AdvancED Documentation of Evidence
Standard 3: Teaching and Assessing for Learning
The school's curriculum, instructional design, and assessment practices guide and ensure teacher effectiveness and student learning.
Reflection
Overall the staff rated this standard at 3.8 (.17 lower than the network average), while students rated it at 3.71 (.05 higher than the network average). An area of strength as noted by the staff survey is indicator 3.5, with 82% of staff agreeing/strongly agreeing that the "school's leaders support an innovative and collaborative culture." Almost three-fourths of the staff agree that "teachers in our school participate in collaborative learning communities that meet both formally and informally across grade levels and content areas." All teachers are part of PLCs (professional learning communities of course-alike teachers) who collaborate to plan units and common assessments and analyze results from common assessments to guide further instruction. PLCs meet, according to the school's meeting matrix, on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month and are required to document their meeting agendas/minutes in Google Drive. To sustain this strength of collaborative and innovative culture, the school's leaders have encouraged teachers to present both individually and collaboratively at local, state, and national conferences, which a number of teachers have done, including at the High Schools That Work national conference. Stall has sent a team to this conference for the last six years to gain information on best, innovative practices of other schools. The school also became a demonstration site for personalized learning through a Race to the Top grant and has had many school teams from inside and outside of the district and even the state to observe teachers implementing PL. Last school year, the Flippen Group recognized R. B. Stall as one of 11 high schools nationwide that achieved the status of CKH National Showcase School and has also hosted a number of visitors wanting to see this school culture program in action.
Approximately three-fourths of the staff agree that the school has a "formal process in place to support new staff members in their professional practice" and that "all staff members participate in continuous professional learning based on identified needs of the school." (Indicator 3.7). The New Teacher Support Network meets twice a month (once virtually, once in person) with a veteran teacher who chairs the School Culture and Climate Focus Team to discuss issues and concerns and share potential solutions. Their meeting documentation is maintained in Google Drive. This network has been in place for several years and will be continued. Professional learning delivery has changed over the last few years but has always taken place at least twice a month and has been aligned to major school-wide initiatives (e.g., technology integration, personalized learning, Capturing Kids' Hearts implementation).
One of the weaker areas in this standard has been Indicator 3.8 (The school engages in meaningful ways in their children's education and keeps them informed of their children's learning progress.). Only 56% of staff agree that "all school personnel regularly engage families in their children's learning progress," and only 51% of students agree that the school "offers opportunities for my family to become involved in school activities and my learning," and "all of my teachers keep my family informed of my academic progress." The most well-attended events by parents are the Fall Open House, which is combined with Senior Night, and the two major fine arts performances, the Winter and Spring Concerts, which play to full houses. A number of factors contribute to family involvement issues, including the transient nature of North Charleston. Addresses and phone numbers change constantly for many families without demographic data being updated; therefore, calls home go unanswered and mail gets returned to the school in large numbers. To improve family involvement, the school has hired a bi- lingual parent advocate who can communicate fluently with the growing Hispanic population (27%), as well as two bi-lingual administrators, a guidance clerk, and several teachers. The parent advocate offers an 8-session Parenting Partners program in both English and Spanish that emphasizes positive parenting, communicating with teens, and discipline and leads to the awarding of a certificate; however, only a handful of parents have taken advantage of this. To improve parent attendance at regular PTA and other parent meetings, the school has budgeted for food and always involves some sort of student performance. The school is exploring the use of an app that will allow full two- way communication between home and school, including text alerts for upcoming events or issues involving individual students. A volunteer program has recently been developed that will allow parents to participate more fully in the life of the school. Currently, parents are encouraged to sign up for Parent Portal in PowerSchool, which allows them to see their children's assignments and grades; to date, 105
parents/guardians have taken advantage of Parent Portal through their own access (though more access it through their children's accounts).
Another area indicating relative weakness is Indicator 3.12 (The school provides and coordinates learning support services to meet the unique needs of students.). Although 79% of staff believe "related learning support services are provided for all students based on their needs," only 59% agree that "all staff members use student data to address the unique learning needs of all students," corroborated by only 45% of students agreeing that "all of my teachers change their teaching to meet my learning needs," (contrasted by over two-thirds agreeing that "in my school, programs and services are available to help me succeed." To counteract this perception, Stall continues to pursue personalized learning through professional development. Also, a "Warrior Time" has been instituted, consisting of a 45-minute period following second block (see school schedule) in which students needing extra help with assignments can stay as follows: Monday, 1st block; Tuesday, 2nd block; Wednesday, 3rd block; Thursday, 4th block. Students who are proficient with all assignments are released during this period to go to several designated areas (gym, media center, cafeteria, etc) while those needing extra help go to that class. In addition, every teacher keeps office hours on a designated day each week, staffing the after-school program that runs on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday with dinner and bus transportation provided.
Approximately three-fourths of the staff agree that the school has a "formal process in place to support new staff members in their professional practice" and that "all staff members participate in continuous professional learning based on identified needs of the school." (Indicator 3.7). The New Teacher Support Network meets twice a month (once virtually, once in person) with a veteran teacher who chairs the School Culture and Climate Focus Team to discuss issues and concerns and share potential solutions. Their meeting documentation is maintained in Google Drive. This network has been in place for several years and will be continued. Professional learning delivery has changed over the last few years but has always taken place at least twice a month and has been aligned to major school-wide initiatives (e.g., technology integration, personalized learning, Capturing Kids' Hearts implementation).
One of the weaker areas in this standard has been Indicator 3.8 (The school engages in meaningful ways in their children's education and keeps them informed of their children's learning progress.). Only 56% of staff agree that "all school personnel regularly engage families in their children's learning progress," and only 51% of students agree that the school "offers opportunities for my family to become involved in school activities and my learning," and "all of my teachers keep my family informed of my academic progress." The most well-attended events by parents are the Fall Open House, which is combined with Senior Night, and the two major fine arts performances, the Winter and Spring Concerts, which play to full houses. A number of factors contribute to family involvement issues, including the transient nature of North Charleston. Addresses and phone numbers change constantly for many families without demographic data being updated; therefore, calls home go unanswered and mail gets returned to the school in large numbers. To improve family involvement, the school has hired a bi- lingual parent advocate who can communicate fluently with the growing Hispanic population (27%), as well as two bi-lingual administrators, a guidance clerk, and several teachers. The parent advocate offers an 8-session Parenting Partners program in both English and Spanish that emphasizes positive parenting, communicating with teens, and discipline and leads to the awarding of a certificate; however, only a handful of parents have taken advantage of this. To improve parent attendance at regular PTA and other parent meetings, the school has budgeted for food and always involves some sort of student performance. The school is exploring the use of an app that will allow full two- way communication between home and school, including text alerts for upcoming events or issues involving individual students. A volunteer program has recently been developed that will allow parents to participate more fully in the life of the school. Currently, parents are encouraged to sign up for Parent Portal in PowerSchool, which allows them to see their children's assignments and grades; to date, 105
parents/guardians have taken advantage of Parent Portal through their own access (though more access it through their children's accounts).
Another area indicating relative weakness is Indicator 3.12 (The school provides and coordinates learning support services to meet the unique needs of students.). Although 79% of staff believe "related learning support services are provided for all students based on their needs," only 59% agree that "all staff members use student data to address the unique learning needs of all students," corroborated by only 45% of students agreeing that "all of my teachers change their teaching to meet my learning needs," (contrasted by over two-thirds agreeing that "in my school, programs and services are available to help me succeed." To counteract this perception, Stall continues to pursue personalized learning through professional development. Also, a "Warrior Time" has been instituted, consisting of a 45-minute period following second block (see school schedule) in which students needing extra help with assignments can stay as follows: Monday, 1st block; Tuesday, 2nd block; Wednesday, 3rd block; Thursday, 4th block. Students who are proficient with all assignments are released during this period to go to several designated areas (gym, media center, cafeteria, etc) while those needing extra help go to that class. In addition, every teacher keeps office hours on a designated day each week, staffing the after-school program that runs on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday with dinner and bus transportation provided.
The school's curriculum provides equitable and challenging learning experiences that ensure all students have sufficient opportunities to develop learning, thinking, and life skills that lead to success at the next level.
Curriculum, instruction, and assessment are monitored and adjusted systematically in response to data from multiple assessments of student learning and an examination of professional practice.
Teachers engage students in their learning through instructional strategies that ensure achievement of learning expectations.
School leaders monitor and support the improvement of instructional practices of teachers to ensure student success.
Teachers participate in collaborative learning communities to improve instruction and student learning.
Teachers implement the school's instructional process in support of student learning.
Mentoring, coaching, and induction programs support instructional improvement consistent with the school's values and beliefs about teaching and learning.
The school engages families in meaningful ways in their children's education and keeps them informed of their children's learning progress.
The school has a formal structure whereby each student is well known by at least one adult advocate in the school who supports that student's educational experience.
Grading and reporting are based on clearly defined criteria that represent the attainment of content knowledge and skills and are consistent across grade levels and courses.
All staff members participate in a continuous program of professional learning.
The school provides and coordinates learning support services to meet the unique learning needs of students.