Brockton High School Brockton, Massachusetts City of Champions

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Brockton High SchoolBrockton,
MassachusettsCity of Champions
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Brockton High School

• Who are we?
• What have we done and how have we done it?
• What have we accomplished so far?
• Questions

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Who are we?

• City of Brockton
• Location Southeastern Massachusetts
• Population approximately 95,000
• Median Income 31, 712.
• Unemployment Rate 6.0
• Major Industry Health Services

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Who are we?

• BROCKTON HIGH SCHOOL
• Comprehensive 9 12
• Enrollment over 4,300
• Poverty Level 62
• 30 different languages represented
• 1/3 do not speak English as their primary
  language
• Approximately 11 enrolled in Transitional
  Bilingual Education Program
• Approximately 10 receive Special Education
  Services

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Who are we?

• Brockton High School
• Student Population
• 52.6 Black - includes African-American, Cape
  Verdean, Haitian, Dominican, Jamaican, and others
• 29.8 White
• 14.1 Hispanic
• 2.7 Asian
• .8 American Indian

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What have we done and how have we done it?

• Our Restructuring Goals
• To improve student academic achievement
• Core Academic Learning
• Stretch Learning
• To personalize the educational experience for
  every student
• Student Engagement
• Personal Skill Development

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What have we done and how have we done it?

• Essential Groups
• Restructuring Committee, our think tank
• Administrative Leadership Team

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What have we done and how have we done it?

• Structural Changes
• Changing the schedule
• Changing the curriculum emphasis on English and
  Math
• Changing the ability levels
• Creating a Grade Achievement Policy

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What have we done and how have we done it?

• Changing Attitudes
• Everyone is responsible for every student
• Believing that every student
• CAN and MUST
• Our responsibility to figure out how to help

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What have we done and how have we done it?

• Improving Student
• Academic Achievement
• Analyzing data to target needs
• Identified Core Learning
• Development of Literacy Initiative
• Restructuring Committee identified essential
  literacy skills
• Literacy Charts posted in every classroom

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What have we done and how have we done it? Core
Learning
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What have we done and how have we done it? Core
Learning
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What have we done and how have we done it? Core
Learning
MATH
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What have we done and how have we done it? Core
Learning
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What have we done and how have we done it?

• Our Professional Development Model
• Development of Scripts
• Train the Trainer
• Interdisciplinary and Department Workshops
• Implementation
• Follow-up/ Monitoring

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What have we done and how have we done it?

• Improving Student
• Academic Achievement
• Professional Development Literacy Workshops
• Open Response - Revised with new rubric to
  reflect stretch learning
• Graphing - Revised to reflect stretch learning
• Teaching Multiple Choice Strategies
• Using Visuals to Preview a Chapter

• Previewing the Table of Contents
• Speaking Skills Graded Discussions
• Oral Presentation Rubric
• Vocabulary in Context
• Thinking About Words
• Non-Fiction Reading Strategies
• ELL Training

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Stretch Learning

• Moving to Proficiency
• Challenges
• Initial Challenge Help students to pass
• Now Move students to proficiency

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Stretch Learning

• SAMPLE QUESTIONS 2006 MCAS
• Life of Henry V Act IV, Scene III (ll. 1-80)
• Open Response question
• Explain how the excerpt shows that the king is an
  effective leader. Use relevant and specific
  information from the excerpt to support your
  answer.
• (Question is looking for language and style
  analysis, not simply content).

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Stretch Learning

• SAMPLE QUESTIONS 2006 MCAS
• Excerpt from Don Quixote (pp 58-60)
• Open Response Question
• Explain how the author creates a humorous tone
  in the excerpt. Use relevant and specific
  information from the excerpt to support your
  answer.
• (Question is looking for language analysis, not
  simply content).

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Stretch Learning

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations
• Advanced Placement
• Virtual High School
• A Certification
• Application for International Baccalaureate

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations
• Development of Individual Student Success Plan
  for every student who has not passed MCAS
• MCAS Preparation and Remediation Classes
• Associate Principal, Guidance Counselor and
  Housemaster meet individually with every student
  who has not passed MCAS
• Portfolios for Special Education students
• Portfolios for ELL students

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations
• Struggling Learners Special Education
• Putting Programs in Place
• Inclusion
• Provides specialized instruction as part of an
  inclusive model within regular education classes
• Students access the general education curriculum
• Special Education teachers provide accommodations
  to meet IEP

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations
• Struggling Learners Special Education
• Putting Programs in Place
• Accommodations
• Pre-teaching
• Modeling/show expected outcomes
• Think Alouds
• Assignment calendars
• Pairing visual and auditory
• Teaching directions
• Skeleton Notes
• The least you need to know
• Review Repeat Practice- Teach new skill-
  Practice
• Organizational Strategies
• Using Assistive Technology
• Word Banks to jog memories

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations
• Struggling Learners Special Education
• Putting Programs in Place
• Intervention Strategies
• MCAS Preparation and Remediation Classes
• Portfolios for Special Education students
  designed to demonstrate the students development
  of skills, strategies for test-taking, and
  reflective thinking
• After-school program for Special Education
  Students

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations
• Struggling Learners Special Education
• Putting Programs in Place
• Monitoring
• Students Portfolios
• Faculty Assessment based on rubrics
• Department Heads Collect, assess, and assist
  teacher
• Associate Principal Collect, assess, make
  necessary adjustments

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• House Plan
• School is divided into 4 color coded houses, each
  one includes 9-12
• Student remains in-house for nearly all classes,
  all four years (Scheduling is challenging,
  seniors more likely to travel throughout school
  due to electives)

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• Freshman Academy
• Approx. 100 at-risk Freshmen identified for
  academic deficiencies.
• Blocked together for 3 out of 5 periods to
  include English, Algebra, and return for the last
  period of the day for a tutorial with the same
  teachers/senior mentors.
• Flexible scheduling, teacher teams, seniors as
  tutors/mentors, focus on academic remediation.
• 40 50 in each academy (we have 2)

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• Academic Support Contracts
• Early intervention for 9th graders who are
  failing major subjects and/or having behavioral
  issues
• Student support teams include housemaster,
  assistant housemaster, guidance counselor,
  teacher, parent, student
• Meets with guidance counselor to develop Academic
  Support Contract

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• Stacking and Re-grouping
• Scheduling Plan that places 3 of the same level
  English or Algebra classes during the same period
• End of Semester 1 students are regrouped
• Those at appropriate skill level
• Those needing additional support
• Those who need to restart

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• Five Key Orientation Programs
• Early March High School Expectations
  Choices 8th grade parents
• Spring What to Expect at BHS 8th grade
  students at their Middle Schools
• Summer Welcome to BHS incoming 9th grade
  (voluntary) run by teachers and high school
  students
• Fall The Road to Success - 9th grade in their
  English class, writing assignment follows
• Mid-Year Its Not Too Late all 9th grade
  students, small groups, focus on getting back on
  course, writing assignment follows

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• CREDIT RECOVERY
• Goals
• To help those students who have failed the first
  two terms gain the skills and meet the learning
  standards they did not master the first semester.
• To keep students engaged so that they have a
  chance to pass, or at least attend summer school.
• To address the academic failure and negative
  behaviors that often occur after the ninth grade
  student has failed the firt two terms

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• CREDIT RECOVERY
• Classes conducted six weeks after school
• Two sessions for each subject per week
• Classes are no larger than 12 students
• Curriculum is developed by departments and
  follows identified skills and standards
• Lessons are prepared in advance focus on
  instruction
• Grading pass or fail

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• Peer Advisory
• Students who are trained Peer Mediators work with
  freshmen who are referred to the office for
  disciplinary reasons
• Coordinated at the time of infraction(s) by
  Assistant Housemaster

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• Adult Advisory
• Each house identifies at-risk freshmen
• Teacher advisors provide support and counseling
  during the day and once a week after school
  (Grant funded)

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• Access Center
• Tutorial Center open during the day and after
  school
• Tutorial support provided by teachers and students

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Improving Student Academic Achievement
• Addressing needs of special populations 9TH
  Grade
• Club Boxer
• After School extended day Program focusing on
  academic support (MCAS) and enrichment activities
  ( GOALS Program for Career Planning) for 9th and
  10th grade students
• 1- 5 teacher to student ratio (Grant Funded)

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personalization and Personal Skill Development

• Project Diploma
• Road Map

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What have we done and how have we done it?
Personal skill development

• Personalization
• Rewards for good things
• Senior Good Citizenship IDs with privileges
• Honor Roll Assemblies
• Boxer of the Month
• Recognition at School Committee Meetings
• Faculty Recognition

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What have we accomplished so far?
Stretch Learning

• Increased Achievement English Language Arts

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What have we accomplished so far?
Stretch Learning

• Increased Achievement Math

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What have we accomplished so far?
Stretch Learning
BROCKTON HIGH SCHOOL AYP Data 2006
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What have we accomplished so far?
Student Engagement

• GRADUATION RATE
• 2004 2005 2006
• 97 98 98
  
  
  

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What have we accomplished so far?

• JOHN ABIGAIL ADAMS SCHOLARSHIP 2007
• 199 Recipients 22.5
• 45 African American 22.6
• 13 Asian 6.5
• 16 Hispanic 8
• 6 Mixed Race / Non-Hispanic - 3
  
• 2 Native American 1
• 117 White 60
• 58 Reduced Lunch 29
• 18 Free Lunch 9

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What have we accomplished so far?

• External Recognition
• Massachusetts Compass School Designation
• Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
  Schools Making Progress
• International Center for Leadership in Education
  
• Model School 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
• U.S. Department of Education National High School
  Summit
• National School Change Award - 2006

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??????? Questions ???????
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Brockton High School

• Dr. Susan E. Szachowicz, Principal
• Brockton High School
• 470 Forest Avenue
• Brockton, MA 02301
• 508-580-7633
• susanszachowicz_at_brocktonpublicschools.com