter and school website Paly.net also indirectly demonstrate Paly’s core vision, values, and purpose. Each publication provides key information to Paly families and fosters a spirit of informed inclusion. Still, despite all these core areas of agreement on Paly mission and vision, we hear from many stakeholders that the school will benefit from even more systematic work to send clear and consistent messages about our core principles and policies. In winter, 2007-2008, for example, Paly reexamined its bell schedule in light of student requests to delay the start of the day until 8:30 AM. The change in schedule would have retained the current modified block arrangement but extended the school day 30 minutes later into the afternoon. Proponents, especially among students, felt that the change would allow more sleep and could reduce student stress. Other supporters were concerned that change would negatively impact student athletes, especially on inter-school athletic teams, as well as drama, and music students involved in afternoon practices or events with other schools, and that overall, the change would not be beneficial. Paly struggled with this decision-making process on its bell schedule, with clearly differing opinions between various groups evident in the final faculty vote. A final decision was made to keep the existing schedule but to revisit the issue at a future date. While the campus has accepted this decision, we feel that it reveals an important issue on our campus: there is a need for a stronger decision-making structure on key issues that affected multiple stakeholders. Further, we have concerns about our students’ physical and emotional safety on our campus and beyond. Last September the school was shaken by an episode of hazing which injured several freshmen and resulted in over a dozen suspensions of seniors. In our surveys, a majority of teachers, students, parents all agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that ―bullying is a

Paly Reporter Paly.net Bell Schedule Final vote results


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problem‖ at our school. Like many high-performing high schools we are keenly aware of the pressures our students are under. Over the last decade we have implemented a number of measures to insure student safety. As a testament to this, in general our survey results have indicated that our stakeholders believe ―Our school provides a safe and orderly environment for learning.‖ Still, even one episode such as last fall’s events, is too much. As part of our efforts to make sure this never happens again, this focus group also believes that the school will benefit from WASC action plans that aim to strengthen alignment and support for all students. Palo Alto High School cherishes its tradition as a caring, compassionate community of lifelong learners, and it is imperative that each and every one of its stakeholders understands what this means.

Strengths:

Vision and Purpose posted publically throughout the campus, including classrooms, the Library, and the Main Tower building

Special schedule to foster student-centered discussion of this vision

Incorporation into course description and classroom lessons

Site Council funding alignment with vision statement

Broad participation in new teacher District sponsored workshops Areas for Growth:

We need a more fully transparent and regularized means of decision-making in which all stakeholders feel heard and included.

We need to find ways to fully realize our Paly vision which communicates our full commitment to respect and emotional safety for every person on our campus, whether student, staff member, or parent.


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A2. To what extent does the governing board (a) have policies and bylaws that are aligned with the school’s purpose and support the achievement of the expected school-wide learning results and academic standards based on data-driven instructional decisions for the school; (b) delegate implementation of these policies to the professional staff; and (c) monitor results regularly and approves the single school-wide action plan and its relationship to the Local Educational Agency (LEA) plan?

Findings Evidence

Alignment

As we have noted in earlier chapters, PAUSD has undergone several highly regarded changes in leadership over the last two years. In addition to bringing in a new superintendent, creating a new assistant superintendent position, and overseeing the retirement of another assistant superintendent, the town of Palo Alto voted in two new Board members in fall 2007. Then, in Spring 2008, the entire district came together, under our new superintendent’s leadership and with pro bono assistance from a renowned consulting firm, to create an all-new Strategic Plan for PAUSD. Not surprisingly, these staffing changes, combined adoption of this new plan, combined with ongoing work to align our work to state standards, ESLRs, and University of California A-G entrance requirements, have helped inspire our staff to make alignment an essential goal at Palo Alto High School. Fortunately, we have several structures in place to oversee this work, and our district’s governing board and central office leaders are committed to helping us achieve our goals. Our school Site Council, Ed Council, as well as our academic, support, and technical departments and support departments, annually discuss and work to implement our school policies based on schoolwide goals. As yearly documents show, our school has examined WASC critical areas of need steadily over the last six years. In the last eighteen months, however, this work has greatly accelerated, as we have extended our reach to include extensive

PAUSD Strategic Plan UC Entrance Requirements Ed Council Retreat Curricular maps


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alignment with state standards and the PAUSD strategic plan. Our group has found that survey results support our schoolwide decision to extend alignment efforts, especially through professional learning communities. 80% of teachers, for example, agreed or strongly agreed that professional learning communities are important.‖ There is widespread community confidence that our new superintendent is a strong leader for this district, and we have every confidence that our work will advance steadily over the next six years. As a final support for our efforts, we are encouraged by the community’s recent decision to pass a building bond measure of $378 million, which will allow us to build facilities that will see our students forward for decades to come. Our past WASC critical areas of need analyzed our preparation of students for post-secondary options, our increase in the achievement of our underrepresented minorities, and the need to foster balance in our students’ academic and emotional lives. In working toward these goals in departments and our classrooms we consistently work on improving subject area knowledge and skills, and increasing student abilities in effective communication through writing, integrating knowledge from different disciplines, critical reading, use of technology, developing strong research skills, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.

Survey results June 2008 Bond

Findings Evidence

Policies In this district, the Board approves policy, but District leaders oversee administrative regulations and procedures. Paly site-specific policies that govern such procedures as attendance, emergency drills, subject laning in English, Math, Science, the bell schedule, AP Testing policies, and the potential alignment of graduation requirements to CSU/UC college entrance requirements have been systematically examined over

Emergency Drill Schedule Bell Schedule AP Testing Calendar


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the past six years to evaluate their effectiveness in addressing our WASC goals to the benefit of our students. Additionally, our institutionalized programs and policies are designed to support the school’s vision and purpose. In particular, our Teacher-Advisor program is one of our strongest mechanisms for connecting and implementing our student-centered policies. Teacher-Advisors, with a caseload of approximately 75 advisees, meet weekly with subset on a regular rotation. Connections between TAs and advisees typically last beyond the high school experience. In addition, we see multiple piece of evidence that our staff continually works to promote inclusive community here. 50% of students participation in after-school athletics or clubs, for example, just one sign of our dynamic, dedicated student body. We also see strong evidence of staff support for the school vision and purpose in many aspects of daily staff work. Our Special Education department, for example, of supports students through close collaboration with regular classroom teachers, allowing those students to be integrated as fully as possible into the regular school day while still meeting their educational needs. In response to concerns about student stress, Paly adopted uniform departmental testing days over a decade ago and this practice is a fundamental part of our schoolwide culture. At that time we also adopted a comprehensive Academic Honesty Policy. These are just a few prominent examples of broad dissemination and practice of the policies flowing from our school’s vision and purpose.

UC A-G Requirements Teacher Advisor Program Athletic Team Rosters Special Education communications Testing calendar Academic Honesty Policy

Strengths:

Annual review and refinement of our goals in our departments

Annual departmental reports

Teacher-Advisor program

Special Education and regular classroom teacher collaboration

Uniform departmental testing days


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Areas for Growth:

We need a more inclusive and clear process for evaluating current policies and implementing change; one that allows faculty and staff to gather together as a whole —this need became clear during the Bell Schedule discussions of last year as explained in detail in criterion A1.


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A3. To what extent, based on student achievement data, does the school leadership and staff make decisions and initiate activities that focus on all students achieving the expected school-wide learning results and academic standards? To what extent does the school leadership and staff annually monitor and refine the single school-wide action plan based on analysis of data to ensure alignment with student needs?

Findings Evidence

Leadership and Staff Use of Student Performance Data At Palo Alto High School, the Site Council oversees annual creation and evaluation of the SPSA, with extensive collaboration with our Administrative Team and Ed Council. The school’s annual Accountability Report Card captures our school’s demographics, as well as important achievement data including CST score results, staffing patterns, and budget allocations. In conjunction with our new Strategic Plan, however, the entire district has gone above and beyond SPSA mandates by taking a newly systematic approach to data over the last two years. (Please see recent SPSA documents and our Accountability Report Card in the Appendix). Additionally, our Ed Council devoted the better part of a spring 2008 retreat to understand more clearly where our students needed more support. Through this critical analysis, for example, Ed Council concluded that if 9th graders do not receive uniquely sufficient individual academic support as freshmen, they are in danger of spending the remaining years of high school in a state of ―make-up to keep-up.‖ This process can involve enrollment in various online courses and the District’s fee-based summer school program as well as the use of private tutors, and our department leaders have begun the process of overhauling 9th grade student support strategies. Another way that data has shifted our school’s decision-making has come in the wake of revelations that a disproportionate number of students of color have not completed A-G requirements by the time they graduated. During our strategic planning process

Cruncher training Accountability Report Card CST Results Ed Council Spring 2008 Retreat Brown Bag lunches


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the District released data that confirmed our anecdotal observations that our students of color often struggle to achieve at Palo Alto High School. Our District found that while 84% of our district’s Asian students and 74% of our white students have met A-G requirements by graduation, the figure drops dramatically for Hispanic students (43%) and African American students (36%). These numbers have galvanized our faculty, and have spurred us to look further, as well, at data on enrollment in individual courses as well as individual case-by-case studies of current students who may not be on track to finish A-G requirements by graduation. In short, our faculty’s concerns about equity, and our commitment to helping all students attain true college readiness, are another powerful example of data driven decision-making in the pursuit of robust student achievement. This why our group has been such a proponent of keeping equity and race obvious in our critical areas of need.

Guidance Dept. procedures E=E materials

Findings Evidence

Focus on All Students Our data systems, such as SASI and Cruncher, allow guidance staff and administrators to access student achievement data, and teachers are provided limited access as well. Our departmental annual plans are part of our annual WASC reports and reflect the efforts and progress resulting from our data analyses. Because of our powerful focus on increasing the achievement of our students who struggle with particular concern for our underrepresented minority students, our Instructional Supervisors and classroom teachers within departments now review selected Cruncher data, including test scores and numbers of students meeting A-G requirements. Based on this data, departments are redoubling their efforts to help all students achieve success in terms of our ESLRs that include subject area knowledge and skills, and increasing student abilities in effective

Cruncher and SASI access Annual Department reports Department meeting minutes


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communication through writing, integrating knowledge from different disciplines, critical reading, use of technology, developing strong research skills, critical thinking, and creative problem solving. Additionally, Guidance counselors generate an At-Risk Database each semester to identify and track students who are struggling to be successful at Paly. Assessment criteria include California Standards Test, English Language proficiency, and CAHSEE results. These measurements, in combination with GPA, attendance, the D/F list during the most recent marking period, SST, SPED or 504 referral processes form the basis of our determination of students who are at-risk. Next, we share this information with Ed Council to inform school-wide decisions. An example of how the database has helped identify support structures needed at the site would be the expansion of operating hours in the Academic Resource Center to include time both before school and after school to support student who arrive at Paly very early in the morning or need to stay late after school to make up a test or receive tutoring services. Especially during this WASC process, our staff has re-affirmed the rich possibilities of our data; we can see many more uses. For that reason we strongly support our all-school goal of robust professional learning communities and enhanced support for each and every student and college readiness – especially for our students of color who have not achieved as highly as we or they and their families would have hoped.

At-risk database ARC hours

Strengths:

Student information systems SASI and Cruncher

Annual department-based reports of both efforts and progress made as a result of data analysis

Ed Council analysis of student performance data

Department analysis of student performance data

Areas for Growth:

Teachers are hungry to work with student performance data with colleagues.


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We need to build a more systemic school-wide practice, of analysis of student performance data to inform ongoing curricular decisions in both the near and far term – inherent in this is full access to student information systems.

We can more extensive use of our school wide data to close the achievement gap on our campus.


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A4. To what extent does a qualified staff facilitate achievement of the academic standards and the expected school-wide learning results through a system of preparation, induction, and ongoing professional development?

Findings Evidence

Preparation and Credentialing Amid statewide shortages of qualified teachers in many areas, PAUSD is fortunate to continue to attract outstanding, well credentialed professionals. In keeping with state regulations, our courses are taught by credentialed qualified teachers working within their certificated content areas. Departmental discussions focus on improving achievement of each and every student by aligning curriculum with content-area standards. Furthermore, working together, teachers are scrutinizing the sequence of their courses. In science, for example, the department recently collaborated to introduce a new course, Freshman Integrated Science, which is UC ―G‖ classified. With such alignment to state standards and UC requirements, fulfillment of our ESLRs naturally follows. We also recognize that quite a few of our students need uniquely individual support. In those situations, we have a number of systems in place to connect with one another in order to leverage our individual efforts more collectively. Through such programs as grade-level ―Brown Bag Lunches,‖ the At-Risk Data Base, Student Study Teams, Resource Teachers in Special Ed we cooperatively link our actions to improving student achievement of our ESLRs. Courses such as AVID and Focus on Success are additional resources in this regard. Additionally, our administrators publish an annual document clearly defining their responsibilities for staff and students. Team building between staff is evident through programs like TEAM and activities such as staff social Events, Camp Everytown and involvement in Spirit Week as well all school rallies and assemblies.

Paly roster of credentialed teachers UC approval of new Freshmen “G” science course Brown Bag lunches schedules and email reminders Student Study Team meeting counts AVID and Focus on Success syllabi TEAM program


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A recent audit of our staff credentials did reveal one significant gap, which PAUSD is in the process of remediating: approximately 30% of Paly’s certificated teachers have not completed CLAD, which is now required for all teachers under state mandate. These teachers are now working with our Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, who is overseeing their supplemental credentialing needs. Our schoolwide survey indicates that among stakeholders, there is general consensus that our staff is well equipped for the job. We are proud of these results, and our PAUSD Strategic Plan gives us added impetus for continuing them. A major Strategic Plan goal is, simply, to ―attract and retain the best teachers.‖ This is one of three core qualities that renowned consultants, McKinsey and Company, have identified in outstanding school districts, and we could not agree more.

District’s CLAD menu

Findings Evidence On-going Professional Development

Our weekly school schedule at Paly includes two embedded collaboration periods each week that is used much of the time for across school collaboration. We have had staff-led staff-development cadres that brought together staff from various departments to work in specific areas of their choice such as National Board Certification, Improving Assessments, Academic Honesty, InClass Technology Use, and Working to improve the Success of Under-Represented Minorities.

Staff Development cadres materials


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Findings Evidence

Credentialed and Highly Qualified

Our courses are taught by credentialed, and highly qualified teachers working within their certificated content areas. Departmental discussions focus on improving achievement of each and every student by aligning curriculum with content-area standards. Furthermore, in their work together, teachers scrutinize the sequence of courses, such as the evaluation of the Science sequence which has to changes such as the introduction of Freshman Integrated Science, a UC ―G‖ classified course. With such alignment to state standards and UC requirements, fulfillment of our ESLRS naturally follows. However, when our students need uniquely individual support, we have a number of systems in place to connect with one another in order to leverage our individual efforts more collectively. Through such programs as grade-level Brown-Bag Lunches, the At-Risk Data Base, Student Study Teams, Resource Teachers in Special Ed we cooperatively link our actions to improving student achievement of our ESLRs. Courses such as AVID and Focus on Success are additional resources in this regard. Additionally, our administrators publish an annual document clearly defining their responsibilities for staff and students. Team building between staff is evident through programs like TEAM and activities such as staff social Events, Camp Everytown and involvement in Spirit Week as well all school rallies and assemblies. While these disparate activities have all brought benefits to the Palo Alto High School community, the WASC process has proven to be an invaluable catalyst for bringing the faculty together to discover the breadth of the core concerns and approaches we share. We have worked hard to approach WASC as a valuable professional development process in itself, and we look forward to using it as a framework over the next six years.

Organizational chart Roster of AVID trained teachers TEAM Calendars Spirit Week Calendars


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Strengths:

Weekly embedded collaboration periods

Teacher led professional development learning cadres and teams

Guidance department sponsored Brown Bag Lunches

Student Study Teams

At-risk data base

Areas for Growth:

There is a need to expand structures supporting teacher collaboration in

planning and assessment.

Many staff thirst for greater opportunities for shadowing, coaching, and

observing each other to improve our practice.


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A5 To what extent are leadership and staff involved in ongoing research or database correlated professional development that focuses on identified student learning needs?

Findings Evidence

Leadership and Staff Departments participate in regular professional development within subject areas. Recent examples include: day-long retreats by both the English and Math departments. Further opportunities for inter-department professional development include our Google Teach-in last fall. Seventy-five teachers met at the Google campus for a seminar in refined search techniques and Google Docs protocols. Student use of Google Docs fosters collaboration between students as well as students and teachers (in fact, we wrote components of this report collaboratively using Google docs). Furthermore, students also receive more immediate feedback on their writing style and technique using Google Docs. Anecdotally, the more public component of Google Docs seems to foster more student engagement with the writing. In addition, there is ongoing professional development across curricular areas for areas such as equity, academic honesty, and assessment. These teacher-led series proved popular during the 2006-2007 school-year. For example, teachers attending the series on plagiarism, ―WHAT Were You Thinking‖ identified a two-prong teacher-driven approach to re-directing students who may struggle with plagiarism: develop differentiated writing prompts and assignments that more closely reflect classroom discussion and learning activities and revisit the academic honesty policy to promote more complete ownership by teachers and students.

Google Training WHAT Were You Thinking materials


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Findings Evidence Student Learning Within curricular areas, teachers regularly meet to ensure that content area knowledge and skills are addressed to match state and national standards and to improve teaching of writing for various disciplines and critical thinking. Last year K-12 PAUSD Physical Education teachers had an opportunity to review, explore, and unpack physical education content standards to better align learning activities and outcomes. Furthermore, the Visual and Performing Arts department, participated in a district sponsored Standards Alignment Curriculum Writing Day; all PAUSD middle school and high school art and music teachers collaborated. Additionally, the District sponsors an Annual Conference Budget that allows staff members to submit conference funding requests for reimbursement each year for professional development activities. For example, in the Math Department, a Stanford professor presented a workshop on Statistics to Paly Math Staff in 2008 and there are Annual Summer Curriculum Development workshops. Additionally, district wide support is available to provide professional development workshops and tutors for K-12 staff to prepare for the CLAD examination to meet state standards. With all of our teachers CLAD certified we will better meet the needs of all of our EL students. The Guidance department developed a curriculum map for the advisory program with the National Standards in School Counseling last semester. This map was then shared with the Teacher Advisors at a professional development retreat in April 2008. For both the TA’s and Guidance staff, this review of Paly’s advisory curriculum alongside the National Standards in School Counseling was a very useful exercise, generating thoughtful questions about how we can make programmatic

PAUSD Summer curricular development program PAUSD Staff Development Day for Physical Education teachers PAUSD Staff Development Day for VPA Teachers PAUSD Budget Conference Math Retreat CLAD Menu Teacher Advisor Retreat


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refinements so that our advisory curriculum is more aligned with the National Standards. The Vice-Principal who leads the Guidance department eagerly anticipates this ongoing development of our unique, student-centered Teacher-Advisory program.

Strengths:

District sponsored Professional Development

Various English and History/Social Studies Teachers have participated in the semester long seminar series, SPICE (Stanford Program for International Cultural Education).

AP trainings, including strategies to make AP curriculum more accessible to more students

Areas for Growth:

We need to institutionalize an annual process for identifying appropriate professional development based on the results of our data analyses.


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A6. To what extent are the human, material, physical, and financial resources sufficient and utilized effectively and appropriately in accordance with the legal intent of the program(s) to support students in accomplishing the academic standards and the expected school-wide learning results?

Findings Evidence Resources As noted above, Paly has a highly qualified staff, and a well-maintained campus. We also have adequate books and technology, and the ability to acquire more when needed. We don’t take any of this for granted. In the profoundly difficult funding environment of California today, we are well aware that districts around us usually can’t make these claims. PAUSD is one of the lucky—and rare—districts in this state that has been able to maintain ―basic aid‖ funding status, and with our tax base remaining steady and even growing in recent years, we have a funding stream that is routinely higher than that of any revenue limit district. We also benefit from having a community that demonstrates its profound commitment to our schools through its annual parcel tax, its recent successful bond measure, through district-wide gifts from our foundation, PiE, and from PTSA, and through individual grants also available through PIE and PTSA and Site Council. Here are just a few examples of special programs that have been made available to students through private grants:

Support for Student Counseling Services

Purchase and Support of Technology Equipment for Teachers and Classrooms

College and Career Center Support

Support for Paly’s Teacher Advisor Program

Parent Education programs

PiE grants June 2008 Bond PTSA Support


109

The Paly Reporter, a monthly newsletter and the Paly Link, a weekly email

Mailing and postage of student publications to every Paly family

Support for Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation review Teacher Grants

Teacher Appreciation Activities

Community Service Support Highlights of recent projects include:

$2500 Viking Grant for ten reference electronic books

$1250 Viking Grant for student art gallery

$1500 Viking Grant for Playaway audio books

$2500 for Discovery Education Streaming video on demand

PTSA grant for graphing calculators for students unable to afford one.

$800 Viking Grant for a document camera in the Math department.

$300 Fast Track Grant to bring a published author into speak with students in ―The Writer’s Craft‖

$300 Fast Track Grant to bring in guest instructors in Dance

$300 Fast Track Grant for sound technology in Dance

PTSA Viking Grants

Findings Evidence Technology and School Supplies Use of technology is one of the ESLRs that is well supported by physical equipment at Paly via departmental computer carts, digital projectors in many classrooms, availability of InClass, and District led technology training. Additionally, chalk, pens, note cards, and glue sticks supplies are readily available as needed. In one recent instance, a set of dictionaries was needed, and they appeared immediately. Our parents

LCD Projector Campaign


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have been known to make quiet but very important contributions to classroom materials. For example, one sophomore parent arrived one afternoon with a class set of side-by-sides of Shakespeare’s Macbeth so that each student would have his or her own copy of these supplemental materials with which to work. Our analysis does show, however, that Paly will benefit from further alignment in the area of technology. The new strategic plan calls for more systemic management of technology resources, including a more regular schedule of technology refreshment. In addition, there has been considerable parent concern about uneven use of InClass, and the possible need for alternative software. This need is addressed in more detail in our action plans.

Anonymous Contributions

Strengths:

Financial means to acquire classroom materials

Financial means to acquire technology

PTSA, Site Council, and Pie grants readily available

Abundant day-to-day classroom consumables including white board markers, paper, pencils, note cards, glue sticks, markers

Printer toner, paper, and multiple copiers readily available

Areas for Growth:

Space is currently at a premium; some classroom space functions below optimum.

Theatre, gymnasium, and field spaces are at or above capacity.

Emotional safety is a concern in the current space for the Guidance department. The office configuration, including the temporary walls and open spaces, raises concerns regarding the best protection for student confidentiality. Reconfiguration must be a priority is the proposed Tower building improvements.

Tracking computer and peripherals repairs, maintaining and upgrading hardware as well as the general planning for the cycling in and out of technology.


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Summary Over ten months of work, we came to realize that this Focus Group’s investigation covered a broad spectrum of topics and issues at Palo Alto High School. With approximately 1,700 students, 150 faculty and staff members, and thousands of parents and community partners, this is truly a complex organization. As our analysis shows, we can be proud of the deep commitment, creativity, and professionalism of our staff; of our extensive resources, many of them due to our truly devoted parents; of our dynamic student body; and of our rich, varied program of coursework, especially in an era of such financial shortage for California public schools. It is in that ―can-do‖ spirit that we also strongly support Paly’s schoolwide WASC goal statement. As we move into an era overseen by our District strategic plan and by steady, firm leadership, we believe that the school will strongly benefit from more horizontal and vertical alignment; from all-school strategies to prepare students fully for college, both academically and emotionally; and from strong coordination of programs for student support. It is clear to us that all of these goals align with both ESLR’s and with our schoolwide mission and vision; what we believe our action plans can accomplish, however, is to gather and focus our strengths as we carry them forward into the next six years. Finally, particularly as we tackle our issues regarding the achievement of students of color, we believe that our two guiding principles—of equity and professional learning communities—will play crucial roles. Paly has maintained a proud tradition of excellence for more than a century. We want to continue and extend that fine record, for every single student, for many years to come.


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Focus Group B Standards-Based Student Learning:

Curriculum


Carolyn Csongradi – Science, Rachel Kellerman-Librarian Kathy Lawrence - Science

Focus Group Report Writers:

Kirk Hinton and Julia Taylor – English


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B1. To what extent do all students participate in a rigorous, relevant, and coherent standards-based curriculum that supports the achievement of the academic standards and the expected school wide learning results?

Findings Evidence Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum The vast majority of students at Palo Alto High School attend college after graduating from high school, with many going directly to a four-year institution. Paly offers courses designed to equip each and every student with the intellectual and social tools that they will need in the future, regardless of what path in life he or she chooses to pursue. To that end, the majority of courses offered are college-prep; we also offer a large number of Advanced Placement classes which further prepare students for life after high school, and especially college, while simultaneously allowing them the opportunity to do college-level work and earn college credit while still in high school. Our students’ success on the AP exams and the substantial percentage of students who take AP courses support the conclusion that this has been largely successful. Courses and textbooks align to the California State Standards, and support student achievement on the STAR tests. Many departments use curricular maps and/or 4-year scope and sequence tools to ensure that all students receive the instruction that they need to be successful. Many departments also use common assessments/rubrics in order to ensure that students are all receiving a high quality education, regardless of which section of a class they happen to be in. In general, departments offer multiple lanes to allow students to work at levels that match their level of interest and skill, thus promoting student success overall. We also offer a wide variety of electives (including, but not limited to, art, broadcasting, music, computer science, interior design, foods, a wide variety of foreign

College Attendance Rates Course catalog Advanced Placement offerings Departments’ Scope and Sequence documents Shared rubrics Shared assessments Elective offerings


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language choices, and journalism) that can serve many different students interests and desires, allowing students to expand their horizons beyond what a normal high school curriculum allows.

Findings Evidence Authentic Learning Within our classes, students complete a variety of assignments that support our school’s ESLRs. In classes as diverse as Art History, English, Science, History, and digital media arts, students in all lanes learn research and communication skills through projects designed to challenge them to engage with the curriculum rather than simply regurgitate information. For example, effective communication and strong research skills, PAUSD ESLRs 2 and 3 respectively, are strongly evident in the work our librarian does in collaboration with teachers.

Project-based assessments in Science, Math, Visual & Performing Arts, English, History/Social Studies World Language, Living Skills and various electives Library web-link

Summary of our Findings: Strengths:

High standards and rigorous curriculum are extensive

Classrooms are generally well resourced

Widespread professional commitment to instructional excellence

Extensive elective offerings over a 7 period day Areas for Growth:

All Paly course offerings should be open to all students.

Paly students will benefit if courses are better aligned to one another horizontally and vertically, and if key academic subjects are more fully aligned to state standards


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B2. To what extent do all students have access to the school’s entire program and assistance with a personal learning plan to prepare them for the pursuit of their academic, personal, and school-to-career goals?

Findings Evidence Alignment Access

All students have access to a wide variety of courses based on ability level, interests, and desired level of involvement. We provide students with the ability to take most core subjects in either a regular and rigorous college-prep lane or a more advanced lane. Movement between the lanes, either up or down, is always possible, depending upon student performance and interest. Our 7-period schedule also allows student access to more of the programs than they might have in a typical 6-period system. We also offer several classes both before and/or after school. In addition, we offer credit for courses taken at local community colleges. We also have a thriving Middle College program in addition to our Opportunity Program for 9th and 10th graders, Independent Study for older students – all of which allow a student to complete his or her education and graduate from a comprehensive high school diploma. We are aware that our ambitious goal of preparing all students for college depends upon full access to appropriate academic guidance. Our Teacher-Advisor program provides the bulk of course planning assistance for our students through the 4-year plans that students develop in partnership with their individual TAs. These plans are designed to help students clarify their goals for the future, and assist them in planning logical ways to meet those goals. We also take pride in our library program, which increases student access by offering whole class and small group lessons and individual tutorials designed to assist students in their research and other academic

Up-laning documents

Middle College

Program

Opportunity Program

Independent Study

Online course offerings

– Java

Bell schedule

Course catalog

Four-year plan

Teacher-Advisor

curriculum

504 documents – initial,

review, and

communication with

classroom teachers and

parents

IEP communications

with classroom teachers

and parents


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needs. With over 17,000 print and electronic resources, including 17 online databases and e-books that can be accessed on demand from remote locations 24/7. Reading selections are differentiated to provide access for students with a wide range of skill levels, including audio book collection Playaway that includes many district core reading titles such as The Great Gatsby and the ABC-CLIO social studies databases that are designed for students to click any unfamiliar term, eliciting a pop-up definition on the screen. Over the course of any month, teachers of more than 40 courses schedule time in the library to take advantage of its resources. Providing seats for over 100 students to study quietly, students may use one of 29 computers to finish papers, conduct research, and check InClass assignments. The library in also open both before and after school and at lunch for students who need to use the resources (such as computer terminals and electronic databases) to which they may not have access at home. Additionally, the Paly library works with the Palo Alto Public Library to encourage students to use its large collection of online resources and books. Partnerships with local bookstores and Silicon Valley Reads provide opportunities for students to meet authors and talk about books. This year’s speakers included Marc Keilburger from Free the Children, Sumul Ali-Karamali, author of The Muslim Next Door, and Brian Copeland, author of Not a Genuine Black Man. The librarian sponsors a student-led book club called Palo Alto Reads (PAR) and The Global Literacy Club, a student service group that collected enough books to build a library in Africa last year.

SST meeting calendar

Library database

collection

Library hours and

offerings

Electronic databases –

Paly.net/library

Library use log / teacher

reservation sheets

Paly collaboration with

City of Palo Alto

libraries

Informal lunchtime

speakers calendar


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Summary of our findings: Strengths:

• Excellent resources for learning, including technology, media, and library services

• Wide variety of offerings in both core classes and electives to meet diverse student interests and skill levels

Areas for Growth:

Regular and periodic refinements of four-year plan with the intention of creating a more ―living‖ or interactive document.


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B3 To what extent, upon completion of the high school program, will students be able to meet all the requirements of graduation?

Findings Evidence

As noted in our data section, 88% of Paly graduates go on to attend college, and our program is extensively geared toward helping them do so. Each student’s progress toward graduation is monitored throughout his or her career at Palo Alto High School. The primary way that students are monitored is through the Teacher Advisor program. These teacher advisors (TAs) monitor students’ course selections and progress toward meeting graduation requirements, as well as advising students about how to remedy any deficiencies that they have. Much of this work is done through the creation and monitoring of students’ 4-year plans, which are completed with the TA’s advice under the oversight of the Assistant Principal for Guidance. In addition to the TA’s themselves, the Guidance department acts as a resource to students and to faculty by providing support to those students who are struggling with academic and non-academic needs. In compliance with federal and state mandates, the school district oversees SSTs (student study teams), the creation and implementation of 504 plans, and the support of the Individual Education Plans (IEPs) created by the Special Education Department. Over the last year, classroom teachers have worked to both confirm and refine curriculum alignment with the California Standards, especially preparing students to take and pass the CAHSEE during the 10th grade year. Such alignment ensures that students will be CSU and UC eligible upon graduation. As noted earlier in this report, our faculty is concerned with our students who have graduated in the last six years with Paly diploma but who remain ineligible to continue to a CSU/UC campus – this is fundamentally an equity issue. For this reason our group strongly

Four-year Plan Teacher-Advisor Curriculum SST Procedures 504 Procedures IEP protocols CAHSEE preparation and support


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supports equity as our guiding principle, our lens through which we address our WASC goals.

Summary of our Findings” Strengths: • Extensive college preparatory curriculum • Strong teacher-advisory system to oversee student 4-year plans Areas for Growth:

• More horizontal and vertical alignment to facilitate clear college pathways for every student. • Expand number of students, especially those of color, completing A-G requirements. • We want to continue extending our efforts so that every Paly grad will be emotionally ―college ready,‖ as defined in action plans.

Conclusion At Palo Alto High School, we are privileged to teach a broad and exciting curriculum, with extensive resources ranging from our seven period day, to our technology offerings, to our highly dedicated staff working both in our classrooms and in special facilities such as our library. We believe that our program is rigorous and relevant; and over the last year, we have also seen its coherence increase, as our faculty members have met in both home and focus groups to analyze issues of alignment. During the WASC process, our faculty worked hard on standards as well as on shared assessments, and on using data from these assessments to drive instruction. Our commitment to these developments is further delineated in both the schoolwide and departmental action plans, and we see clearly how these will continue the advances we have seen in our curriculum at Palo Alto High School.


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Focus Group C Standards-Based Student Learning:

Instruction


Eric Bloom – History/Social Studies

Kay Gibson-Physical Education Michelle Steingart - Science

Focus Group Report Writers:

Eric Bloom and Kathie Laurence – History/Social Studies


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C1. To what extent are all students achieving the academic standards and the expected school wide learning results; are all student involved in challenging learning experiences?

Findings Evidence High rates of achievement Teachers at Palo Alto structure their instruction a variety of ways to enable students to engage fully with the curriculum as well as develop skills that facilitate remarkably high rates of achievement. In Geometry A, teachers regularly meet to align calendars and discuss expectations, with the ultimate goal of reaching consensus on the best approach to benefit each and every student. Teachers create formative group quizzes to practice proofs which build on the skills practiced in homework. While all English courses provide students with exemplars, junior level English students receive ―outstanding examples of reading logs [essays]‖ before creating the first logs. Both English and World Languages students use teacher rubrics for peer assessment and evaluate one another’s’ work before turning it in for format evaluation. Rubrics also are instrumental in informing student what is expected and thus how to self-access in Science lab reports. In our Physical Education department students enrolled in our dance course use self assessment to ensure that not only do students understand what is expected but also to provide avenues to process the specifics of what good dance looks like. Explicit decoding of academic expectations provides students with the clarity to perform to the highest ability. We are practitioners of the pedagogy that when student understand course expectations, students perform at the highest level. Additionally, communicating clearly, reading critically and problem solving efficiently form the foundation of both the challenge and the success of instruction at Palo

Geometry A calendar

Group tests and quizzes

Structured in-class

review days

American Classics

exemplars and rubrics

Writer’s checklist

World Language rubrics

Science rubrics

Physical Education

rubrics

Classroom Presentation

reflections


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Alto. From Alternative Education/Opportunity classrooms to AP Psychology to Theatre, instruction is centered on providing students with the opportunity to examine and discuss one another’s work as a means to integrate learning. For example, students in Humanities H review and reflect on students’ feedback after giving presentations in order to fully understand the components of their learning and make improvements in future efforts. Their written response reveals the integration and depth of this learning. When teachers foster critical thinking, creating space in their daily classroom work for this fundamental learning activity, students have the opportunity to display that knowledge, is not only a core purpose of our school, but a practice we fully embrace. For example, Paly’s nationally recognized journalism program is a cross-curricular application of knowledge, language use, and technology. As a fundamental component of the program, student-journalists regularly publish and post their work; this public display, in the newspaper, magazines, and website involves students in very challenging work. Additionally, freshman History students build the skill of creating a research paper through a progression of skills and increasingly higher levels of thinking—starting with simple summary to creation of historically accurate fiction. Working together with the librarian, students learn to navigate and productively use all aspects of research material, from print to electronic database search engines such as J-STOR, the OED, and individually designed specialized Google scholar searches. The library plays a significant role in introducing student to the tools of research and how to evaluate their findings. Finally, an excellent example of student involvement in challenging learning activities occurs in our Theatre Three and Theatre Four classes. In order to learn on-stage dialogue, students practice speaking to one another. By discerning the benefits in cooperative dialogue in a theatrical setting students can extrapolate to their own

Humanities

Presentation

Reflections

Google Docs use

Press Conference

project in Beginning

Journalism

NoodleTools use in 9th

grade World History

Library electronic

databases


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lives. As part of the required improvisation work, students learn to ―make the other person‖ look good. This ―other-focused‖ orientation causes each individual to see that his or her ―project’s‖ success depends on the ability to uncover and bolster the strengths of the other student with whom he or she is working.

Improv exercise “Yes,

and….”


Explicit, rubric based assignment expectations

Exemplars of student work to guide student effort

Reflective practices

Opportunities to reflect on effort folded into assignment evaluation

Frequent and consistent collaboration between teachers and librarian Areas for Growth:

All departments have students participate in research activities and students would benefit from a school wide approach that is coordinated and supported.

Using the research technology is a skill that is not content specific and lends itself easily to a coordinated school wide approach.

Schoolwide practices that allow the staff to continue and extend the planning collaboration and shared assessment practices that have been so successful in many departments.


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C2. To what extent do all teachers use a variety of strategies and resources, including technology and experiences beyond the textbook and the classroom that actively engage students, emphasize higher order thinking skills, and help them succeed at high levels?

Findings Evidence Strategies and Resources While homework checks and reading quizzes remain the daily fare of how teachers solicit and assess student learning, a number of departments utilize a variety of strategies and innovative approaches. Indeed a few departments have reached out to RF clickers and Scratchers (immediate feedback test forms) to both invigorate their practice and more importantly, to give each and every student immediate evaluation of his or her progress. Using complex and relevant scenarios that do not have a single answer, challenge a student to examine the problem differently. In senior economics students participated in the Urban Land Institutes, an Urban Plan activity. During a three-week simulation, students are challenged to redesign a blighted area in a fictitious city. The project requires that the student work in interdependent development teams to understand and solve the complex problem of urban blight. Working professionals come onto campus to act as judges for these projects; after student presentations many planners have left saying how ―delighted [they] that students are fully engaged with a real-life exercise and how well students grasp the fundamental complexities of urban land planning.‖ In the final assignment in our Humanities course, taught in the English department, students collaborate as teams of three or four first to develop the criteria to nominate a modern day humanist to a ―Humanist Senate,‖ and then to apply that criteria to any number of modern figures in order to recommend two or three quintessential ―Modern Humanists.‖

RF Clickers

Scratchers

Urban Land Project

Humanist Senate


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Findings Evidence Higher Order Thinking The higher order thinking required here promotes active engagement and content mastery for students. Additionally, students in Shakespeare/Chaucer answer the question, ―Is Shakespeare Really Relevant?‖ Working together, students are free to answer the query in the medium of their choice. Recently students responded with a social network built on Facebook detailing Shakespeare’s Kings, connections between these men, and their modern day counterparts. Facebook’s multi-dimensionality readily lent itself to historical linkages with current events, providing students with the evidence that the Bard really is ―one for the ages.‖ Furthermore, in Physics A, the solar house project asks students to create a model home with actual photovoltaic panels, working switches, and interior lighting. In this students experience the ―real‖ world of Physics, one that is tangible, tactile in nature, and well beyond the confines of the textbook. What’s more, high student achievement requires coordination among the academic disciplines. In a number of instances, teachers observe real student learning as a result of these resource-rich assignments that include the Urban Plan, The Columbian Exchange, AP History Oral Presentations, US Foreign Policy County Profiles and Updates as well as the Humanist senate. Finally, in ninth grade, our classes build critical thinking in a broad variety of formats. In English, for example, students demonstrate their understanding of poetry by creating and presenting original poetry. While an open and personal assignment the students must demonstrate seven different styles in a set of 12 poems and perform these poems in class. Creating opportunities to ―solve problems‖ with more

Shakespeare’s

Relevance project

Physics – Solar House

Rube Goldberg Project

AP US History oral

presentations

US History original

documents project

Junior Achievement

Titan Business

simulation

9th grade poetry packets

Visiting Poet

Creative Script

Performance


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than one correct answer pushes students to deconstruct the assignment—causing all students to build meaning and understanding themselves and then exhibit that understanding in classroom presentations. For example, The Creative Script & Performance project epitomizes the integration of this idea. Students show their understanding of a piece of literature by creating a new scene and performing it on video or in class. It is the process of developing the final product that creates authentic learning; providing both the student and the teacher with an opportunity to uniquely assess student work. Teachers can also give feedback to students on their understanding of the material. While the final performance or presentation serves as a summative evaluation giving clear indicators of student ability to use analysis and higher order thinking skills, the learning objectives have already happened, with extensive formative evaluation, as students have worked toward the final ―performance.‖


Great variety in assessments

Multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate mastery of material Areas for Growth:

We see the opportunity to moved toward more fully articulated and shared assessments

Embedded collaborative time is essential in this pursuit

Conclusion On any given day, a visitor to Paly’s campus can see an impressive array of instructional methods. While our teachers do include direct instruction in their pedagogy, we also see extensive evidence of other cutting-edge, creative methods of engaging and challenging students. As we have discussed in this section, Paly students don’t just learn how to take tests. They build robots, produce award-winning journalism, play winning sports, and produce full-scale plays and musical events. These are all great strengths of this high school. We value them, and we want them to continue.


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As we move forward, however, and especially as we welcome new teachers into our ranks, we also hear many requests for more chances to share best practices among courses and between colleagues. For that reason, our group especially endorses the adoption of professional learning communities as a central guiding principle for our WASC plans. We also believe that professional collaboration will be of central importance as we move toward greater alignment between our courses and with state standards, close our achievement gap, and help every single student on our campus gain access to the richness that we know is here.


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Focus Group D Standards-Based Student Learning:

Assessment and Accountability

Focus Group Leader:

Arne Lim - Mathematics


Chris Proctor - English


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D1. To what extent does the school use a professionally acceptable assessment process to collect, disaggregate, analyze and report student performance data to the parents and other shareholders of the community?

Findings Evidence Assessment Data

Letter grades serve as the main indicator of student achievement in academic classes. The school sends home mid-quarter warning notices to students receiving a grade of C- or lower, as well as quarterly grade reports. Palo Alto High School uses InClass, an online database system, to communicate student progress in individual classes. Many teachers use InClass to post student grades, and a growing number post down to the level of individual assignments. Through the teacher advisor system, each student has one faculty member who monitors his or her performance across his or her academic classes and maintains contact between the school and students' families. Additionally, the school relies on annual CSTs, APs, SATs, and ERBs (10th grade) to collect and report information on student performance. These and STAR reports are sent home; as well, these reports are available to Guidance staff and teachers. Many staff will access this student performance data using Cruncher when developing student specific strategies to improve performance. Individual teachers, in preparing for discussions with parents may review student performance data, making various pieces available to parents during their conversation. Because Paly, like most comprehensive public high schools, relies primarily on numerical and letter-grade reporting, we tend to focus much more on reporting product-related achievement, and less on process-related achievement. Consequently, student data related to reading with understanding, critical and creative thinking, and communication through listening,

InClass

Teacher Advisor

program

STAR Reports

ERB results with letters

sent home

Progress Notes

TEAM program


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speaking, and writing is infrequently shared beyond the scope of the individual classroom. Individual teachers use rubrics and explicit learning targets to measure, analyze, and report the development of language skills, but no school-wide system exists for this purpose. STAR test scores are somewhat effective in quantifying student language use, but as noted earlier, such data will have little impact without more explanation of its significance. The Special Education department notably deviates from these generalizations. Our school-wide assessment process periodically collects or reports data on skills such as integrating knowledge across disciplines, research skills, and use of technology. Again, individual teachers have systems in place to collect, disaggregate, analyze and report student data, but such practices do not seem to reach beyond individual classrooms. Palo Alto's nationally-recognized journalism program is an exception; cross-curricular application of knowledge, language use, and technology use are on public display in our newspaper, magazines, and website. These publications broadcast how well out students perform with regards to our expected schoolwide learning results, specifically those relating to effective communication, research skills and the ability to integrate knowledge among disciplines. Our Focus Group conversations, as well as survey data, indicate that with so many tools already in place, our school is ready to take even more steps to refine the school's communication of student performance data with parents. For example, the growing availability of performance data presents us, working together with our PTSA, with an opportunity for parent education, fostering an improved facility for working with educational data. In addition, our PTSA has been consistently supportive of schoolwide work, providing teachers with laptops, for example, to support InClass. Both in Focus Group conversations and in our survey data, our stakeholders have expressed a wish to streamline these programs, and make them even more accessible to both staff and parents.

Mastery scale – 9th and

11th grade English

Student publications

final assessments

Humanities final

assessment

Genetics project


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Findings Evidence

Teacher-Advisors Teacher advisors are in a position to provide feedback on application of learning across individual content areas, but concrete data is usually unavailable. TEAM, a freshman collaborative effort between English, History, Math, and Science, allows some teachers to meet weekly and discuss individual student achievement across content areas. These meetings often result in broadly-informed communication with parents. As it dedicates more resources to teacher collaboration, our school will be able to make the most of data collection of student performance and its subsequent application to student learning. At present, our teachers use data to provide direct curricular feedback in a number of ways. When students receive 2 or more Ds or Fs in any particular marking period, for example, the Guidance Counselor meets with them as a first intervention to discuss strategies for success. If the grade does not improve by the subsequent marking period, the Guidance Counselor will schedule a parent-student progress meeting. In 2007-2008, we held 202 such parent-student progress meetings.

Teacher Advisor program TEAM Program Progress notes – phone calls home and/or SST initiated


Regular reporting of student performance data

Inclusion of such data in IEP and SST reviews Areas for Growth:

Communication of this data in ways that promote our parents’ fuller understanding of their student’s academic performance. Teacher skill-sets and embedded time need in data analysis and subsequent dissemination and application.


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D2. To what extent do teachers employ a variety of assessment strategies to evaluate student learning. To what extent do students and teachers use these findings to modify the teaching/learning process for the enhancement of the educational progress of every student?

Findings Evidence

Strategies

Assessment strategies and the use of assessment data vary across departments. Some departments, such as Mathematics, World Languages, and History, give common assessments and modify curriculum at a department level. Others, as in English, give short reading quizzes to determine which material in the literature needs review, if possible during the next day’s lesson, if not that day. Furthermore, English teachers build their grammar and usage lessons from collective challenges they see after grading class sets of essays. Math teachers use daily homework review for quick assessment of student comprehension. Quizzes are used to assess student understanding during a unit and to help them realize what it is that they still need to improve upon in that particular unit. Students who need help have many after school resources" such as the Math Resource Center, the Academic Resource Center, and peer tutoring. The Mathematics department's strategy of using assessment to identify students who need extra help outside the regular classroom (and for placement into appropriate courses) is one that fully supports student achievement. Other departments, such as English, Science, Art, Physical Education, and Career/Vocational Education, have more variety from one classroom to another, which allows teachers more freedom to modify lessons in immediate response to student assessment data. Generally the English department uses informal formative assessments and relies heavily on performance-based summative assessments such as essays and presentations. However, this year, the junior

Geometry – differentiated instruction Pre-Calc A Real-time grammar instruction Reading comprehension assessment and refinement Advanced Journalism staff evaluation ARC Tutorial referral Cruncher analysis and grade level meetings among Junior English


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level English honors teachers have come together, pooling their observations and culling through Cruncher data in order to develop a cogent and universal response to challenges a large numbers of students appear to be facing in accessing the curriculum. Science teachers use "lab practical tests, self-assessment and journal writing, research projects, individual and group testing, peer grading of written work.‖ Physical Education and Career/Vocational Education focus mainly on performance assessments as do teachers in World Languages and History. These departments rely more on individual teachers to gather and use student assessment data. Teachers report that the difficulty of accessing school-wide and department-wide achievement data hampers the complete evaluation and revision of curriculum. A Special Education teacher, whose job requires a cross-curricular perspective, writes, "We feel we need to set [up] a system of assessing, collecting, disaggregating and analyzing data, set [up] trends from our collection of information to change or add to our curriculum." There is a sense that we have a solid foundation from which to more forward more boldly. Over the last three years, many departments have made significant process in achieving horizontal alignment. In particular, World Languages and Math have set an example for the rest of us.

teachers Spanish 3 visual representation project Original document research US History Social Institutions Project


Many courses and departments employ a wide variety of up-to-date assessment tools and strategies




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Extension of current horizontal alignment strategies with regard to assessment

Communication of this data in ways that promote our parents’ fuller understanding of their student’s academic performance.

Teacher skill-sets and embedded time needed in data analysis and subsequent dissemination and application.


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D3. To what extent does the school, with the support of the district and community, have an assessment and monitoring system to determine student progress toward achievement of the academic standards and the expected school wide learning results?

Findings Evidence Assessment and Monitoring The school, in concert with the District, participates in the following assessments:

9th grade: CSTs, APs

10th grade: CSTs, ERBs, CAHSEE, APs

11th grade: CSTs, PSAT, ACT, SAT, CAHSEE, CSU-EAP, APs

12th grade: ACT, SAT, CAHSEE, APs All Honors lane math students take: AP tests, AHSME – AIME – USAMO series of tests, National Math League contests. (10th – 12th). Additionally, 9th graders participate in Continental Math league contests.

Annual Testing calendar

Findings Evidence Cruncher The district supports and uses a data management system called Cruncher. This web-based tool houses the performance results of the above-mentioned standardized tests and other relevant student data. Our Instructional Supervisors, Administrative Team and the Guidance department have access to this technology. However, training and usage remains limited. In addition to the annual review of AP data by AP teachers, core academic departments perform periodic analysis of standardized test data. In addition, Paly’s Advanced Placement offerings have all successfully satisfied their required College Board audits.

ED Council Spring 2008 Retreat AP audits Math, Social Studies STAR reviews At-risk database review IS grade distribution review


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Additionally, the Guidance department reviews data from six week grading period(s) and attendance data. This data becomes part of the At-Risk data base that we use as an early warning system to help us better serve those of our students who sometimes struggle. Finally, ISs annually review grade distributions among similar courses as well as for individual teachers in their departments.




More extensive communication of this data to inform classroom-level instructional choices

Continued alignment between coursework and standards measured by schoolwide assessments


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D4. To what extent does the assessment of student achievement in relation to the academic standards and the expected school wide learning results drive the school’s program, its regular evaluation and improvement, and the allocation and usage of resources?

Findings Evidence Student Achievement Palo Alto High School prides itself on its high academic standards and high student achievement. Curriculum and instruction has been tailored to maintain these high expectations. Yet, there is recognition that not all student subgroups are performing at this level. The challenge faced by the school is an ongoing topic of discussion. The Admin Team and Ed Council evaluate this issue throughout the course of the year. Subgroup performance, such as EL student data, URM student data and low socioeconomic student data has been shared at various retreats and meetings. Programmatic supports, such as AVID, Focus on Success, and Opportunity are in place to offer assistance to at-risk students. AVID currently enrolls over 40 students on our campus, and follows the nationally-recognized strategy of providing one class per day with a dedicated AVID teacher who oversees learning plans, assists students with the ―unwritten curriculum‖ of school, and supports success in all other core classes. Focus on Success enrolls over 45 students and is designed to promote university eligibility. Finally, Opportunity enrolls 15 students and is designed to give students that ―second chance‖ to finish their education with their cohort. Each of these programs requires a significant allocation of school resources, both in money and in staff time. We believe that all of these are strong options, but especially in recent years, we have recognized the need to examine all data carefully to make decisions about ongoing

Ed Council Spring Retreat Department meetings AVID & Focus on Success Opportunity Guidance Department procedures


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priorities. The staffs in these programs now track the grade point averages of each of their students in their core classes, and the administrative team and site council oversee schoolwide allocation of funds and staffing for them. In making decisions about which students to refer to programs such as these, the school relies on several kinds of data. Through SASI and Cruncher, we assemble numerical facts about absence, grade point averages, and all district-wide, national, and state testing instruments. But we also consider perception data and evidence gathered from strong relationships with teachers and parents to be extremely important as well. Our TA system, starting in students’ ninth grade year and continuing to graduation, flags and talks to struggling students, and helps them arrange what supports they need. The TA may become concerned about a student through grade transcripts, but just as often the insight is sparked by direct contact and conversation, or by a parent call or note of concern. Based on this portfolio of data, the TA may help a parent initiate an SST process, or may make a referral to the guidance department, college and career center, or Adolescent Counseling Services, our on-campus counselors. Finally, further evidence of the use of schoolwide data can be found in our Focus Group Portfolio with documents that show, for example, several retreats to discuss systems, such as when the English department took a full day to discuss and evaluate laning, or the Leadership team went to Stanford to discuss best management practices.

Teacher Advisor practices

Strengths:



Continue to extend Ed Council’s use of all-school assessment data to drive


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decision-making

Expand the use of assessment data to drive guidance decisions such as course and program selection

Conclusion Assessment is one of the focus areas that has changed the most, it seems, over the last decade. With the advent of state standards, CST scoring systems and the whole national accountability movement, our staff now works more than ever with a wealth of numerical and statistical data. As our report shows, this focus group found many valuable uses of the data on our campus, and recommends that Paly continue and extend its work in this area at all levels of its staff. With the overwhelming majority of our students taking national exams such as the SAT and AP, as well as with new state tests and with programs such as the ERB, we now have unprecedented opportunities to evaluate student learning across the campus and among subgroups. Through local and statewide surveys, such as our social norming project, we can also look at student and community attitudes and opinions as they move through our school and into the world beyond. As we move forward to adopt more and more coherent standardized systems of assessment, however, we also want to call attention to the value of Paly’s enduring tradition of personal connection and individual attention. As noted in our report, Palo Alto High School has an extensive system in place to encourage students to connect with adults, whether through our TA program, our extracurricular clubs and activities, or our many specialized elective programs. These staff members, in turn, look out for student needs on an ongoing, daily and weekly basis. Staff anecdotal data provides a powerful complement to all-school statistics, often helping us point the way to the best pathways to address issues. As noted earlier in this report, for example, we are fully aware of the gravity of our statistics regarding our achievement gap. But in seeking to address them, one of our most valuable tools has been open discussion. Through conversation with students from our VTP program, for example, we learned that transportation and parking problems were causing lateness, which in turn was causing problems for these students in first period classes. Armed with that information, our administration has been able to change parking fee structures for these students, while discussions continue regarding afterschool transportation — just one example of the uses of perception data in conjunction with newer statistical approaches. As we blend the two approaches, we have found the WASC process has been a valuable catalyst for our work. Our group assembled a diverse group of teachers, but we enjoyed fundamental agreement about our core values for students. Over the next six years, we expect that assessment will continue to hold a central place in Palo Alto High School culture, and we see it impacting all areas of our action plans in constructive ways.


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Focus Group E Support for Students:

Personal and Academic Growth


Kaye Paugh – English

Debbie Whitson – History/Social Studies


Debbie Whitson – History/Social Studies


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E1. To what extent does the school leadership employ a wide range of strategies to encourage parental and community involvement, especially with the teaching/learning process?

Findings Evidence A Wide Range of Strategies At Paly we recognize that a strong working relationship with parents is the wellspring of student achievement. Students are best supported, both academically and emotionally, when their teachers and families come together collaboratively on their behalf. A variety of methods are used to inform parents and indirectly encourage parent involvement and support in student study habits. For example, in the classroom, teachers contact parents regarding individual student performance, particularly when that performance slips. Our school fosters the practice of teachers making calls home to address urgent issues. Parents have access to their children’s InClass account as observers. In their weekly meeting, the Administrative team discusses upcoming school-wide events and their impact on campus. The majority of these discussions center on providing the necessary support and supervision to students and staff for the success of these activities. Often, parental and community involvement are a critical component. The School Leadership group, Ed Council, similarly discusses school wide events and disseminates the pertinent information from their meetings to the teachers and staff throughout the school. This coordinated communication greatly strengthens and supports the various strategies used to encourage parental and community involvement.

Weekly Admin Team agendas


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Findings Evidence Classroom Many teachers have established a daily habit of InClass/Blackboard use to post assignments, resources, and reminders. A small portion of teachers are experimenting with posting online grades, either through InClass or WebGrade. Parents have access to their children’s InClass accounts as observers. Particularly for freshmen and sophomore parents, this view into the classroom can boost student achievement by increasing the number of adults involved in a younger student’s course work. Additionally, teachers formally report grades at the nine-week mark and these progress reports are sent home to inform parents of student performance that is at or below a C. Of course, teachers may choose to send hand-written progress notes at any time. Furthermore, Teacher-Advisors make additional phone calls home upon reviewing advisees’ progress notes. Next, a Teacher-Advisor may initiate follow-up, or a Guidance counselor review will trigger an SST if a student earns more than a total of three Ds and/or Fs during a progress period. More informally, many teachers regularly and periodically distribute hard copies of a student’s grade to date, requesting a parent signature by week’s end.

InClass Progress Notes Teacher Advisor practices SST Protocols Grade print-out distribution

Findings Evidence Schoolwide Paly hosts an annual Back-to-School night to welcome parents to a new school year. Included in this evening is a short advisory period for freshmen and sophomore parents. Building on this, we also gather together as a community of teachers, students, staff, and parents for a Back-to-School picnic dinner. A Paly alum caters the event for us in the Quad and teachers and administrators

Back to School Night Back to School Picnic


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serve food while various boosters sell Paly spirit gear. Additionally, we schedule various evening meetings throughout the year. Our Choices evening for incoming 8th graders is an important meeting. Helping parents understand the high school their students will be attending is critical to student success. At the forefront of hosting these events and encouraging parental involvement is the Paly Guidance Department. Throughout the year, we host parent education nights that address specific concerns such as course selection, college planning, or educating parents on the various on-campus resources that are available. The Guidance Department often works in conjunction with the Guidance Department at Gunn in terms of offering evening presentations with specific post-secondary planning topics in mind. These presentations are heavily attended by parents and are open to all community members. College pathways, summer opportunities, specialty schools, gap year programs, financial aid and scholarship programs, and college essay writing workshops highlight some of the successful joint partnerships between both schools’ Guidance staff. Similarly, the Guidance Department at Paly has also partnered with the PTSA in hosting panel discussions on topics such as academic tutoring and college readiness. Many times the Guidance staff is invited to participate and speak at the PTSA parent networks on any number of social and emotional developmental challenges that adolescents face, in addition to those that are more academic in nature. Furthermore, a half-dozen meetings are held throughout the year to discuss college preparation and the application process. These meetings are planned by Guidance and conducted by both Guidance staff and Teacher-Advisors. Junior Night, held in March, is especially important to support parents in working with their students in completing graduation requirements and developing the best plans for post-secondary education.

Choices Evening Guidance calendar of parent outreach meetings PTSA partnership Junior Night


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Findings Evidence Community Partnerships The Guidance Department has also formed a partnership with the Foundation for College Education (FCE), a community based non-profit group, founded in order to support our underrepresented minority students to achieve their goals of a college education. FCE offers a series of monthly meetings for program-students and their families that begin early in the 9th grade year. FCE counselors, working with Paly Guidance and Teacher-Advisors, assist students in developing ―the list‖ of colleges, writing college essays, completing applications, and building a financial plan that ensures success. Just as important, we also host meetings for parents of our Voluntary Transfer Program students, one in the fall and one in the spring. Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to attend these get-togethers where a meal is served and child care provided along with a short educational presentation that emphasizes college planning and support services at Paly. We strive to make connections with our voluntary transfer students’ families. Finally, our principal meets on occasion with each of our PTSA sponsored grade-level parent networks and the broader Students of Color Parents Network, generally in private homes for a ―coffee,‖ a Palo Alto custom. During these informal coffees parents can bring their suggestions and concerns forward in a small setting. For Freshmen Parent Network the discussion frequently centers on the transition to high school; the Sophomore Parent Network focuses on driving and dating, while the Senior Parent Network will spotlight the adjustment to college.

FCE partnership VTP Outreach meeting calendars Parent Network coffees


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Findings Evidence Parent and Community Member Involvement Joining us on the campus, community members and parents are involved in the classroom as evident in the use of community members in the classroom as guest speakers. Career Day always brings in a huge number of community members to share their professional lives with students. Speakers hail from all walks of life:

Children’s book author

City Planner

Firefighter

FBI agent

Sports photojournalist

Working artist – oil and acrylic

Sculptor

Business Executive.

Small business owner

Caterer

Researcher

Publisher

College Professor As well, our student-journalist frequently seek community members’ perspectives in their news stories. Over the years, our student-journalists, in working with members of the community, acquired press passes to watch the 2008 Olympic torch run through San Francisco, among other opportunities.

Career Day – PTSA and Guidance partnership BASOC

Findings Evidence Schoolwide Events To assist with school-wide events, Paly staffs a paid volunteer coordinator position to help coordinate parent involvement on our campus. The PTSA harnesses this enthusiastic backing to engage our parent community in school social events and celebrations that are part of

PTSA Work Day


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establishing a rich environment for the learning process. ―Stuffing the packet‖ for the back-to-school mailing is one of our most enjoyable and fun-filled rituals at Paly. Manned by parent and student volunteers, as well as teachers who can spare an hour from their classroom prep, we have a chance to see old-friends, both students and families, reconnecting before a new year begins. Looking down the hall in the Tower Building, all one can see is row upon row tables overburdened with papers and packets. The school secretary can be relied on for good food and strong words of encouragement. Student, teacher, staff, family social opportunities occur throughout the school year. Highlights of these events include the Back to School dinner, Turkey Trot and International Festival. These fun and festive celebrations, where the entire Paly community comes together, further enhances the learning process at our school by establishing stronger connections and building relationships amongst those involved. Other celebrations that showcase the success of our students at Paly and promote the positive relationships amongst parent and community members include the student art shows, year-end school wide and departmental awards ceremonies, athletic team dinners and banquets. The PTSA, in addition to hosting and supporting a rich array of social events and celebrations for the entire school community, recognizes and strongly supports and values the excellence of the Paly staff in a variety of ways. Staff luncheons, the monthly latte cart, and a welcome back to school treat are just some of the ―little things‖ the PTSA sponsors that makes such a big difference to the morale and spirits of the Paly staff. More broadly, the PTSA’s various fundraising and teacher grant opportunities, have provided additional classroom resources for many teachers on campus. These opportunities stimulate teacher creativity and instructional innovation. The generosity of the many parents who volunteer their time or contribute fiscally to the success of the PTSA is greatly appreciated by the Paly staff.

Student Activities Calendar


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Findings Evidence Bringing in Community Within the Guidance Department, Paly’s College and Career Center (CCC), plays an integral role in supporting students. The CCC relies heavily on parent volunteers to assist with the various clerical and logistical operations of running the center effectively. Work in small shifts throughout the week, CCC parent volunteers disseminate information to students, update scholarship opportunities, host college rep visits, organize and coordinate the yearly College Fair co-hosted with Gunn, and provide clerical support for the frequent mailings that take place in the cycle of a school year. By providing this service to the school, the CCC staff, specifically the College and Career Advisors, is able to spend their time in direct contact with students, whether through individual meetings or in small group presentations. Also in the CCC, Paly now staffs a paid community service coordinator who functions as a clearinghouse for community service opportunities that bring benefits to both students and community members. The community service coordinator has relied on a small group of parent volunteers to help coordinate the Presidential Service Awards for students that accumulate over 100 hours of community service experience. Parent volunteers have also been instrumental in helping the Career Advisor plan the Career Day program and Community Service Fairs. Clearly, without such a high level of parental support and commitment, the CCC would not be the valuable asset to our students as it is today. Like the CCC, the Academic Resource Center (ARC), a component of the Paly Guidance Department, also relies heavily on a cadre of parent and community volunteers to better support the learning of our students. These parent volunteers help coordinate tutoring appointments, proctor make-up exams, facilitate study group discussions and serve as content-specific tutors for

CCC Bulletin Board

PTSA Parent meetings

Parent Network

meetings

Guidance calendar

College Fair

Guidance Parent

Meeting Calendar

Foundation for a

College Education

VTP Meeting calendar

Parent Network coffees

Booster meeting

calendars

Career Day

Volunteer Coordinator

PTSA

School Activities

Calendar

Glass Pumpkin


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our school. Over the years, the ARC has become a very popular place for our students. On a typical day, 30 students may be waiting to take a make-up test afterschool. In 2007-2008, there were 6,065 make-up tests administered in the ARC and 2,766 tutoring sessions. With this volume, parent and community support is crucial. We could not run these support programs without this extensive support from our parent community. These strong partnerships between the Paly Guidance department and the parent community further enhance the learning process for all the students at Paly. Outside of the Guidance Department, Paly parents play a crucial role in a number of important decision-making bodies including textbook adoption committees, Site Council, and the Facilities Steering committee. Programs such as co-curricular boosters and our TEAM program are also dependent on parental and community involvement. Our librarian has begun an informal lunchtime Speakers Bureau. Just recently, Sumbul Ali-Karamali, author of The Muslim Next Door, spoke to students and staff over lunch. Last year, authors Greg Mortenson of Three Cups of Tea and Christopher Phillips of Six Questions of Socrates both spoke to students at different points during the school year. At the school wide level, there are many opportunities for parent and community members to be involved on campus through various planning and information meetings that support the learning environment at Paly. Our Paly parents fully embrace and support our work here at school. Paly staffs a paid volunteer coordinator position to help coordinate parent involvement on our campus The PTSA harnesses this enthusiastic backing to engage our parent community in school socials and celebrations that are part of establishing a rich environment for the learning process in the following ways:

Student, teacher, staff, family social opportunities;

International Festival

Student art shows

show/sales

Choir evenings

Departmental awards

Senior Scholarship

Evenings

Athletic Awards and

team dinners

PTSA Viking Grants

Library volunteer aides

ARC parent volunteer

tutors

Latte Cart

WASC support

CCC Parent Volunteer

Brigade

Community Service

Coordinator

ARC parent volunteer

tutors

Site Council

Boosters – Athletic,

Music, and Theatre

Robotics


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Year-end school wide and department awards ceremonies

PTSA sponsored staff luncheons and monthly latte cart

Athletic team dinners and banquets

Attendance at athletic events. In addition, the parent community gathers for planning and information meetings to support the learning environment at Paly. These meetings include:

Textbook committees

Co-curricular boosters

the WASC process

Site Council

Parent nights addressing specific concerns such as course selection, college planning, VTP-specific, PTSA-sponsored education panels

Grade-level parent network morning meetings There are also opportunities for direct contact between students and parents as well as the broader Palo Alto community to enhance the learning process. Paly staffs a paid community service coordinator who functions as a clearinghouse for community service opportunities that bring benefits to both students and community members. Additionally, our students have the opportunity to reach beyond our campus borders through participation in Career Day and the Volunteer Fair.

PTSA Executive Board

Volunteer Fair

Findings Evidence TEAM Parents A significant component of our TEAM program is the use of parent chaperones for school trips and events. Another crucial aspect of parent participation on our

TEAM Program


150

school campus involves parent volunteer staffing at the College and Career Center. The Like the CCC, the Academic Resource Center makes extensive use of parent volunteers. Our librarian has begun an informal lunchtime Speakers Bureau. Just recently, Sumbul Ali-Karamali, author of The Muslim Next Door, spoke to students and staff over lunch. Last year, authors Greg Mortenson of Three Cups of Tea and Christopher Phillips of Six Questions of Socrates both spoke to students at different points during the school year. Paly’s college counselor annually invites retired admissions officers to speak during lunchtime with juniors and seniors about writing the college essays. Some teachers offer students an extra credit point or two to attend this fascinating and insightful conversation about how to compose this uniquely personal statement.

Library lunchtime speakers CCC lunchtime workshops

Findings Evidence Communication Paly has multiple communications available to both parents and the broader community. These communication includes the PTSA managed PalyLink, teacher driven InClass postings, student-journalism publications, Verde, Campanile, Voice, and the Viking that frequently interview parents and other community members. Student-journalists seek financial support from the community as well, selling ad space in all four publications. Paly publications are distributed on campus, at Town and Country, mailed home, and published online. Furthermore, the College and Career Center has introduced Naviance to assist in the post- high school readiness and planning. Teacher-Advisors, students, and parents can communicate quite efficiently through Naviance’s Family Connection feature. While a relatively new tool, many are looking forward to utilizing the software more fully in the coming years,

PTSA PalyLink Paly.net EdConnect Student Publications Naviance


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hopeful that the crushing paper load that has become the college admissions process might be managed less onerously in this new electronic venue.


• Extensive contribution of resources through parents • Strong community partnerships • Processes in place to identify struggling students and intervene • Wide range of communication vehicles

Area for Growth:

• Early, especially in 9th grade, information and intervention strategies to provide maximal support

• Coordination of communication vehicles


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E2. To what extent is the school a) a safe, clean, and orderly place that nurtures learning and b) has a culture that is characterized by trust, professionalism, high expectations for all students, and a focus on continuous school improvement?

Findings Evidence

Palo Alto High School prides itself on offering a safe, clean and orderly campus that supports student learning. While some building facilities are in need of an update, the majority of the campus has undergone recent renovations in the last Building for Excellence bond measure that the local community supported overwhelmingly. Paly custodians and campus supervisors take great pride in a clean and beautiful campus contributing to school pride and a rich learning environment. The school is staffed by three campus supervisors who are diligent in reporting visitors on campus and making sure student safety is of the upmost priority. In addition, the custodial staff at Paly is hard working meticulous to detail. As a result, the campus is always in clean condition, which generates great pride among both the students and staff. The layout of Paly’s open-campus and grouping of department classes provides order and structure for students and visitors alike. Walk into our classrooms where you will find desks in good condition, walls freshly painted, big windows, proper ventilation, and an overall atmosphere conducive to learning. In terms of trust and cleanliness, Paly takes pride in its open campus system trusting student to have prep periods without structure, lunchtime off campus, among other things. There have been many recent improvements to the landscaping around the pool, the front parking lot, and Quad plaza. The changes to the built environment include classroom renovation and a new science building. A new pool was financed through community fundraising. Additionally, recently an anonymous donation made way for an all-weather playing field that supports football, soccer, and lacrosse.

Custodial staffing schedule Classified staffing schedule Community Support Site Council Support Major donor support


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Providing a campus that nurtures learning includes many components. Paly receives District funding for a health technician position with coverage Monday through Friday during school hours. Recently relocating the health office to a more appropriate location in the administrative building has benefitted students and teachers alike. Medical emergency procedures have lately been refined. Additionally, the athletic trainer, a certificated teacher, attends football, basketball and all CCS play-off home and away games. She is constantly on the go, working many long days and weekends, moving between sporting events to provide the suitable support to our student-athletes. During a junior varsity football game this fall, the trainer provided medical assistance to the visiting team as well. To provide for a physically safe campus we practice fire and evacuation procedures as well as ―intruder on campus‖ procedures. Each classroom is equipped a red button system that connects teachers to the main office via intercom for classroom emergencies. Classrooms do not have phones. For this reason, most teachers carry their personal cell phones with them. Additionally, the Paly campus is wireless. Most teachers have been provided with a laptop for their use.

Health Technician Athletic Trainer Emergency procedures review and training materials and schedule

Findings Evidence Professional Culture Palo Alto High School demonstrates its professionalism in a variety of ways. There is a ―can-do spirit‖ that exists among staff, especially when it comes to supporting our students. Teachers are often meeting students during their free time during lunch, preps and after school to help students improve. Teachers participate regularly in staff development programs and diversity training. Staff absenteeism is low. Staff regularly volunteers their own time to chaperone dances, attend athletic events, supervise after school co-curriculars, advise clubs, and

Staff Development calendar


154

coach athletic teams. It is not surprising to see staff in various roles working late into the night or coming in on a weekend to get the job done. Given the academic calendar and grade-posting requirements at the end of a semester, it is quite common to find teachers in their classrooms grading through the weekend. Additionally, this dedication is true in the Guidance department as both the Guidance staff and Teacher Advisors put in tens of hours off the clock during high peak times, such as the college admissions season. This year, in particular, with a 30% increase in the number of applications, TAs and Guidance clerical staff have worked many, many long hours. The interests of our students are always placed first, and as such, Paly has maintained a distinguished professional culture.

College applications trend figures

Findings Evidence High Expectations Paly works towards having high expectations for all. This is evident in the ARC peer tutoring, the library Reading Areas, teachers meeting students during their free time (lunch, preps and after school), TEAM functions. As well, the school established a committee called Stressed Out Students (SOS), in response to the work of Denise Clark Pope, to evaluate and recommend the best methods to help students learn to negotiate the demands of our campus and cultivate a balanced personal life. Pope came to speak to the faculty during the morning session of a Staff Development Day in the 2006/7 school year. On an ongoing basis, the SOS committee interprets and disseminates data from our annual ―social norming‖ survey, which assesses key student social-emotional attitudes and behaviors. Most recently, the Stressed Out Students committee coordinated parent education panel discussions on adolescent sleep deprivation, and

ARC MRC TEAM SOS Committee


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initiated our schoolwide discussion of the bell schedule. Interprets and disseminates social norming data results. And, as part of its ongoing mental health focus, SOS initiated discussions for collaboration with Frederic Luskin, PhD., national expert on the psychology of forgiveness as a tool for letting go of stress and for pursuing healthy life balance.


Extensive parent involvement and support

Highly professional teaching staff

Committed classified staff Areas for Growth:

Support Teacher-Advisor work/life balance during college application seasons causes TAs to stagger under the workload, with the potential for real burnout.


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E3. To what extent do all students receive appropriate support along with an individualized leaning plan to help ensure academic success?

Findings Evidence Appropriate Support Paly teachers and staff are dedicated to promoting the success of each and every student. We make a thorough effort to provide the most appropriate support to each student in a rich learning environment. A sequential series of interventions provides support for each student at Paly. In addition to our individual classroom strategies, these interventions includes creating individualized learning plans which are implemented in the following ways:

On a day-to-day basis, students receive support with peer tutoring in the ARC

For freshmen in TEAM the No Homework Club

Involving ISs in scheduling

Developing four-year plans, holding Brown Bag lunches for teachers and Guidance counselors to identify struggling students

Conducting parent-student conferences

Securing peer tutors through the ARC

Enrolling students in reading classes and AVID or Focus on Success

Reading and reviewing IEPs

Attending 504 meetings In total, these support mechanisms form both an early warning system as well as a safety net to insure that not one of our students will ―slip through a crack.‖

Differentiated instruction Teacher-Advisor program Guidance department procedures


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Findings Evidence

Student Support To ensure all students receive appropriate support at Paly, the school developed a unique three-tiered model for guidance services. The Guidance Team provides academic planning, personal counseling, and post-high school advising for all students. At the center of the department is the Teacher Advisor Program. The main delivery method of guidance services is through regular advisory classes on Wednesday mornings. The Guidance Team providing these services consists of the Teacher Advisors (TAs), the Guidance Counselors, and the College and Career Advisors. There are currently 44 TAs who serve as the primary contact person for students, parents and staff. Each TA conducts weekly advisories by grade level in which they facilitate academic planning and make referrals to additional resources as needed. An advisory curriculum was developed and is continually being reviewed and enhanced based on the changing student needs. It is through the advisory program that students are first introduced to the concept of an individualized four year learning plan. Paly’s Guidance Counselors work with the TAs to identify students requiring extra academic or social emotional support. They also support and consult with teachers and parents as needed. Paly’s 2.6 Counselors are available by drop-in or appointment for any social/emotional or academic need. They collaborate with teachers, parents and students, hold student progress meetings and SST’s for students that are struggling, make referrals to other professionals and services, discuss teacher concerns during Brown Bag Lunches, monitor academic performance including graduation requirements, and consult with students about course selection and scheduling among many other things. With the additional 1802 funding provided

Teacher Advisor Program Brown Bag lunches Guidance Counselors calendars


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by the state, an additional counselor was hired to focus on at-risk students and to provide additional support for the freshman transition. The College and Career Advisors meet with juniors and seniors regarding post-high school planning. The College Advisors provide an additional level of expertise for our students in college counseling and post-secondary options. They encourage career exploration and vocational options, host Career Days, College Fairs, Financial Aid workshops, and College Rep visits, provide a list of volunteer or community service opportunities, develop and disseminate the Viking College and Career Planning Guide in addition to meeting individually with all juniors and seniors throughout the year. The expertise of the College Advisors supports the Teacher Advisors and students in helping develop appropriate individualized learning plans. . Additionally, the College and Career Center provides extensive post-high school planning support that includes a full calendar of visits from college representatives from both public and private university, both domestically and internationally. Students are encouraged to plan and attend these visits according to their individual post-high school plan. Our extensive course catalogue insures that students have access to a variety of classes with through our elective program and seven period school day. Students also have access to more variety through the option of taking off-campus courses. Encouraging planning for the future and providing options to make that future a more tangible option fosters a stronger connection between students and their learning environment. We believe that students who feel connected are ultimately more successful. In addition to Paly’s unique three tiered guidance model, the school offers other opportunities of support for all students. Two non-special education support classes continue to grow at Paly. The first, Focus on Success, aids students to develop study and organizational skills such as note taking, textbook reading, and time management

CCC Annual Calendar Viking Guide College Rep visit calendar GAP year workshop Financial aid workshops Community College workshop AVID Focus on Success


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skills. The second class, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is designed to help bright students with average academic records challenge themselves in a supportive environment in order to prepare to attend a four-year college. This year we have a combination of four sections of these courses to support students. Additionally, the school’s master schedule has been designed to allow students to have access to a variety of classes within the school’s elective program and seven period day. In addition, students have the option of taking up to 40 credits of elective courses off-campus, which further adds to the variety of course offerings at their disposal and allows students greater opportunity to customize their individual learning plan. Beyond the classroom, further support services can be found through the extensive teacher sponsored club program which offers students a myriad of extracurricular offerings at lunch and after school. On a day-to-day basis students receive support in the ARC, which provides free tutoring, make-up testing, computers and homework help. Teachers are available in the Math Resource Center (MRC) during brunch, lunch and after school to provide more extensive individualized help. Finally, the TEAM program offers an afterschool ―no homework club‖ for its freshman students. TEAM teachers are available three afternoons a week to assist with homework challenges, easing the transition to the high school work load and helping each student to reply eagerly to that perennial question parents ask, ―nope, no homework tonight.‖

Master Schedule Bell Schedule ARC MRC


Many strategies in place for serving students in need of help, and for intervening

Strategies address a broad range of issues, both academic and personal


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Strong collaboration with community resources such as ACS, CFE, and parent volunteers

Areas for Growth:

Extend systems for identifying students in need of assistance, and for helping them stay fully connected to the Paly community


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E4. To what extent do all students have access to a system of personal support services, activities and opportunities at the school and within the community?

Findings Evidence Personal support, activities, and opportunities Paly has a great number of avenues for communication between school and families. School to student Communications--In Focus, the daily Bulletin, Student Publications, Posters, the Student Handbook, Paly.net, and the Electronic board at Embarcadero. There are extensive opportunities for the students to participate in activities and as a result, find a place for themselves on the Paly campus. A majority of students participate in a club, a sport, a journalism program, theater, and choir which create a strong sense of belonging and pride in the school. Clubs are inclusive to all students and are promoted in a school wide Club Day. There are non-cut sports each season: cross country, swimming, track. In some cases there are freshman level teams, football and volleyball, to create more opportunities for students to belong to a team. To receive extra support when necessary, Paly offers students ongoing services with TA encouragement of advisees, scholarship forms, Guidance Dept, and a work experience program. Our work experience program is run through the CCC and students greatly benefit from the real-life skills they acquire from negotiating in the workplace to learning about their housing rights. Furthermore, frequently, individual teacher-advisors will add a period of school service to their day, so that an advisee has a chance to connect daily with the TA. Communications are thorough and provide information for students about activities and opportunities. This includes the Student planner sponsored by the PTSA, as well as phone- dialer, EdConnect, and the Daily Bulletin that is posted on Paly.net and reviewed on InFocus, our daily broadcast during 4th period. Our college counselor

Student Planner Daily bulletin Club Roster Student Activities Calendar Athletics Work Experience Program ROP YCS College Counselor


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is always on the look-out, through email, TA meetings, or dialogue with individuals on campus, for students who may qualify for any number of scholarships.

Teacher Advisor Program


Teacher Advisor program

Rich array of student clubs and activities, and extensive financial support

Athletic programs Areas for Growth:

Uniform and coordinated access to all programs – so that any student can find a place to connect with other students and adults on campus; help student decode campus culture.


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Conclusion While academically rigorous, Palo Alto School consistently seeks to be a caring, compassionate place for all students. We have several enviable resources on campus—most notably our community partnerships with agencies such as Adolescent Counseling Services and Foundation for College Education, and our extensive network of parent volunteers—who provide daily assistance that simply would not be possible in many high schools around our state today. Through our TA program, our student activities, our library and media center and our dedicated teaching staff in general, we also offer academic and personal support in a myriad of ways. And yet, in our survey data, student commentary and parent coffees, we still heard reports of some students who stumble on occasion, and, as mentioned elsewhere in this report, we see evidence of this trend in the disproportionate share of students from underrepresented minority groups who are not completing A-G requirements by graduation. Through our guidance work and the SOS committee, we have also been concerned about student work/life balance, situational depression and other mental health issues and drug use. Although our current assessments suggest that these issues are not specific to Paly and are true of teenagers nationwide, we are nonetheless committed to tackling them fully here. As explained in our Focus Group Report, we found extensive evidence of work in progress on our campus. Moving forward, however, we also strongly support the inclusion of ―student support‖ as a major category for our action plans. As in other areas of our school, such as the academic program, we can see that our community will benefit from clear, coordinated focus on student support needs. We understand that to maintain and extend this school’s greatness as a learning community, we must continue to support each students’ balanced, healthy development, every day.


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D R A F T

Brandy Taylor - class of 2009


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D R A F T

Chapter V

Schoolwide Action Plans

Part A


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D R A F T

Introduction Our schoolwide action plans are the result of the thoughtful and introspective work we have undertaken during the last twelve months. The goals we have developed reflect a broad consensus of teachers, students, staff, and parents in our Paly community. In looking ahead, we eagerly anticipate the opportunity to turn our hands to the task of meeting these important goals. Much of our work involves a series of steps that will lead us toward completion. We do not anticipate that this work will reach fruition in the next two or three years. Indeed, our efforts during this horizon involve achieving consensus, developing and then implementing the subsequent plans that will carry us forward. We also recognize that we must further work out the best and most productive ways to support and encourage one another in our efforts to foster the success of each and every student at Paly. The following pages lay out our best intentions at a schoolwide level. The acronym ―SWAT‖ stands for ―schoolwide action team‖ and is intended to be the tool through which we will build our professional learning communities. In the section following our schoolwide plans, department objectives that flow from these schoolwide goals are included. Complete department action plans can be found in the appendix. Equity In this work we have come to understand that to fully address our three critical areas of need that equity, the principle that our practices in both the classroom and throughout the campus are grounded in delivering to each and every student what he or she needs in order to be personally and academically successful, must be our first focus. Moving through the work ahead of us, we intend to keep this principle of equity as our guiding standard. Additionally, a vigorous and responsive professional learning community will power the work we will undertake. We intend to develop the kind of professional learning community that speaks to the best of who we are as teachers and staff members; one that reinforces for each us, individually, all the right reasons that we come to school each day. In such an enduring community, all things are possible, most especially our students’ full academic and personal growth. Professional Learning Communities As a means of addressing our critical areas of need, we intend to develop the skills to identify appropriate data and then reason with that data to make sound decisions regarding refinement of practice, with ownership and daily implementation of differentiation in theory and in practice. We are also determined to develop a working understanding and to fully integrate the keystone skills that students vitally need in order


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D R A F T

to succeed here and in their lives beyond our campus. This key skill set is crucial to our success in enriching the education of our students. Our goals:

1. Horizontal and Vertical Curricular Alignment – the goal that teachers work together in the best interest of each and every student at Paly.

2. Support for all Students – the goal that each and every student is supported in his or her personal and academic work.

3. College Readiness and Post-secondary planning – the goal that we prepare each and every student for college and that each and every student graduates from Paly with a robust and individual plan for his or her education after high school.


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D R A F T

Goal 1: Horizontal and Vertical Alignment

Rationale for area based on self-study findings: At Paly, outstanding teaching has been mentioned again and again in survey and focus group data, and it is borne out in many of our testing results. During curricular mapping in the spring of 2008, however, as well as in targeted discussion, teachers, students, and parents cited a need to complete the process of horizontal and vertical curricular alignment. There is a compelling desire to work collegially to bring even greater depth and additional vitality to the curriculum. Using this action plan, staff Teachers, students, and parents cited horizontal and vertical curricular alignment as a critical academic need during curricular mapping in the spring of 2007, in parent coffees, as well as in our WASC schoolwide surveys. At Paly, there is a compelling desire to work collegially to bring greater depth and additional vitality to the curriculum. Teachers and departments will align curriculum both horizontally and vertically to promote the academic success of each and every student at Paly. This critical area of need addresses the consistency between teachers of similar courses and the logical progression of successive courses within departments. It also addresses the skill sets and habits of mind reach across departments at each grade level. Both academic and support departments are crucial to achieving this alignment; please find specific departments’ tasks in the appendix. Objective 1a - Horizontal Alignment. Building on a powerful tradition of teaching excellence, with many steps to fully coherent curriculum sequences already in place, our staff will complete aligning courses horizontally with content standards and our ESLRs, within and across departments. Working on horizontal alignment first forms the foundation for successive courses to build systematically on prior knowledge in order to enrich our students’ education. Link to one or more ESLRs 2 - 7

Specific steps / tasks Including Professional Development

Responsibility: Lead / Implementers

Resources Timeline Progress metrics and means of reporting

1. Develop timeframe for accomplishing department alignments, course by course, with the goal of full alignment within three years

Instructional Supervisors

Teachers

Collaboration time

Access to research and data

Spring 09 Presentation of timeline for alignment to Ed Council and school community

2. Extend current curricular mapping to refine standards based scope and sequence documents in courses taught, and align topics with appropriate classroom level assessments.

SWAT

Teachers

Embedded collaboration time

Grade level coaches as appropriate

Ongoing

Determined by department


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3. Develop skills to analyze results of standardized tests and incorporate these results to inform standards-based alignment and instructional practices.

SWAT

Teachers



Professional training – data analysis

AP Curriculum

4. Develop schoolwide consensus of best instructional practices which promote differentiation and allow all general education students to complete A-G requirements, at a minimum. Refine and implement these practices as a regular, yearly process.

SWAT

Teachers

AP Curriculum

Ed Council


Best practices visits

District Differentiation training


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D R A F T

Goal 1: Horizontal and Vertical Alignment

Objective 1b – Vertical Alignment: Building on a powerful tradition of teaching excellence, with many steps to fully coherent curriculum sequences already in place, our staff will complete aligning courses vertically with content standards and our ESLRs, within and across departments, as well as with District middle schools. Our successive courses will build systematically on prior knowledge in order to enrich our students’ education. Link to one or more ESLRs 2-7 Specific steps / tasks Including Professional Development



1. Develop timeframe for accomplishing department alignments, course by course, with the goal of full alignment within three years


Teachers

Embedded time

Access to research/data

Spring 2009

Presentation of timeline for alignment to Ed Council and school community

2. Extend current curricular mapping to refine standards based scope and sequence documents in courses taught, and align topics with appropriate classroom level assessments.

SWAT

Teachers


Grade level coaches as appropriate

3. Develop skills to analyze results of standardized tests and incorporate these results to inform standards-based alignment and instructional practices.

SWAT

Teachers



Professional training – data analysis

AP Curriculum

4. Develop schoolwide consensus of best instructional practices which promote differentiation and allow all general education students to complete A-G requirements, at a minimum. Refine and implement these

SWAT

Teachers

AP Curriculum

Ed Council



District Differentiation training


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practices as a regular, yearly process.


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Goal 2: College Readiness and Post-secondary planning Rationale for area based on self-study findings: Whether it’s biology or world literature, true learning never happens just by rote. Especially as students prepare for today’s global economy, they must be able to question, analyze, synthesize, and create meaning in all the disciplines they study. While our curricular alignment goals address our plans for sequencing academic topics, this ―College Readiness‖ action plan weaves in core intellectual competencies, which we believe are a vital component of a student’s preparation for life-long education. Although there are different ways to define academic college readiness, with equity as our guiding principle, we will define it has successful completion of A-G requirements, which are the college courses identified by the CSU/UC. Objective 2a - Academic College Readiness. At Palo Alto High School we want to ensure that every student is successful in the course sequence that makes them college eligible. We will identify the core cognitive strategies that students need in order to be successful in these courses, and embed these strategies in all of our courses.

Link to one or more ESLRs: 2, 5, and 7 Specific steps / tasks Including Professional Development



1. Implement plan to ensure completion of A-G requirements, and aim for four years in core subjects such as English, Math, and Science for all college preparatory students.

SWAT

Teachers

Teacher-Advisors


Access to research and data

Spring 2009

2. Continue to refine college and career planning tools as part of the college readiness and post-secondary planning for all students by developing pyramid of interventions.

Ed Council

Teacher-Advisors


On-going

3. Develop schoolwide consensus about a core list of cognitive strategies, such as analyzing and questioning, that cut across all disciplines and lead to success in college work.

SWAT

Teachers

Teacher-Advisors

Ed Council

Admin Team



Professional training

Fall 2009

4. Implement and monitor cognitive strategies in our courses across campus, so that students steadily

SWAT

Teachers

Teacher-Advisors


Best practices

Fall 2010 and on-going


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develop them as they move from grade to grade.

Ed Council

Admin Team

visits



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Goal 2: College Readiness and Post-secondary planning Rationale for area based on self-study findings: In addition to the academic success that Paly students attain, we believe that student achievement also means success as a fully enfranchised member of our Paly community. As fledging members of a global society, students must possess a fully stocked tool-kit of fundamental skills, that includes exhibiting respectful and ethical personal behavior, navigating classroom logistics, and in every course they take. As our PE department head puts it, these are the skills that allow a student to ―show up, suit up, and run the mile.‖ While we believe that these skills are evident in many places across campus, we want to build on our alignment goals and make our work even more systematic. Academic and support departments both are crucial in fostering this acquisition of core student skills; please find their plans in the appendix. Objective 2b: Character and Citizenship. We will foster the ethical character and good citizenship skills that each and every student needs in order to successfully navigate their interactions with others both during their years here at Paly and after graduation. Link to one or more ESLRs: 2, 5, and 7 Specific steps / tasks Including Professional Development

Responsibility Resources Timeline Progress metrics and mans of reporting

Time Management – teacher / short-term and long-term lesson planning; across departments, review scope and sequence

Classroom teacher Department



Time Management – student: balanced course work, communication with teacher to self-advocate, self-directed, pull language from 2a short and long term time management ABSENTEEISM

Teacher Advisors

Time Management – Schoolwide – how do we provide our staff with the time we need to do our work – TAs, ISs, Administrators

SWAT Admin Team Ed Council Faculty

Character and Citizenship, define within the context of the school community – genuine academic effort and learning/ no soft cheating / no bullying, mutual respect – develop an understanding

SWAT Ed Council Admin Team


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of this.

Informed academic decisions and choices – school/life balance – families and students making informed academic choices/ TA program

Teacher-Advisors


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Goal 3: Support for Each and Every Student Rationale for area based on self-study findings: As our data shows, Paly is a high achieving school by many measures. We also recognize, however, that this is a challenging environment where just about everyone will need support and encouragement at some point. We expect this need to be even greater in the next six years, as the school moves toward fully articulated four year sequences in core subjects, with the goal of helping all college preparatory students reach A-G requirements and beyond, with no achievement gaps among student subgroups. This action plan sets forth strategies of academic support so that all students can succeed and reach their fullest potential. Both academic and support departments are crucial in providing this additional academic support; please find specific department tasks in the appendix. Objective 3a: Academic Support. To promote student success in all four years at Paly, we will refine and expand our current approaches to providing additional academic support for each and every student within the school day and beyond.

Link to one or more ESLRs: 2,5,6, and 7

Specific steps Including Professional Development

Responsibility Lead/Implementers


1. Refine early warning systems: document number of students needing additional support through current mechanisms that include six week progress notes TA review, brown bag lunches, at-risk data base, SSTs; indicate the type of support as well.

Teachers

Instructional Sup.

Ed Council

Admin Team


Teacher access to Cruncher and SASI replacement

Spring 2009

Ed Council

Faculty and staff presentation

2. Develop a pyramid of interventions above to oversee comprehensive schoolwide academic support program, using our tracking system and student achievement data to monitor effectiveness.

• SWAT

Teachers

Ed Council

Facilities Team

Admin Team

Best Practices visits

Embedded collaboration time.

Professional training: data analysis

Budget: secure one time AND on-going funding

School year 2009-2010

Ed Council



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D R A F T

3. Determine support programs beyond the school day, and implement appropriate strategies.

Teachers

Ed Council

Facilities Team

Admin Team



One-time AND on-going funding

Fall 2009

Ed Council


Expand and streamline home-school communication systems such as virtual classroom communication software, website, E-lists, and principal’s message to keep all stakeholders informed and included.

Leadership Team

Teachers

PTSA, Site Council

District tech support

Software budget, one-time/ongoing

Fall 2010


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Goal 3: Support for Each and Every Student Rationale for area based on self-study findings: At Paly, there is robust agreement that in order to access the curriculum completely, students must be healthy both emotionally and physically. They must feel consistently safe as well, not only from physical violence but from threats to fundamental identity and emotional well-being. While we understand that many of these issues will always loom as long as we are working with teenagers in our fast-paced society, we are committed to doing everything we can to continue building a strong and caring community at Paly. Student, parent, and staff discussion as well as surveys and Focus Group evidence work, all point to support for this goal. While Guidance is the lead department in promoting social-emotional health, academic departments are critical in identifying, referring, providing, and implementing appropriate support. Please find specific departments’ tasks in the appendix. Objective 3b: Social and Emotional Health. To protect and further promote the social-emotional safety and health of each and every student. Green Yellow Orange Red – define at-risk behavior.

Link to one or more ESLRs: 3,4, and 7 Specific steps Including Professional Development

Responsibility Resources Timeline Progress metrics and means of reporting

1. Develop consensus definition of what Palo Alto High School means when it seeks ―social and emotional safety‖ on campus, including specific behaviors such as bullying, hazing, drug and alcohol use, violence, and depression/anxiety. Green to Red, we recognize yellow, we recognize the symptom

SWAT

Teachers

Admin Team


Spring 2010

2. Develop schoolwide consensus on these measures, backed by policy, and communicate a pyramid of interventions to all key stakeholders.

Ed Council Time

Access to data

2010

3. Identify types and degrees of prevention and additional interventions, from classroom, site, district and community partners, as needed to protect and promote students’ social emotional safety.

Teachers

Teacher-Advisors

Ed Council

Admin Team




Spring 2011


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4. Ongoing implementation of current strategies and new ones, along with system of ongoing data to monitor success.

Teachers

Teacher-Advisors

Ed Council

Admin Team



Coach model

Spring 2011


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Chapter V

Schoolwide Plan

Part B

Department Objectives


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D R A F T

Career Technical Education (CTE)

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Alignment with state standards in all classes and the development of

common rubrics and assessments across CTE content areas.

2. Support for all students: a. Expanded use of online courses to connect more students with CTE

curriculum.

3. College readiness and post-secondary planning: a. Reach out to the surrounding community through the use guest speakers

and advisory boards in order to connect students with real-world examples and opportunities;

b. Develop formal career pathways that clearly demonstrate post-secondary opportunities;

c. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all CTE curricula.


English Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Generate a comprehensive scope and sequence such that content is aligned

to State standards and each course builds successively upon the next; b. Develop a grade-level coach model for teacher support.


a. Push forward with a decision to formalize and refine scope and sequence of 9th and 10th grade English courses in order to close the achievement gap.


a. Adjust elective offerings and core literature to better reflect current needs and interests of students;

b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all English curricula.



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Guidance Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Improve transitions from middle school to high school; b. Adjust Teacher-Advisor curriculum to better reflect the current needs of

students and families.

2. Support for all students: a. Expand Teacher-Advisor curriculum to fully meet the needs of our students

in special education and with disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

3. College readiness and post-secondary planning: a. Supplement Teacher-Advisor curriculum to better meet the needs of all

students, but especially those who are first generation college bound and those whose families attended university before emigrating to the US;

b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Guidance curricula.


History and Social Studies Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Develop benchmark assignments and assessments to confirm on-going

alignment among and between courses; b. Develop a consensus regarding the skills needed to successfully manage

these benchmark assignments and assessments.


history and social studies courses; implement instruction of these student skills.


a. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all History and Social Studies curricula.



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Math Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. With the final adoption of new textbooks, adjust curriculum accordingly so

that more students may successfully enroll and complete four years of math.

2. Support for all students: a. Secure ongoing funding for expanded math resource center hours and

staffing; b. Offer a full year of math during summer school; c. Collaborate with other districts in offering online courses.


a. Increase access and enrollment numbers in all levels of math classes, especially those for seniors;

b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Math curricula.

~ Please find a detailed action plan of these goals in the appendix ~ Physical Education Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Align and expand curriculum to make four-year physical education

enrollment a robust option for all students.

2. Support for all students: a. Continue to participate fully in the Teacher-Advisor program; b. Investigate other processes and models to promote health and safety of

teachers and students during classes.

3. College readiness and post-secondary planning: a. Establish personal fitness plans for all Physical Education students to

promote lifelong healthy-living lifestyles and patterns; b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Physical

Education curricula.



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D R A F T

Science Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Finish curricular alignment such that students may successfully enroll in

four years of science; b. Develop and implement common benchmark assignments and assessments

to provide continuous feedback regarding such alignment.


science courses; b. Implement instruction of these student skills.


a. Increase enrollment of students enrolling in at least one AP course; b. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Science curricula.


Special Education Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Balance alignment to standards with flexibility to meet special education

students’ needs.

2. Support for all students: a. Early determination of student needs; b. Incorporation of all available technology to meet students’ needs; c. Enhance communication with all stakeholders for the benefit of our students.


a. Foster smoother transitions to grades 9 and 10; b. Expand understanding of CTE career pathways; c. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Special Education

curricula.



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Visual and Performing Arts Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Align curriculum and instruction to meet current best practices.

2. Support for all students: a. Determine and then remedy obstacles to enrolling in our arts courses in

order to increase enrollment of at-risk students.

3. College readiness and post-secondary planning: a. Expand opportunities for students to work with guest artists, clinicians and

other art professionals; b. Expand presentations and linkages within the curriculum on career paths; c. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Visual and


~ Please find a detailed action plan of these goals in the appendix ~ World Language Department

1. Horizontal and vertical curricular alignment: a. Complete current course alignment and introduce new course offerings

within aligned structure.

2. Support for all students: a. Complete development of shared understanding and practice of best world

language strategies for the benefit of student learning and engagement.

3. College readiness and post-secondary planning: a. Expand opportunities for students to incorporate work with technology in

their target language; b. Expand and implement current curricular offerings designed to foster an

understanding of our students’ roles and responsibilities as global citizens; c. Integrate strategies that incorporate habits of mind into all Visual and



Documents

The WASC Self-study 2008-2009