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2003-2004: AYP English Language Arts
2003-2004: AYP Math
2002-2003: AYP English Language Arts
2002-2003: AYP Math
2001-2002: AYP English Language Arts
2001-2002: AYP Math
Mark Keppel High School in California's Alhambra Unified School District has been far exceeding its growth targets set by the California State Department of Education on the Academic Performance Index (API) for the last four years. Disaggregated data shows that every ethnic subgroup at this a large comprehensive high school is surpassing the state’s growth targets. Principal Gary Gonzales makes sure that his staff know their job is to meet the needs of all students. “We are service providers,” he tells staff. We provide a critical service to students, parents, and the community.” Keppel’s focus on consistency, student support, student connectedness, and parent involvement helps the faculty provide this service. This focus, and the school’s data-driven, standards-based approach, has led to Keppel recognition as a Title I Achieving School by the California State Department of Education in both 2004 and 2005. Assessment & Accountability To ensure that all students are meeting standards, the faculty at Keppel High School analyze a variety of data sources including results from: Advanced Placement tests, SAT I and II, the California Standards Test (CST), and the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Administrators and teachers use these results to make sure that students are placed in the proper courses and are receiving interventions, if necessary. Administrators and department chairs also use these results to determine which teachers will teach which courses in the master schedule. The faculty also closely analyze the CAHSEE and CST test blueprints the state releases to make sure that their curriculum, instruction, and assessment are all helping students to meet standards and be proficient on the state tests. The math and English departments have used common course assessments for a number of years, and each course also has the same scope and sequence of curriculum. The science, social studies, and foreign-language departments have more recently begun implementing common assessments and scope and sequence. This consistency enables the administrators and department chairs to ensure that all students have access to standards-based curriculum. Finally, the district requires a matrix be kept for all English Learners indicating which standards he or she has mastered or not. The Progress Profile Portfolio follows students as they move through SEI classes and when they transition into regular English classes. This matrix follows students for their whole school careers and assists teachers in quickly assessing a student’s strengths or areas of need. Standards-based Curriculum & Instruction In addition to making sure that all curriculum, instruction, and assessment at Keppel is aligned to standards and consistent throughout departments, there is a strong commitment to make sure that students not meeting standards get the support they need. There are two reading intervention programs at Keppel, Read 180 and Language!, which are taught in a two period block. Students participate in these two periods of reading along with their regular period of English. These reading courses are in place of electives. Students who score in the bottom quartile on the CST are assigned to these courses. The more advanced students participate in Language! and those with the lowest scores start out in Read 180. Prior to starting, parents and students are contacted to help them understand that these programs are necessary for the students to graduate. Class size in the reading intervention programs is kept to 20, and assessments from these programs are regularly analyzed to make sure students' needs are being met. Keppel also offers an extended algebra course for those students not meeting standards in math. The students come to school early for "zero period,” where their algebra class begins and then continues into first period. Thus, struggling students have twice the amount of time in the math curriculum. These classes are also kept to 20 students. Administrators have found that both programs have helped more students meet standards. English Learners (EL) at Keppel are also closely monitored. Assessment results are analyzed frequently to ensure students are placed in the appropriate level of Sheltered English Instruction (SEI) or are moved to mainstream English. The EL and English Departments work very closely together to assist with each student’s transition from SEI level I or II into English. All high schools in the district have an Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, which prepares students in the academic middle for four-year college eligibility. AVID pulls these students out of unchallenging courses and puts them on the college track: acceleration instead of remediation. Keppel has a very strong AVID program, where student data are frequently analyzed and course assignments are closely monitored to ensure students are meeting their A-G requirements, those courses necessary for admission to any University of California. Last year Principal Gonzales began an afterschool-tutoring program, staffed by teachers and peer tutors. Teachers refer many students, and some students refer themselves. The program has 100-125 students every day, Monday through Thursday. Attendance is monitored and parents are called if students do not attend. Professional Development Each month teachers have collaboration time to analyze data, look at student work, develop rubrics and assessments, or more finely tune the scope and sequence of their courses. Teachers might meet by department, grade level, or as a whole staff. The administrators and department chairs plan out these meetings in advance and then make adjustments as necessary. These monthly meetings are also a time for professional development. Principal Gonzales feels that his teachers learn best from "local experts," so he has small groups of his teachers trained and then those teachers share with the staff as a whole. For example, he sent 13 teachers to a recent standards-based institute at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. He made sure that there were two teachers from each department so they could support each other with implementation. This team of teachers then shared what they had learned about standards-based instruction and lesson calibration with the rest of the staff. Leadership & Management Principal Gonzales has five administrators, four guidance counselors, and a strong instructional council to assist with leadership and decision-making at Keppel. The instructional council, consisting of administrators, counselors, department chairs, and the librarian, meets every other week to help meet the ongoing needs of staff and students and to ensure that both are being held accountable to high standards. One of Gonzales’s leadership strategies is to consistently recognize staff for any and all accomplishments. He does not miss an opportunity to “toot our horn,” presenting at conferences, applying for grants, etc. He believes this recognition of their efforts helps keep teachers working hard. School Culture The district has placed a lot of emphasis on student connectedness. The idea is that the more connections students can make at school, the more likely they are to stay in school and be successful. Keppel has "Mix It Up” days in which students are encouraged to eat lunch in new areas. They are also asked to wear a white T-shirts and have all the new students they meet that day sign it. The Conflict Resolution class and Student Leadership Association helped sponsor and run these days and students are engaged and enjoy these opportunities. Principal Gonzales also surveys the student body to see how they are feeling about school, what their needs and concerns are. He believes recognition is very important and that students crave and appreciate it even at the high school level. Outside the office there is a large "Achievement Board." Students are recognized for any accomplishment, big or small, with their names and pictures posted on the board. In addition, Keppel has the gold-medal program where staff can nominate students for any reason. Students then receive a gold-medal in front of the instructional council and have their names and picture placed on the achievement board. Keppel’s high school students feel really gratified and excited by this honor. In addition to the student monitoring of Keppel's four full-time guidance counselors, principal Gonzales assigns each of the five administrators five students to monitor very closely. These are 11th grade students who are in danger of not graduating. The administrators frequently meet with the students, their parents, and their teachers. This year, Gonzales has begun a mentor program for ninth-grade students. The social science department divided a list of incoming ninth graders who were not meeting standards. The social science teachers meet with their group of students periodically to make sure they are adjusting, keeping up with their work, and getting what they need. The social science teachers will move on with their students to the 10th grade next year and a new department will begin mentoring the incoming ninth graders. Principal Gonzales tells all of his students, "We hold the bar high here. You can do this and we are going to help you." Parents & Community The parent community is very active at Keppel, a neighborhood high school with a student population from five local feeder schools. A lot of the students have grown up together. Principal Gonzales credits the elementary schools for getting parents in the habit of being involved at school. He then makes sure that involvement is strongly encouraged and maintained when the students get to high school, a time when parent engagement typically falls off. Gonzales says, “If you make your school inviting, parents will come. Parents at our school know they can ask me any question they have.” Principal Gonzales ensures that all parents are aware of every opportunity to participate at Keppel. The school has a phone master machine, which calls all of the students homes with a recorded message about an event, a parent meeting, upcoming test dates, etc. The machine continues to call until it reaches someone. Gonzales also mails out fliers about every event and meeting. Both the messages and the fliers are translated into the four main languages spoken at Keppel in addition to English: Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese. The quarterly newsletter is also sent home in multiple languages. Every event also has translators and snacks. Finally, even with budget cuts, Principal Gonzales makes sure that he has two home-school coordinators who help bridge the gap between home and school. In addition to inviting the parents to events, Gonzales makes a point to invite the school board, district office personnel, city council members, local businesses, and congressional representatives. All of this effort has paid off with active parent involvement. The Parent Teacher Student Association has 500 paid memberships. Parents have even started another organization, a schoolwide booster club to help support athletics, academics, and extracurricular activities with money, time, and additional resources. Back-to-school Night at Keppel usually draws 1,200-1,500 parents. This school profile was created in 2005. Achievement and demographic data through 2004 are included. Permission to Use Resources SchoolsMovingUp, a WestEd initiative, invites you to use our resources in your work. For uses that involve reproduction of more than one copy of the resource, please submit the online permission request form. We will reply immediately once we know your intended reproduction needs. All reproductions of the resource must include a full citation of the WestEd copyright. |
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