Accrediting Commission for Schools
FOCUS ON LEARNING
Jesse Bethel High School
REVISIT COMMITTEE REPORT
April 23 - 25, 2006
Mrs. Rhonda Hardy. Chair
Assistant Principal, Retired
San Jose, CA
Mrs. Brenda Owens
Retired Teacher/Educational Consultant
Sacramento, CA
Ms. Karen Abel
Principal
North County Community School
Chico, CA
General Comments about the School
Jesse Bethel High School (JBHS), established in 1998, is the newest of three comprehensive high schools in the Vallejo City Unified School District. The City of Vallejo is located at the northeastern edge of San Francisco Bay. JBHS is located at the northeastern edge of the city in a newly developed area with large shopping center and an extension campus of the Solano Community College being built a mile away.
Jesse Bethel is located in a residential area, surrounded by newer, upper class residential homes with a golf course adjacent to the eastern edge of the campus grounds. Jesse Bethel receives the largest number of students from two of the four middle schools. A multi-cultural and ethnic student body of approximately 1500 students is supported by a multi-cultural and ethnic faculty of 60, a caring counseling staff, and numerous support services, including a state-of-the-art library/Instructional Media Center.
The school’s mission statement is as follows: Jesse Bethel High School’s mission is to provide all students with the skills and knowledge necessary to become responsible, productive, employable citizens in the 21st Century As educators, we are committed to empowering students to meet standards of academic excellence, to develop critical thinking and decision making skills, and to function successfully in a diverse cultural environment. Essential partners to our school in achieving this mission are our parents and the community of Vallejo.
The school ESLRs (Expected School-wide Learning Results):
Jesse Bethel High School graduates will demonstrate:
ü Effective Interpersonal Skills
ü Effective Problem-Solving Skills
ü The Ability to Set and Obtain Goals
ü Effective Communication Skills
ü Responsible Community Participation
ü The Ability to Use Available Resources, Including Appropriate Technology, to Create a Quality Product.
School Philosophy Statement: The philosophy of Jesse Bethel High School is rooted in the belief that the ultimate purpose of education is to help each student become an effective and responsible citizen in a democratic society. To achieve this goal, our school will provide an environment for intellectual development, mental growth, social interaction and physical development.
The school sponsors approximately 20 clubs or student associations, a commendable Association of Student Body leadership group, an after-school athletic program supporting 15 different after-school sports, and a website that is an ever-growing source of information, currently serving between 2,000 and 2,800 unique visitors each month. Active parent boosters support athletic programs.
A. Demographics
The statistics below are for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years. They show a declining enrollment which is, in fact, district-wide and a trend that district projections expect to continue. By far, the largest class of students is the freshman class.
2004-2005 & 2005-2006 (Oct)
Student Enrollment, by Grade Level
|
Grade Level |
Enrollment 2004-2005 |
Enrollment 2005-2006 |
|
Grade 9 |
613 |
490 |
|
Grade 10 |
278 |
405 |
|
Grade 11 |
342 |
327 |
|
Grade 12 |
330 |
297 |
|
Total Enrollment |
1563 |
1519 |
The largest represented groups are African-American (583 or 37.3%), Filipino (551 or 32.7%), Latino (194 or 12.4%), and white (149 or 9.5 %). Other categories include Asian (86 or 5.5%), Pacific Islander (29 or 1.9%) and Native American/Alaskan Native (2 or .1%) and less that 1% of multiple ethnicities, other ethnicities or not responding. The break down by ethnic group is similar for this 2005-2006 school year.
Student Enrollment, by Ethnic Group (2004-2005)
|
Racial/Ethnic Category |
Number |
Percent |
Racial/Ethnic Category |
Number |
Percent |
|
African-American |
583 |
37.3 |
Hispanic or Latino |
194 |
12.4 |
|
American Indian or Alaska Native |
2 |
0.1 |
Pacific Islander |
29 |
1.9 |
|
Asian |
86 |
5.5 |
White (Not Hispanic) |
149 |
9.5 |
|
Filipino |
511 |
32.7 |
Multiple or No Response |
9 |
0.6 |
B. Standardized Tests
Jesse Bethel High School has made “adequate yearly progress” in meeting California Accountability Academic Performance Index (API) growth targets, with 94% of the students testing and making a 20 point jump in the 2003-2004 school year and thereby exceeding that school year’s target growth or improvement rate. Although the median API for similar schools in California is 670, Jesse Bethel demonstrates a determination to bring student academic performance up to a higher level and State of California measurements show that the school is making progress.
Below is the Academic Performance Index Growth for Jesse Bethel since the base year of 2002 extracted and compiled from the California Department of Education’s Data Quest service.
|
JBHS Testing Year |
Academic Performance Index |
Growth |
|
2005 |
665 |
20 |
|
2004 |
637 |
9 |
|
2003 |
626 |
18 |
|
(Base) 2002 |
608 |
|
The following table shows how JBHS has been making strides compared with the district and statewide averages. The English-Language Arts and History/Social Science departments are comparatively strong. Math and Science performance is lagging.
California Standardized Tests - All Students
Data reported are the percent of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standards).
|
Subject |
School |
District |
State |
||||||
|
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
|
|
English-Language Arts |
26 |
31 |
31 |
24 |
27 |
27 |
32 |
35 |
36 |
|
Mathematics |
7 |
10 |
9 |
17 |
22 |
21 |
31 |
35 |
34 |
|
Science |
21 |
11 |
14 |
25 |
12 |
12 |
30 |
27 |
25 |
|
History-Social Science |
19 |
19 |
25 |
19 |
18 |
19 |
28 |
28 |
29 |
The following chart shows the percentage of students achieving at the proficient or advanced levels in core subject areas by racial background or ethnic groupings. African American and Hispanic student populations are behind other ethnic groups in achievement.
California Standardized Test - Racial/Ethnic
Groups
Data reported are the percent of students
achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state
standards).
|
Subject |
African- |
American |
Asian |
Filipino |
Hispanic |
Pacific |
White |
|
English-Language Arts |
19 |
|
40 |
41 |
26 |
21 |
44 |
|
Mathematics |
3 |
|
16 |
14 |
10 |
12 |
8 |
|
Science |
4 |
|
23 |
19 |
12 |
15 |
27 |
|
History-Social Science |
10 |
|
37 |
30 |
18 |
31 |
48 |
California Standardized Test - Subgroups
Data reported are the percent of students achieving at the Proficient or
Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standards).
|
Subject |
Male |
Female |
English |
Economically |
Students With |
Migrant |
||
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
|||||
|
English-Language Arts |
26 |
36 |
0 |
15 |
35 |
6 |
33 |
|
|
Mathematics |
13 |
6 |
2 |
8 |
10 |
2 |
10 |
|
|
Science |
17 |
12 |
0 |
7 |
16 |
0 |
15 |
|
|
History-Social Science |
22 |
27 |
8 |
9 |
28 |
2 |
26 |
|
|
CAHSEE % Passing |
Math |
English/Lang. Arts 10th Graders |
|
2003-04 (Combined Grades) |
81.0% |
77.0% |
|
2004-05 (10thGrade Only) |
70.0% |
71.0% |
|
Percentage Change |
-11.0% |
-7.0% |
Below are 2005 results:
|
|
|
Subgroup API |
|
|||||
|
|
Number |
Numerically |
|
|
|
|
Met |
|
|
|
of Pupils |
Significant |
|
|
2004-05 |
|
Subgroup |
|
|
|
Included in |
in Both |
2005 |
2004 |
Growth |
2004-05 |
Growth |
|
|
Ethnic/Racial |
Target |
|||||||
|
African American (not of Hispanic origin) |
343 |
Yes |
568 |
543 |
6 |
25 |
Yes |
|
|
American Indian or Alaska Native |
3 |
No |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Asian |
55 |
No |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Filipino |
448 |
Yes |
746 |
727 |
6 |
19 |
Yes |
|
|
Hispanic or Latino |
138 |
Yes |
589 |
592 |
6 |
-3 |
No |
|
|
Pacific Islander |
12 |
No |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
White (not of Hispanic origin) |
75 |
No |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Socio-economically Disadvantaged |
302 |
Yes |
585 |
559 |
6 |
26 |
Yes |
|
Jesse Bethel High School Graduation Requirements
|
||||||||||||||||
II. Significant developments at the school site since the last WASC visit.
There have been significant developments at Jesse Bethel High School and throughout Vallejo City Unified School District since the last WASC visit.
Follow-up Process
Jesse Bethel High School staff started the follow-up process immediately after the school visit in October, 2003. They collaborated to prioritize action plan items for the following year. Subsequently, changes in administration occurred with the state takeover of the school district and the appointment of a new principal. With the new administration, attention was diverted from the school’s action plan to the mandates of the state administrator and priorities of the new principal. This new direction encompassed some of the critical areas of improvement noted in the fall 2003 Visiting Committee report.
The school’s three-year term report was completed by a staff member with limited assistance and/or input from stakeholders, despite attempts to solicit participation. This report does not reflect an adequate use of data to analyze progress in any of the targeted areas. Interviews with staff, students, and parents revealed that much as been accomplished since the last visit, but this information was not reflected in the school’s report.
III. School Wide Critical Areas for Follow-Up.
The ten critical areas of follow-up left by the visiting committee three years ago are addressed below:
1. The site administration, leadership team and staff develop and implement a plan to improve communication between all stakeholders.
A. Summary of Progress
· Communication and collaboration are greatly improved between teachers and administration, across grade levels and both within and across disciplines.
· Staff development is teacher-driven and mostly teacher led, using the expertise of school staff.
· The electronic bulletin board, increased use of website, and the principal’s weekly phone message have improved communication to parents.
· A larger number of parents are enrolled as a core group in the schools Parent Teacher Student Organization (PTSO).
· The Associated Student Body has a broader role in establishing communication with all students and the administration.
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· Although teacher/parent contacts have increased, limited telephone access deters good two-way communication. The district needs to explore technology to improve voice mail and outgoing call access for teachers.
· The administration needs to continue to strengthen methods of receiving input from all stakeholders, including classified staff, all students, parents and community.
2. The site administration and staff develop clear, well-publicized systems and Standard Operating Procedures for day-to-day operations.
A. Summary of Progress
· A teacher handbook, clear systems for making budget requests, field trip permits, etc. safety plan have improved day to day operations.
· The principal has implemented regular, well-organized staff meetings and a clear structure for the Wednesday collaboration time. The Visiting Team noted a marked improvement in the organization of the school and higher staff morale.
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· The district needs to provide clear, timely budget and staffing information to the school.
3. The site administration, Equity Team and staff establish and employ strategies to bring academic and behavioral parity to all students, with clear, consistent rules and consequences.
A. Summary of Progress
· An Equity Team was established to address the achievement gap and unbalanced representation in both higher and lower end courses. There has been no continued effort in this area since the state takeover.
· No disaggregated data was provided to compare the discipline issues raised at the last WASC review.
· B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement
· The same issues continue to be an area of need for all stakeholders.
· Data needs to be made available to evaluate progress on this critical area and identify specific trends.
· The administration and staff needs to work with the broader community to develop solutions.
4. The site administration and counseling staff facilitate the expansion of academic interventions for students who have not passed the CAHSEE or who have difficulty making progress toward graduation.
A. Summary of Progress
· Very few senior students have not passed the CAHSEE. Special classes and tutoring are provided for students. No specific tallied data was available on participation in the tutoring, although sign in sheets were presented as evidence.
· Companion classes in 9th grade English and Algebra are used to support students in college prep classes who still are skill-deficient.
· Athletes are assigned to after school tutoring by coaches.
· Selected teachers assign students to attend tutoring sessions.
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· Develop a databased system to evaluate the effectiveness of the existing interventions.
5. The site administration and staff develop and implement processes to ensure that teachers are teaching what they are supposed to teach and that they use a variety of instructional strategies.
A) All staff use data to measure and drive on-going school improvement.
B) All teachers fully implement standards-based curriculum and assessment.
C) All teachers increase their repertoire of instructional strategies and literacy techniques.
A. Summary of Progress
· This is the strongest area of improvement noted by the Visiting Committee since the last visit. The entire instructional staff has embraced the use of testing data to drive curricular change, truly align state standards with curriculum, period assessment and the STAR test. Teachers “talk the talk” and “walk the walk” of a clear, coherent course of study.
· English and math teachers have or will shortly receive training in instructional strategies to fully implement the aligned curriculum.
· Staff development is planned around the Wednesday collaboration time, and is designed and presented by teachers, using available expertise.
· Teachers have pursued training outside of Jesse Bethel, and have presented workshops for their peers.
· Teachers are serving as leaders in district wide staff development programs.
· The curricular enthusiasm on Jesse Bethel’s campus is contagious!
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· Maintain the momentum to ensure appropriate alignment of all curricula, including support classes, special education classes, and elective classes.
6. The site administration and staff develop and implement an ESLR assessment system.
A. Summary of Progress
· The teachers and administration are aware of the ESLRs, and posters are visible in classrooms.
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· Little progress has been made in this area, and there is still a strong need to articulate and assess ESLR achievement.
7. The site administration, staff and school community develop a clear and mutually agreed upon school-wide vision.
A. Summary of Progress
· The new principal has promoted a clear, succinct vision of student success with her motto, “Find the good and praise it” and “All students can learn at higher levels.”
· The vision appears to be raising expectations for all students.
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· Communicate the vision to all stakeholders, especially the broader community.
8. The site administration and staff develop a process to involve parents, students and the broader community in school programs, planning and decision making.
A. Summary of Progress
· Teachers, site and district administration are the major decision makers at this time.
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· Extend and develop systems of outreach to involve ALL stakeholders in the decision-making process.
· Develop and publicize systems for parents, support staff, students and community to give input.
9. The site administration and staff seek to improve articulation with feeder schools and post-secondary institutions.
· There is stronger curricular alignment with the feeder schools since the state takeover.
· There have been some inroads made to develop programs with higher education, i.e. photography class awarded community college credit, Maritime Academy Tutoring Program.
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· Develop and use community college and university resources for both student guidance and academic options, i.e. college courses on the Jesse Bethel campus.
10. The entire school community collaboratively develops opportunities for students to explore career interests.
· The current emphasis is on all students meeting a-g requirements, with less emphasis on career planning.
· A new Career Center has been recently staffed.
· Special Education students have a well-developed transition program.
B. Areas to be given priority for ongoing improvement are as follows:
· The counseling staff and school administration develop school and community resources to access pre-career training for students.
· Teachers and administration develop strategies to ensure that all students are prepared for and knowledgeable of a variety of choices after high school.
Summary of Significant Progress on the Action Plan
The school’s original action plan was comprised of three general goals which all have the improvement of student achievement as their primary function:
1. JBHS will make its school culture and climate more positive for the entire school including students, parents, and staff, in order to improve student achievement and self-concept, as well as develop a greater sense of community among all the stakeholders.
· School climate and staff morale, particularly among certificated staff, is significantly more positive than three years ago. Students and staff reported that campus seems to be calmer, more organized and orderly than it was three years ago. Teachers feel more empowered, more effective systems are in place for handling discipline, and there is strong support for the administration. The principal has empowered the staff and promoted optimism. Strong, visible co-administrators are well respected by the staff. Parents feel welcome, and have stepped forward as fundraisers for the athletic program. There is still work to be done to involve the support staff, students, parents and community members in understanding and promoting the vision for the school, and improvement efforts. All stakeholders need to have a voice of importance and value.
2. Student achievement will increase as a result of effective standards-based instruction.
· The Visiting Committee applauds the efforts over the past year to align curriculum and assessment, employ pacing guides and common assessments for all subjects, and ensure that students and teachers understand the use of teacher-made assessments in both checking for subject matter mastery and helping prepare students for standardized tests. The school will need to carefully review data to evaluate their efforts, and determine the impact on student achievement.
3. Develop strategies to bring academic and behavioral parity to all students at Jesse Bethel within six years.
· In addition to raising expectations for all students through increased graduation requirements and a full college preparatory curriculum for all students, the administration and staff need to analyze and develop creative means of addressing equity issues. Data must be used for baseline and evaluation purposes to raise the number of under-represented groups of students in high end classes. Community resources should be tapped to explore opportunities. Data also must be analyzed to examine the effectiveness of existing discipline practices, and develop strategies to reduce the number of student suspensions and referrals for all students.
Additional Recommendations
Though the report does not reflect it, the school displays a rich culture, an academic focus, and has made tremendous strides, particularly since the state takeover. The new principal and her administration have injected an enthusiasm, optimism and sense of empowerment, a marked contrast to the Visiting Committee’s findings three years ago. The principal, Lili Rollins, has an awareness of the community and its demographics, and a clear vision for how she will involve the stakeholders to achieve expected outcomes. Given the current budget situation, the staff and administration will need to become more creative in using community-based resources and parents to accomplish their goals. The Visiting Committee recommends that all stakeholders, including teachers, administrators, support staff, students, parents, district staff and community members, must become involved in the WASC process during the remainder of this accreditation term and as the school enters its next self-study.