2016-2017 WASC ACCREDITATION MIDTERM REPORT · 2017-08-17 · 2016-2017 WASC Accreditation Midterm Report 2 Huntington Beach Union High School District Mission Statement “We will

2016-2017 WASC ACCREDITATION

MIDTERM REPORT

Valley Vista High School – Home of the Eagles

9600 Dolphin Ave.

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

2016-2017 WASC Accreditation Midterm Report

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Huntington Beach Union High School District Board Members

Dr. Michael Simons – President

Bonnie Castrey – Vice President

Kathleen Iverson – Clerk

Susan Henry – Alternate Clerk

Dr. Duane Dishno – Member


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Huntington Beach Union High School District Mission Statement

“We will educate, prepare, and inspire our students to change the world.”

District Administration

Dr. Clint Harwick – Superintendent of Schools

Dr. Carolee Ogata Deputy Superintendent

Human Resources

Dr. Owen Crosby

Assistant Superintendent Educational Services

Carrie Delgado

Assistant Superintendent Business Services

Dr. Connie Mayhugh

Executive Director Curriculum, Instruction, and Categorical

Programs

Dan Bryan Director

Student Services

Lori Davis Director

Purchasing and Contracts

Lauren Teng Director

Food and Nutritional Services

Gen Naydo Director

Ed Tech and Information Services

Doug Siembieda Director

Special Education, Special Programs and Athletics

Kevin Smith

Director Fiscal Services

Patrick Stellhorn

Director Maintenance, Operations and

Transportation

Dr. Anil Muhammed Director

Human Resources / Classified

Marlene Kline Special Program Administrator

Assessment and Evaluation


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VALLEY VISTA HIGH SCHOOL

OUR VISION “Where a new beginning creates new opportunities”

OUR MOTTO

“Soaring to Success”

OUR MASCOT Valley Vista Eagle

OUR COLORS

Blue and Orange

OUR MISSION STATEMENT “To engage our students in their education, promote respect and

provide opportunities for acquiring life skills.”

GRADUATION REQUIREMENT 220 Credits


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2016/2017

WASC Mid-Cycle Progress Report

Valley Vista High School Huntington Beach Union High School District

1. Student/Community Profile Data

Community

Valley Vista High School (VvHS) is the continuation high school for the

Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) in Orange County,

California. HBUHSD, established in 1903, serves a suburban community on the coast

of Southern California including the cities of Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley,

Westminster, and portions of Garden Grove and Midway City. The district is 48

square miles in the western part of Orange County and has approximately 16,000

students. While the overall area is relatively affluent, there are many areas covered

by the district which are economically depressed.

The catchment areas of HBUHSD’s six

comprehensive high schools, two alternative high

schools, and one adult school locations are:

1. Huntington Beach High School

2. Westminster High School

3. Marina High School

4. Fountain Valley High School

5. Edison High School

6. Ocean View High School

7. Valley Vista High School (serves entire district)

8. Coast High School and Adult School (serves entire

district)

9. District Office


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Four of the comprehensive high schools are located in the city of Huntington

Beach while the last two are located in the cities of Fountain Valley and

Westminster. Golden West College, a 2-year community college, is within the

district boundaries, while additional community colleges (Orange Coast, Coastline,

Rancho Santiago, and Irvine Valley), two state universities (Long Beach and

Fullerton), the University of California at Irvine, and other private universities and

colleges are within easy commuting distance, affording graduates a variety of

college opportunities. The district employs approximately 700 teachers and 800

classified staff and administrators.

The Huntington Beach Union High School District has three alternative education

programs, each occupying a different location and with different types of instruction and

daily schedules: the former Community Day School was subsumed into Coast High School

and operates as an open-entry small, daily program as well as a larger independent study

program, Huntington Beach Adult School is centrally located sharing the site with Coast

High School and has a drop-in center at Westminster Mall and various sites throughout

the District, and VvHS which focuses on students “at risk” of not graduating from high

school. VvHS is also home of the district’s Pregnant/Parenting program. Pregnant and

parenting teens within the district may choose to attend VvHS, earning academic credits

while acquiring skills that will help them to be responsible and knowledgeable parents.

Our onsite child development center called the “NEST” (Nurturing, Empowering and

Educating for Success Together) provides quality care for children while parents are in

class. In addition, VvHS has a Special Education program consisting of three full time

teachers and two instructional aides. The Special Education student population at VvHS

fluctuates and usually averages between 40-60 students. VvHS also has an ROP

representative from neighboring Fountain Valley High School who comes to our school

once a week.


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Staff Demographics

Our certificated staff of nine males and nine females is composed of three

special education and twelve regular education teachers, a school counselor, school

psychologist, and principal. Our classified staff includes eight males and ten

females.

VvHS Certificated Staff Ethnicity

11% Hispanic/Latino(a) 0% American Indian/Alaskan Native

11% Asian 6% Filipino

0% African American 0% Pacific Islander

72% White 0% Multiple

0% Missing

Student Demographics

VvHS is primarily a credit recovery school and assists students in making up

deficient credits missed from previous semesters to help them get back on track and

graduate at VvHS or transfer back to their home school and graduate with their

class. In 2013-2014, 37 students returned to their home schools, in 2014-2015, 41

students returned to their home schools, and in 2015-2016, 40 students returned to

their home schools. Enrollment ranges from 260 to 315 students, with an average

enrollment of 300. For 2015-2016, at the time of enrollment at VvHS, deficient

credits totaled 10,943.5, averaging 39.65 credits deficient per student. Almost all of

our students attend the daily program Monday through Friday and a small

percentage (10%) are enrolled in our independent study that meets on Tuesday

afternoons. For students who are very credit deficient and without sufficient time to

complete graduation requirements, VvHS becomes a stepping stone to Adult School

to earn their diploma or prepare for the GED.


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Vision, Mission Statement and Learner Outcomes

Our school’s vision statement is appropriate for our alternative setting,

“Where a new beginning creates new opportunity.” The mission statement at VvHS

is "To engage our students in their education, promote respect and provide

opportunities for acquiring life skills." We have operationalized this statement in

our “Getting Your ACT Together” program. “ACT” is an acronym for

“Accountability/Achievement, Communication/Collaboration, and

Technology/Transition”. These qualities represent our school learning outcomes

and support the 21st century skills. All students at VvHS create a capstone project

consisting of a website for their digital ACT portfolio, where they display their

personal examples of all our school-wide learning outcomes.

Student Ethnicity

Valley Vista High School is a composite of the community we serve. Our

students’ families represent the full range of socioeconomic status reflected in the

communities in our catchment area. Student ethnicity at the beginning of the 2016-

2017 academic year can be summarized as follows:

CDE data for VvHS as of 9/15/16

45% Hispanic 40% White

5.5% American Indian/Alaskan Native 4% Asian

0% Filipino 2% African American

1% Pacific Islander 1% Multiple

3% Missing


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Student Attendance

Percent of Maximum Average Daily Attendance

Percent Maximum

Year Average Daily Attendance

2013 89.78%

2014 91.19%

2015 91.18%

2016 92.59%

Academic Achievement

SBAC Data for 11th Grade English Language Arts/Literacy

2014/2015 2015/2016

Standard Exceeded 4% 6%

Standard Met 33% 15%

Standard Nearly Met 38% 40%

Standard Not Met 25% 40%

SBAC Data for 11th Grade Mathematics

2014/2015 2015/2016

Standard Exceeded 0% 0%

Standard Met 4% 0%

Standard Nearly Met 17% 16%

Standard Not Met 80% 84%

SBAC data does not adequately represent VvHS’ academic status for several

reasons. Most importantly, many students transfer to VvHS as seniors and did not

take the test at VvHS. Only students attending VvHS as juniors would have taken the

test in the Spring semester and had their scores recorded. Also, we replaced STAR

testing with SBAC in 2013/2014 and thus do not yet have consistent long-term data.


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Although the test scores themselves are somewhat challenging to use as a sole

measurement of student academic growth at VvHS, we continue to focus on CSS

alignment and prepare our students for the SBAC testing.

VvHS Graduation Rate

Year Number of graduates Graduation Rate %

2014 91 69.7%

2015 106 71.2%

2016 85 66.4%

The graduation rate has remained fairly consistent. In 2015 VvHS had an

increase in the senior population, which resulted in more students graduating.

VvHS API Scores

Year Score

2011 590

2012 567

2013 600

API scores were based on STAR testing results and because there is no more

STAR testing, 2013 was the last year VvHS received an API score.

VvHS Number of English Language Learners

Total Number of

Year EL RFEP LTEL English Language Learners

2014 66 60 63 189

2015 66 68 63 197

2016 71 83 70 224

The number of students designated English Language Learner remains

approximately the same at roughly 45% of our population. The implications include

necessary additional support for students whose first language is not English. This


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support is provided by our teachers through SDAIE instructional strategies and one-

to-one interventions with the EL coordinator or aide, as well as testing and

redesignation based on CELDT scores and teacher input.

VvHS Percentage of Students on Free and Reduced Meals

Year % of Students

2014 47.0%

2015 42.3%

2016 45.5%

The number of students receiving free and reduced meals has changed very

little, with almost half of our students qualifying for this program. The implications

for this include an awareness of our students’ needs outside of the classroom and

how that affects their learning.

Identified Critical Learner Needs

The SBAC scores show critical learner needs in the areas of Math and ELA.

The majority of our students are not meeting the standards in ELA or Math.

In addition to academic needs, many of our students are facing issues outside

of the classroom, such as homelessness, domestic violence, pregnancy, poverty, lack

of consistent education, and substance abuse. These issues often disrupt students’

abilities to focus on academic content such as Math or Science, and as a school, we

help support students in a more holistic way, often before we can address academic

needs.

Important Questions for Staff Discussion

How do we increase student achievement on the SBAC?

How can we continue to increase our graduation rate?


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What additional data can we use to assess students’ progress?

What can we do to increase the students’ motivation?

II. Significant School Changes and Developments

Staff Changes

VvHS has experienced some staff changes since the last WASC visit. We hired

two new teachers in 2015/2016. Our long time English and woodshop teacher retired

and was replaced with an English and Science teacher, as well as our long time NEST

Director/Consumer and Family Studies teacher. We also hired a new principal’s

secretary in August 2016. Our district superintendent moved on to another position,

and Dr. Clint Harwick replaced him effective January 2017. Dr. Harwick has a

background in alternative education as a teacher and refers to our students as “at

promise” not “at risk.” The impact of these changes at VvHS has been positive.

The English and Science departments have been reinvigorated and are developing

new curricula and instructional and assessment methods, and collaborating with

other academic departments. The NEST continues to provide exemplary child care.

The Life Management as well as Pregnant and Parenting Teen classes continue to

present relevant information and great speakers to support this very high risk

student population. Woodshop is focused on proper use of equipment, creating

personal projects and projects we will use on campus, and eventually taking on large

group projects.

Technology

Several exciting technology innovations have recently been added to our

repertoire.

● Edgenuity, an online curriculum in use throughout HBUHSD, was

adopted at Valley Vista in the 2015/2016 school year. Edgenuity allows

students to earn make-up credits as they can access content at their


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own pace. The data provided by Edgenuity allows teachers to hold

students accountable and provide relevant real-time interventions for

immediate student success. Currently, all teachers are using Edgenuity

for make-up credits and the math department is using Edgenuity

primarily for their curriculum. Edgenuity is aligned with CSS and also

helps prepare students for using technology in their future jobs,

careers, and college.

● Last year (2015-2016) VvHS purchased 60 new Chromebooks and two

new Chromecarts, and this year (2016-2017) purchased 50 more

Chromebooks. Currently, VvHS has 286 Chromebooks, which means

that there is a Chromebook for every student. Many teachers are taking

advantage of these resources to introduce more online curriculum

(Canvas, Edgenuity) and access a wider array of resources in their

classrooms. In addition, we have loaned Chromebooks to students who

do not have access to a computer at home.

● Part of the graduation requirements at VvHS includes creating a digital

senior “ACT” portfolio. The portfolio project includes building a

website, using Google apps, creating a digital infographic, writing a

senior statement, completing career search, designing a dream board

of future goals, and utilizing other forms of technology that help

prepare students for future educational and vocational challenges.

● HBUHSD continues to support Canvas, an online learning management

system that also helps prepare students for the technological world.

Many teachers at VvHS use it in their classrooms.

Professional Development Opportunities

HBUHSD continues to provide professional development opportunities for

teachers both during the school year and over the summer. Many teachers at VvHS

take advantage of these workshops, conferences, and courses.


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● Three teachers went to the Canvas Professional Development

conference last summer and are now sharing what they learned with

other teachers at VvHS.

● Five teachers are enrolled in ongoing college courses and programs.

● Other staff have attended conferences and/or visited other continuation

high schools in Orange County to further grow as educators and

increase student engagement and achievement.

● Staff from other schools are invited to come to our site to provide

training on new instructional programs, classroom management and

at-risk student issues.

● Guidance staff attends workshops and in-service training throughout

the year.

New Elective Courses We have found that creative elective courses engage our student population,

many of whom have significant unexplored talents and abilities. Student

involvement in these courses is a positive experience. Examples of courses that

have been very well received by students include:

● Guitar class

● Leadership

● Acting class

● Creative writing, short story, and poetry class

● Art 2 class

An important aspect for some of these courses is that students present their work to

the rest of the school community during one of our Gallery on the Green events held

at lunch every 6-8 weeks, showcasing student talents, encouraging an acceptance of

individual differences, and developing a wonderful school spirit.


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New Instructional Resources

VvHS is also about taking advantage of opportunities to incorporate new

instructional methods in a number of our courses.

● The Science department is starting a panther chameleon breeding program

to explore genetics and animal husbandry. The program will begin

breeding chameleons in the spring. The Biology department also

implemented a “Wisconsin Fast Plants” genetics program as an

opportunity to provide an interactive, inquiry-based learning experience

to support student understanding of genetics.

● The Art 2 class has been teaming up with resources outside of the

classroom in order to enrich their learning. The Getty Museum and

Irvine Museum both offer educational tours for students that allow them

to connect learning with real life experiences. For many of our students,

this represents their first visit to a museum.

● The woodshop class acquired a “Safe Saw” in 2015/2016, a table saw with

an automatic safety shutoff that will prevent student injuries and has

expanded the range of projects students can produce.

● 2016-2017 is the second year of using the Arduino micro-controller as a

learning platform in Physical Science. This resource enables hands on

curricula and projects.

● In 2014-15, VvHS began co-teaching in two senior English classes and

the following year added junior English, US Government, and

Economics. Both the regular education and special education teachers

and students have benefitted from these positive, supportive learning

environments.

● In Fall 2016, the US Government classes profiled presidential

candidates, created ad campaigns for them, and held a mock election

on campus.


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● Last spring a guest speaker worked with Health and Life Management

classes in a small, team building activity that focused on building

communication and collaboration skills.

School Culture

A positive, accepting school culture is essential to the success of our at-risk

students. Since our last site review, we have further enhanced the foundations of a

supportive school culture and added important new programs to improve student

engagement in our community and commitment to academic progress.

● The ACT Senior Portfolio Program has evolved from a physical object to

become a student designed and produced website that displays their

personal examples of accomplishing our school wide learning

outcomes: “A” - Accountability/Achievement, “C”

Communication/Character, and “T” Transition/Technology. The

completed portfolio is reviewed individually by each student’s English

teacher and in a final interview with the Principal. This capstone

experience provides each graduating student with a strong resource for

either vocational or educational use, and represents an excellent

opportunity for teachers and staff to learn about the student’s

experience and improve the delivery of educational services and the

quality of the community.

● Gallery on the Green began in 2014/2015. Once every other month

during lunch, students share original poetry, art classes display their

original artwork, and the guitar class plays live music. The students are

available to discuss their works and performances. This event

effectively displays individuality and celebrates diversity, and

encourages positive communication between students who might not

interact otherwise.

● A Leadership class was started in the 2014/2015 school year and

continues to be a great opportunity for students. The class identifies,


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researches, and selects activities each year, focusing on community

service projects and school-wide community building. Recent projects

include: collecting pull-tabs for Ronald McDonald House Charities,

Pennies for Patients supporting cancer research, and a blood drive in

conjunction with The Red Cross. The class also organized a multi-

faceted Red Ribbon Week to promote a healthy lifestyle, a Spirit Week,

with therapy dogs, and several other fun activities throughout the year.

The Leadership class allows students to develop strong communication,

collaboration, planning, decision making, and coordination skills, and

the projects encourage all our students to positively engage with our

VvHS community.

● Voluntary Drug and Alcohol support groups were started in 2015/2016.

These groups discuss the perceived benefits vs. negative consequences

of drug use, personal factors that can lead to chemical dependence, the

preventive and supportive role of friends and family, decision-making

related to sobriety/relapse, and triggers resulting in active use. The

immediate goal is to help students cope with life and its stressors,

avoid drug and alcohol use, and establish healthy habits. A broader

goal is to encourage students to begin to deal with underlying personal

and home factors. A Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor co-

facilitates these groups with our school psychologist. A recent

California Healthy Kids Survey supports the need for these services,

indicating that 61% of our students currently engage in alcohol or drug

use.

● Individual counseling is available to all students. Students and parents

are often referred to outside agencies for more intense family

counseling.

● During the 2015/2016 school year, VvHS created “GR8*8” (Great 8).

GR8*8 provides data enabling staff to monitor student progress.

GR8*8 is based on the expectation that every 4.5 weeks a student will


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earn 1 credit in each of their 5 classes and at least three make-up

credits, totaling 8 credits. Every 4.5 weeks, teachers complete a

spreadsheet with this information so that they can see which students

are meeting their goals, and intervene in a timely manner to help them

succeed academically. Students who are meeting the GR8*8 goals are

recognized by the principal, school counselor, and other staff. Students

who are not earning credits meet with the school counselor and

principal. This meeting may be followed-up with a parent meeting.

● In 2015-2016 VvHS joined other HBUHSD alternative education

programs as a Simon Youth Foundation (SYF) academy, and received its

first SYF grant. The goals of the Simon Youth Foundation are to

decrease the drop-out rate, provide greater access to college and post-

secondary training for students and support professional teacher

development. In addition, the SYF has college and vocational

scholarships available for deserving students and funds to enhance

instruction. One VvHS senior was awarded a scholarship to study

automotive technology at the local community college that has a state-

of-the-art facility. VvHS received its first student scholarship and

grant last year. We used the grant to fund field trips to an art museum,

the Long Beach Aquarium, and Physics Fun Day at Knott's Berry Farm,

and to purchase materials and equipment for our elective classes.

● VvHS has conducted our own school culture and climate survey for the

past two years. The results of the survey were positive and the

majority of students feel safe at VvHS. The survey will help us track

student concerns and identify areas where we can further improve

school culture. In addition, the District surveyed all students and

parents at all the high schools as part of the LCAP process. Responses

to pertinent questions to both surveys are presented here.


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LCAP Student Survey Results

Question #14: ‘If I could change one thing at my school, it would be’

Food not good.

Adding more elective classes.

Don’t like Edgenuity – takes too long, bring back the packets. Hard to do

math on Edgenuity.


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LCAP Parent Survey Results

Survey Questions

Percent of Respondents Who Agree or Strongly

Agree

Teachers communicate in a timely manner with me about grades, assignments, and my child’s/children’s academic performance.

55

My child/children are encouraged to develop an educational plan/career plan focused on college and career goals.

70

I have received guidance about post-secondary options for my child/children.

50

I know what career and college pathways are available at this school.

50

At this school, my child/children can pursue career experience opportunities (i.e. Career Technical Education, Regional Occupation Program).

56

My child/children are encouraged to take college preparatory courses.

44

My child/children have access to Advanced Placement classes.

N/A

This school provides resources, materials, and programs to help my child/children succeed.

90

This school provides a wide array of academic, cultural, and personal experiences to engage students.

38

This school sets clear expectations for my child’s/children’s work performance.

100

I feel my child/children are safe at this school.

70

This school delivers communications in my preferred language(s).

80

This school communicates in a timely manner.

78


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This school has a welcoming culture that encourages parent participation.

56

This school establishes strong relationships with families based on trust and respect.

43

This school makes a good effort to seek parent input when making decisions.

43

I am encouraged to take part in or attend school activities and events.

38

I am encouraged to join district or school committees (e.g., Community Advisory Committee, PTSA/PTSO, District English Learner Advisory Committee (DELAC), School Site Council, etc.).

63

The school promotes diversity, tolerance, student rights, and social awareness.

78

The school effectively addresses bullying and violence.

78

The school has programs that effectively address substance abuse.

75

The school encourages balance and teaches students stress management.

60

I feel that the learning environment at this school is positive and supportive.

78

The school integrates the technology appropriate for teaching students 21st century skills (e.g., Chromebooks, personal devices).

75


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VHS School Culture and Climate Survey Results


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III. Ongoing School Improvement

Our in-school engagement process includes all-staff meetings, use of shared

information on Google Docs, emails, small group meetings (department,

committee), and discussions convened for special purposes. Student achievement

data such as school-wide SBAC scores or overall attendance trends is reviewed by all

staff, and discussion is facilitated by the principal. Discussions about our EL

population are generally led by our EL coordinator, and include information and

documents shared via Google Mail and Docs. Student data such as behavior in class,

progress on make-up credits, and/or social/emotional functioning is shared on an

as-needed, day-to-day basis via email or in 1:1 discussions between staff members.

Individual student status is consistently reported to parents or caregivers, with

follow-up family counseling or meetings as necessary. Our MTSS behavioral and

academic management process involves our school counselor, school psychologist,

principal, teachers, the students, and parents.

Implementation and monitoring of the WASC Action Plan has generally taken

the form of discussions at all-staff meetings. Smaller groups have focused on

specific objectives, programs, projects, student data, and school culture activities.

Teachers, staff and administration use Google Docs to communicate and collaborate

in a timely and informative manner, and to keep everyone informed. For example,

during one of our student-free days at the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year,

we broke into small groups to brainstorm and collect evidence for each of the action

plan goals, and then came back to the larger group to share the findings and add

additional evidence. This information was then taken by the WASC co-coordinators

and integrated into this report. Drafts are submitted for review to all members of

the staff, and the report is revised and refined. All VvHS stakeholders contributed to

this report.


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IV. Progress on Critical Areas for Follow-up/School-wide Action Plan

Overall, VvHS has made significant progress in meeting our WASC Action Plan

goals. Significant progress has been made in (1) implementing CSS curriculum, (2)

using technology to enhance student learning, including adoption of on-line

instruction with Edgenuity. We need to continue to focus on (3) collection and

analyzation of data related to student assessment and learning. We have also made

significant progress on (4) engaging in professional development activities for staff,

and (5) strengthening our communication links with parents and guardians.

Action Plan #1 - California State Standards

This goal promotes student achievement through the implementation of the

California State Standards. To accomplish this goal:

● All staff receive on-site training about CSS

● English, Math, Science, and Social Studies department coordinators attend

multiple district-level meetings to discuss, understand, and plan CSS

curriculum implementation and then bring that information back to campus

to share with department members and implement the aligned curriculum

● Science department teachers collaborated at the district-level concerning CSS

and district curriculum and its alignment with upcoming Next Generation

Science Standards, and suggested modified science curricula as needed to

implement the newly aligned curriculum in their classes

Evidence related to the implementation of this goal includes:

● Specific curriculum modules and units such as the updated Lord of the Flies

unit that aligns with CSS

● Implementation of the online program Edgenuity (adopted district-wide and

aligned with the new standards)


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● Formative assessments are aligned with the CSS and include examples such as

the Career Exploration research paper in English 4, an online portfolio (ACT

Portfolio), and online quizzes and tests for Math

Student achievement is measured through these assessments that enable

teachers and staff to provide interventions that specifically target students’ areas of

need. Specifically with the Edgenuity program, teachers use the assessments to

target deficits in student learning, and help increase student achievement.

Preparation for the Smarter Balance testing (specifically the performance-

based assessments) has included using released sample items in English classes, an

increase in hands-on learning in science classes, and additional support and prep

for EL students through small group and individual instruction. As a staff, we have

reviewed the assessment data from SBAC testing and will continue to use that data

to drive our curriculum development and revision. Teachers use Aeries (district SIS)

to access and review student scores, target instruction, and support student

achievement.

Another way that we focus on CSS instruction is our multi-faceted support for

college and career preparation. Job skill practice is integrated into classes such as

Life Management Skills (on line research and resume writing), English

(collaboration and writing), Social Studies (critical thinking), and Science (use of

technology and project-based learning). Each October our school counselor

coordinates a college and career fair where our students complete vocational self-

assessments and interact with workers from different careers and college

representatives.

Action Plan #2 - Technology

This goal promotes the use of technology to support our educational mission

to enhance student learning and life skills. Students are using technology on a daily

basis to communicate with teachers, staff, and each other, as well as to read, write,

collaborate, create, research, support decision making, solve problems, and give and

receive feedback. The Science and Social Studies departments focus on learning


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Google applications at the start of the school year. VvHS students have made great

strides in digital literacy through the use of Chromebooks, Google Applications,

Canvas, Edgenuity, and Wix.

Edgenuity is the online district-wide program used at all the schools for

students to catch up on deficient (recovery) credits and is also used by the Math

department as a platform to target specific student needs, address learning gaps,

and track student progress and achievement. Students access both Edgenuity and

Google Apps through the use of Chromebooks and their personal phones and

devices. On any given day, students in class are accessing curriculum and

completing assessments on Canvas and Edgenuity, composing and editing written

products on Google Docs, or building a website using Wix. Increased student use of

technology has impacted achievement by making access to assignments and

curriculum more immediate (no waiting for assignments or papers from teachers,

they can access it on their phones), and allowing students to complete work more

flexibly. This results in a more timely completion of a greater number of

assignments. This increased mastery of technology also prepares students for the

future demands of careers and college.

Action Plan #3 - Assessment and Accountability

This goal focuses on improving internal processes for collecting and

analyzing data in order to identify and implement best practices for an alternative

education setting. Two important objectives within this goal were developing a

school-wide writing rubric and administering district established benchmark

assessments. We completed one school-wide writing assessment and then decided

to limit administration of writing assessments to the English and Social Studies

classes, as other courses did not lend themselves to written assessment. Consistent

with the district’s direction, administration of benchmark assessments was

discontinued throughout the district. Overall, we have continued to review, analyze

and discuss data such as SBAC scores, attendance, credit acquisition, and CELDT

scores. This is generally done in staff meetings, followed by a discussion of


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contributing factors and ways that we can continue to address deficits. In addition,

we have brainstormed additional ways that we can assess students, target deficits,

and meet their educational needs. Specific activities that support achievement of

this goal include:

● With our English Learner population, students are assigned to meet

with the PELL Coordinator and two bilingual instructional aides within

the first two months of their attendance at VvHS. The purpose of the

meeting is to get to know the students, review their credits, and give

them a brief overview of resources and help available to them. We also

ask about their family and home situations and if they have access to

technology at home. This face-to-face meeting is a critical first step in

building rapport with the students. EL instructional aides are then in a

better position to help students in classes. This initial meeting also

begins to prepare students to take the CELDT test. We review the

components of the test as far as listening, speaking, reading, and

writing. We send out reminders of the test date and time and greet

them at the door on the day of the test to reduce test anxiety. Also, the

PELL coordinator, aides, and EL students planned and prepared a meal

together to celebrate meeting attendance goals, positive behaviors, and

academic progress. The goal is to get as many of our ELs and LTELs

reclassified as Redesignated Fluent English Proficient.

● The GR8*8 program uses a Google Doc platform to allow teachers,

counselors, and principal to view, analyze, and evaluate the acquisition

of student credits in a timely manner. Students not meeting the GR8*8

requirements (i.e., the acquisition of a combined eight credits from

current classes and make-up credits in a 4.5 week period) meet with

the principal and school counselor to reinforce and/or modify a plan to

earn the credits needed to graduate.

● In addition to GR8*8, the Principal, counselor, office staff, and

teachers regularly utilize Aeries (our SIS) for student credits,


31

transcripts, and attendance data. On a daily basis, we collaborate about

individual student data and how we can best meet an individual

student’s needs.

● The English and Social Studies departments have collaborated and

developed a writing rubric that is available to all teachers. During the

2015-2016 school year, initial writing assessments were given to all

VvHS students and the results carefully considered by the entire faculty

and staff. In consultation with the English and Social Studies teachers,

the writing assessments were revised to make them subject-specific

and also to address immediate student writing needs and skill levels.

This school year (2016-2017), we targeted basic paragraph

development in order to build a solid writing foundation for students.

While students continue to write lengthier essays and writing

assignments in classes, the paragraph is being utilized for assessment

purposes. The paragraph writing assignment was administered to all

students in English and Social Studies courses quarterly, using the

school-wide rubric. English and History teachers meet to review

results and make any necessary changes in instruction or content and

improve student achievement.

The goal has been revised and continues to be very important to VvHS as it

integrates progress on most of the other goals, particularly the use of educational

technology, and touches on implementation of the CSS, staff professional

development, and communication within our broader school community. As a staff,

we are committed to continuing to improve the collection and evaluation of site

assessment data. The common theme of our efforts is to develop our own

assessment tools, utilize other assessment results, and collect data in a timely

manner to allow us to counsel and assist students in accomplishing their

educational goals. Given the short term we have to work with students, our open

entry enrollment, and their sometimes transient nature, timely information and


32

response is critical to their success. The GR8*8 program enables the targeting of

specific student needs in mid-quarter, rather than waiting until quarter or semester

grades are determined. The implementation of writing assessments has proven very

informative, and led to improvement in “tailoring” our writing curriculum for our

unique student population. It was revised to focus on basic paragraph composition,

capitalization, and run-on sentences to help prepare students for the Smarter

Balanced testing, and also improve their essay and expository writing. The use of

Edgenuity to track math and recovery credits also results in more timely and focused

data to help students.

Action Plan #4 - Professional Development

The Action Plan’s professional development (PD) goal required each staff

member to take advantage of two PD activities annually, and to share what they

learned with the entire staff. Overall, we have met this goal by engaging in campus

committees (such as student recognition/scholarship and school safety), attending

district-level activities (such as Strategic Planning and LCAP), and learning from

other teachers who have attended seminars targeted towards technology

(specifically Google and Canvas) and MTSS (Multi-tiered Systems of Support). An

innovative addition to our PD program consists of a teacher-staff Professional

Development Committee that reviews, and accepts or declines, an individual teacher

or staff member’s request for funding to attend a specific PD opportunity. The

application uses a 7-step “Puzzle” document, and enables collaboration between

certificated staff and administration, and gives the entire staff a preview of on-

campus PD presentations. Some of the funding for professional development is

supporting by Educator Effectiveness Grant. Some examples of recently complete PD

opportunities:

● Two teachers visited another district and participated in a hands-on

collaborative learning activity called BreakoutEDU.


33

● Two other teachers visited another continuing education campus in

Southern California and brought back an idea that became our

“GR8*8” program.

● Recently several teachers visited other Orange County continuation

high schools to observe classroom teaching, discuss credit acquisition,

and review instructional calendars.

● In addition, over the last three years, at least five out of our fifteen

teachers have been enrolled in graduate-level education programs. In

committing to and attending these ‘continuing education’

opportunities, teachers and staff are acting as role models for our

students.

Action Plan #5 - Communication

This goal involved strengthening communication links with parents and

guardians. The entire staff (teachers, counselors, office support, security,

administration) is committed to responding to parent/guardian inquiries in a timely

manner. Teachers in particular, use multiple modes to reach out to families - email,

phone calls, Canvas messaging, and updated student progress reports on each

teacher’s website. Teachers and staff routinely utilize the information in Aeries

(SIS) to reach out to parents and guardians regarding their student’s progress.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to follow their student’s progress on-line via

Edgenuity and Canvas.

Our school counselor, school psychologist, and guidance specialist all meet

regularly with parents and guardians regarding student progress and possible

support/interventions. The counselor and school psychologist have an “open door”

policy and can be reached via phone, email, or in person during school hours. This

has had a positive impact on student achievement in that parents and guardians feel

like a welcome part of a team dedicated to their student’s educational success.

Our new student and parent/guardian orientation presentation is continually

revised and updated by our Principal. It outlines VvHS’ academic structure and


34

expectations, our daily schedule, important deadlines and events during the year, as

well as ways for parents and guardians to get involved. We are currently in the

process of posting all relevant and updated information (including our school

handbook and orientation slideshow) on our school’s website, and facilitating

parent/guardian and student interaction with VvHS via the website. The Principal

encourages parents to contact teachers via email. Our EL instructional aide

translates during orientation and for parents, and for parents without an email he is

available via telephone.

Additional Critical Areas for Follow-up

We continue to explore, add, and adapt our programs and instruction to meet

the unique needs of our students. The short-term nature of our student population

is particularly challenging. Many of our students only attend for one to two

semesters and transfer in or out of our school mid-year. Our challenge is to design

our schedule, curriculum, assessment, and support systems to enable rapid and

variable progress while students are with us. Further progress is needed to provide

greater opportunity during the school day for acquisition of make-up credits and to

better track student status and progress. Recently, we received approval from our

superintendent to offer a quarter instructional delivery system. Staff has visited

other continuation schools in Orange County that offer a quarter system. We are

excited about this upcoming change and will be busy adapting our curriculum from

the semester to the quarter system. The advantage of having classes for students

who need to make up deficient credits and/or late enrollees is that they will be able

to make greater academic progress.

Building a positive school culture that supports student success is also

challenging. Many of our students have not had successful social experiences at

their home schools. We work hard to establish and maintain an accepting, non-

judgmental, supportive, safe, and friendly campus environment. Teachers email

other teachers who share students to discuss strategies for success. We have a

special Advisement Period during third period on minimum days where teachers


35

meet with students 1:1 to discuss their credits, goals, and progress towards

graduation greatly contribute to a positive school culture, as does the GR8*8

monitoring program. Teachers also prompt discussions with classes to discuss

paths to graduation. Through these and other efforts we are working to further

actively engage students in our school community, and to encourage and enable

students to be responsible for their own academic progress and success.

Most importantly, VvHS is committed to increasing parent/guardian

participation in their student’s academic progress. The first step will be to increase

communication channels by promoting and using Canvas (online learning

management system), Edgenuity, Google Sheets, and our new GR8* 8 tracking

program (all described above). All of these programs allow parents and guardians to

monitor their student’s progress in a timely manner, and to interact with teachers

and staff immediately. Many log on daily to check their student’s attendance,

participation and coursework. These expanded communication avenues will build on

the personal and direct communication with parents and guardians via telephone,

email, and in one-to-one meetings that teachers and staff use to resolve individual

student issues. Similarly, we continue to rely on meetings with parents, counselors,

and teachers to set goals and monitor progress. Another challenge is to more

actively involve students with their parents and guardians in our academic

enterprise.

As mentioned above, pursuit of these critical follow-up areas will contribute

to the enhanced achievement of other action plan goals, especially the technology

and assessment and accountability goals.

V. School-wide Action Plan Refinements

Refinements of our action plan include:

● One of the steps under Action Plan #1 - Common Core was deleted, as the

district is no longer using common formative assessments across the district


36

● Under Action Plan #2 - Technology, we added Edgenuity (an online program)

to our “Steps to Achieve Objective” as we are now using it as our primary

source of recovery/make-up credits.

● For Action Plan #3 we revised the Goal, Objectives, and Steps to limit formal

assessment of student writing to Social Studies and English classes (versus

campus-wide) in order to make it more manageable and the data more

relevant. The majority of writing instruction is assigned in these two subject

areas and teachers are able to meet in their department to focus on the data,

target student needs with the goal of improving student writing. The district

implemented the Edgenuity program which enables assessment of math

competency. These common assessments in subjects where there are

multiple teachers teaching the same course will better enable departments to

compare data and identify best practices.

● The School Calendar for Professional Development (Action Plan #4) was

deleted because we are such a small campus and staff members regularly

communicate informally about PD opportunities. The implementation of the

Professional Development Committee also effectively disseminates

information about upcoming PD activities and presentations.

Updated school-wide Action Plan (last updated June 2016)

Action Plan #1 - California State Standards

Improve, align, and redesign curriculum and course content to district guidelines

and goals of the California State Standards.

Goal: To promote student achievement through the implementation of the

California State Standards.

This Goal correlates to the District’s Strategic Plan of College and Career Readiness.

Rationale: All focus groups identified California State Standards (CSS) as an important area

of growth due to the state and district implementation of the CSS for measuring student

learning.


37

Objective: To improve curricula to meet district guidelines and California State

Standards.

Steps to Achieve Objective Persons

Responsible Timeline Expenditures

& Resources Evidence Reporting

Methods

•Attend district and site staff

development to educate and

become aware of

requirements of the CSS

Principal,

Department

Chairs,

Teachers

Spring

2014 –

Spring

2020

Staff meeting

time, released

teacher time

Attendance at

District and Site

Staff

Development

Meetings

Staff

Meetings,

Department

Meetings

•Department level analysis of

current curriculum •Determine alignment of

course with CSS •Modify course materials and

lesson plans to meet CSS

Departments Fall 2014

– Spring

2015

Monthly

Meetings Revised Course

Syllabi Staff

Meetings,

Department

Meetings

•Evaluate students’

performance on released

Sample Items for CSS

assessment •Revise curriculum/lesson

plans based on assessment

data

Department

Chairs,

Teachers

Spring

2016 Monthly

Meetings Department

Minutes,

Departments

Assessment

Analysis Report,

Transition Plan

Staff

Meetings,

Department

Meetings

Action Plan #2 - Technology

Goal: To embed the use of a wide variety of technology in order to enhance student

learning and life skills.

This Goal correlates with the District Strategic Plan on Technology.

Rationale: Focus groups identified a need to pro-actively embrace new technologies as they

become available.

Objective: To acquire and implement instructional programs and other available

devices and software to increase digital literacy for all students.


38




Methods

•Explore educational software

opportunities: •The District Educational

Technology Coordinator •District Workshops •Staff Collaboration •IPP process

Department

heads Fall 2014

– Spring

2020

District

resources/ Internet

Software Staff/Dept.

Meetings

•Students use a variety of

technological devices such as

Apple TV’s, Ipads, and

Chromebooks to support their

learning.

Technology

Assistant,

Technology

Resource

Teacher (TRT),

Teachers and

Students

Fall 2014-

Spring

2020

Department/

school site

budgets

Hardware Staff/Dept.

Meetings

•Students use personal

devices to access curriculum

and enhance learning.

Teachers /

Students Fall 2014-

Spring

2020

Student

Devices Lesson Plans

Teacher

Observation

Staff/Dept.

Meetings

•Utilize online software such

as Canvas and Edgenuity, as a

means for tracking student

progress and achievement.

Math teachers/

TRT / Dept.

Tech leaders

Fall 2015 –

Spring

2020

Training time.

District already

has license for

Canvas

Online Reports Student/Parent

communications

Email,

SMS,

Staff/Dept.

Meetings

•Use Canvas and Edgenuity to

create online curriculum for

specific classes and recovery

credits.

Teachers Fall 2016

– Spring

2020

Canvas,

collaboration

times

Online

Curriculum Semester

Summaries

of use at

Staff/Dept.

Meetings

•Students use Google

Applications to complete and

submit assignments and

projects.

Students/ Teachers

Spring

2014 –

Spring

2020

Training time,

collaboration

time

Lesson Plans,

online

portfolios

Staff/Dept.

Meetings


39

Action Plan #3 - Assessment and Accountability

Goal: Improve processes for collecting and analyzing student performance data.

This Goal correlates to the student achievement goal of the District Strategic Plan.

Rationale: Focus groups became very aware of the difficulty in compiling accurate

assessments of student learning using standardized testing.

Objective: Utilize all relevant data sources to develop/revise curriculum, enhance

instructional methods and provide student support.




Methods

•Identify and evaluate current

data available •Discuss/brainstorm

additional data needed in

order to identify best

practices

All Staff VvHS Data/

Accountability

Team

Spring 2015

– Spring

2020

Meeting time,

staff

development

opportunities

Meeting

Minutes Staff and

Department

Meetings

•Administer writing

assessment to all students in

English and Social Studies

classes •Create a shared writing

rubric based on the California

State literacy standards that

will evaluate students on

specific writing structure and

skill (English and History

departments) •All writing assignments in

all classes follow the VvHS

writing rubric •Evaluate results and direct

instruction accordingly

English and

History

Teachers

Spring 2016

– Spring

2020

(Quarterly)

Fall 2016 –

Spring

2020

Faculty Days Department

Meetings

Student Scores

Staff/Dept.

Meetings


40

•Administer class-specific

and department-specific

assessments and share

results (examples -

Edgenuity in Math, ACT

Portfolio in ELA, unit tests in

science) •Identify student areas of

need, and implement

instruction to address

Teachers Fall 2016 Class time Edgenuity

Reports, Unit

Tests, ACT

Portfolios

Department

Meetings-

formal and

informal

•Collect and evaluate site

assessment data (examples -

SBAC, GR8* 8, Summary

Sheet, graduation rates,

CELDT scores) •Discuss and implement

strategies and changes to

support student achievement

Teachers &

Staff Fall 2016

– Spring

2020

Staff

Development

Days

Data Results Great 8

Reports Summary

Sheets

Staff and

Department

Meetings

Action Plan #4 - Professional Development

Goal: To expand the school-wide benefits of professional development

opportunities for all staff.

This Goal correlates with the District Strategic Plan on Organization/Fiscal Stability

Rationale: The Valley Vista self-study identified a need to use professional development

opportunities in a more systematic way including tracking what opportunities are coming

available, deciding who would most benefit the school by attending, and follow up reporting

by attendees.

Objective: To engage staff in taking advantage of two professional development

activities annually, and to effectively share what they have learned with all staff.


41




Methods

•Identify relevant

professional development

opportunities to support

student achievement with a

focus on: •Technology •English Language Learners •At-risk strategies •Multi-Tiered Systems of

Support •CA State Standards •Career and College Planning

Principal/

Department

Chairs

Fall 2014

– Spring

2020

District flyers Calendar

PD flyers Meeting

agendas

•Attend, participate, and

share professional

development opportunities.

Principal/ Staff Fall 2014

– Spring

2020

Professional

Development

Days. Staff/Dept.

Meetings

Handouts

(physical and

electronic) Agendas

Staff

meetings


42

Action Plan #5 - Communication

Goal: To strengthen communication links with parents/guardians.

This Goal correlates with the District Strategic Plan on Communication, Community and Culture

Rationale: Originally, all focus groups identified improving our communication with our

parents/guardians but with initiating a new student information system Fall 2014, we

decided to use the new system first and reassess the effectiveness of our communication.

Our WASC visiting committee suggested that VvHS add communication as our Action Plan #5

now rather than wait for the new student information system.

Objective: Utilize a variety of communication models to more effectively reach our

diverse groups of parents/guardians to keep them better informed about their

individual students and VvHS.




Methods

•Train all staff in Aeries (new

student information system) DO Trainers Technology

Resource

Teachers (TRT) All Staff

Spring

2014 Fall 2014

District

Resources Internet

Technology

Resource

Teacher Stipend

Attendance at

trainings /

meetings

Staff and

department

meetings

•Unification / utilization of

CANVAS and Edgenuity

(posting assignments, grades,

and communication with

parents)

Teachers Fall 2014

–Spring

2020

District CANVAS

Resources TRT

Training

Website Staff and

department

meetings Parent

access

reports

•Enter parent emails in

system Guidance

Specialist HS Secretary Attendance

Fall 2014-

Spring

2020

Negligible History of

emails Canvas reports

Staff and

department

meetings

•Expand use of technology

when delivering messages to

parents/guardians

All Staff Fall 2014

– Spring

2020

Internet CANVAS

Edgenuity

CANVAS

reports Edgenuity

Meetings CANVAS

summaries


43

•Revise new student/parent

orientation Principal Fall 2014

– Spring

2020

PowerPoint Website Flyers

Meeting

Minutes

Orientation PowerPoint

Orientation

•Orientation and handbook to

include dates/ times of

events, and opportunities for

parent involvement.

•Also post on website

HS Secretary Principal

Spring

2015 –

Spring

2020

Time Meeting

Handbooks Orientation PowerPoint

Orientation Website

•Continue commitment to

callback / email by staff to

parents/guardians in a timely

manner (within 24 hours)

Principal Teachers Guidance

Attendance

Fall 2014

– Spring

2020

Current site

resources Emails

Phone logs SIS

Notes Parent

surveys

Documents

2016-2017 WASC ACCREDITATION MIDTERM REPORT · 2017-08-17 · 2016-2017 WASC Accreditation Midterm Report 2 Huntington Beach Union High School District Mission Statement “We will