Smaller Learning Communities vapa slc proposal … · grounded in engaging thematic content, personalization, instructional support for faculty, and academic intervention. Small Learning

6/5/07 Los Angeles Unified School District: Taft High School (Visual and Performing Arts) SLC Design Proposal

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Small Learning Communities

SLC Design Proposal

submitted to Los Angeles Unified School District

I. SLC DESIGN PROPOSAL RECOMMENDATION SIGN-OFF ROUTING SHEET

School Site Council Recommendation to Proceed

Name of School: William Howard Taft High School Name of Small Learning Community: Visual and Performing Arts ________________________________ ________________________________ Principal’s signature Date _________________________________ ________________________________ UTLA Chapter Chairperson’s signature Date _________________________________ ________________________________ School Site Council Chairperson ‘s signature Date


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SLC Design Proposal

II. COVER SHEET

Name of School: William Howard Taft High School Location Code: 8880 Proposed SLC Name: Visual and Performing Arts Design Team Leader: Name: Thomas Pease Title: VAPA Lead Teacher/ SSC Chair Mailing Address: 5461 Winnetka Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91364 Telephone #: (818) 227 - 3605 Fax #: (818) 592 - 0877 Email: [email protected]/ [email protected]

SLC Design Team Name Title/Organization

Affiliation Department Email

Thomas Pease Lead Teacher VAPA [email protected] Dr. Ogo Johnson Administrator Admin. Angelica Streif Counselor Counseling Bruce Bader Member English Debra Gambardella

Member English

Richard Gibbons Member Social Studies THS UTLA Rep.

Dianna Arena Member Graphic Arts Kathi Flood Member Art Eileen Kassem Member ESL

mailto:[email protected]/


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SLC Design Proposal

III. TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. SLC Design Proposal Routing Sheet .......................................................................1

II. Cover Sheet..............................................................................................................2

III. Table of Contents.....................................................................................................3

IV. Letter of Intent .........................................................................................................4

V. SLC Technical Assistance Options Checklist..........................................................7

VI. SLC Design by Attribute .........................................................................................8


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SLC Design Proposal

submitted to Los Angeles Unified School District

IV. LETTER OF INTENT When a SLC design team begins initial planning at a school site, they are required to submit a Letter of Intent to their School Site Council with a copy of the Technical Assistance Checklist and a Conflict Resolution Plan. This information will be used to assist the team as appropriate. Federally-funded SLC schools are not required to submit a Letter of Intent, since their original SLC formation process is past this stage of development.


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William Howard Taft High School Visual and Performing Arts Academy 5461 Winnetka Avenue “All the world is a stage.” Woodland Hills, CA 91364 Los Angeles Unified School District Attn: Central Committee on Small Learning Communities 333 South Beaudry Avenue, 18th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90017 May 7, 2007 Dear Committee Members: William Howard Taft High School, established in 1960, is one of over fifty comprehensive high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The campus is located on thirty-five acres northwest of Los Angeles in the community of Woodland Hills. Taft serves students form the San Fernando Valley and other areas of Los Angeles. Currently, the student population is 3,544 with 1,842 (52%) male and 1,702 (48%) female. The White population numbers 1,323 (37.4%) and the minority population totals 2,221 with 1,311 comprised of (36.9%) Hispanic, 591 (16.8%) African-American, 200 (5.6%) Asian American, 88(2.5%) Filipino, 17 (.5%) American Indian, and 14 (.4%) Pacific Islander. Taft serves students in grades nine through twelve. Taft is undergoing a radical transition from a traditional comprehensive high school to smaller learning communities to provide every student with the opportunity to achieve. The reform is grounded in engaging thematic content, personalization, instructional support for faculty, and academic intervention. Small Learning Communities at Taft will empower our students, faculty, and community toward ensuring that every student has the best opportunity to succeed. Our small learning community is the Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VAPA). Our vision is to provide an opportunity for all students to excel artistically across the spectrum of the visual and performing arts in a challenging academic environment. The curriculum reflects a multicultural perspective and emphasizes the relationship between the arts and society. VAPA serves those students who value the arts and understand the importance of the arts in their lives and in society. While most of our students will not have careers in the arts, some will. For those, VAPA provides the knowledge, skills and training to continue their artistic studies in college or to find work in the arts and entertainment industry. We currently have about 300 students


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enrolled and by next year will have increased that number to approximately 500. Visual & Performing Arts faculty includes several working artists, dancers, a former Taft student, a Taft parent, and musicians. They, along with our partners (Media City Ballet and the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra to name but two) bring real world arts experiences to our students. Our faculty also includes two National Board teachers, several teachers with Masters Degrees, and two teachers that also teach at the college level. All VAPA teachers are dedicated to inspiring and motivating our students to think independently, become good citizens, and to achieve academically and artistically. Taft has long had a strong visual and performing arts program with many award-winning groups and several successful alumni working in the field. With the establishment of VAPA we hope to expand on that success and create new opportunities for our students to excel. An example would be the new collaborative approach we are taking with our end-of-the-year musical. This team project would incorporate vocal and instrumental music, dance, drama, set design, program design, advertising, lighting, and sound engineering. By bringing all members of the VAPA team together in this endeavor we can create a true working community of the arts at Taft. Our proposal includes supporting documentation that attests to our commitment to both the arts and to our students. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our proposal please contact us by phone at Taft High School (818) 227-3600 or by email at [email protected]. Sincerely, Tom Pease Visual & Performing Arts - Lead Teacher Dr. Ogo Johnson Supervising Administrator

mailto:[email protected]


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V. SLC TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CHECKLIST The Office of School Redesign will offer professional development and technical support. What are the greatest challenges that you can foresee at this time to completing your work? What assistance do you need? Please check all that apply and attach to your letter of intent.

Foreseeable Challenges Check All That Apply

Attribute analysis Vision creation/identity

Student outcomes X

Matrix X

School to work transition X

Academic requirements: A-G

Content integration X

Assessments/evaluation

Alterations to facilities

Resilience building

Youth development strategies X

Advisories X

Leadership roles

Bell schedules

Contract issues/waivers

Best practices X

Articulation

Budgets

Sustainability

Community partnerships X

Parent outreach and involvement X

Student outreach and involvement

School staff Outreach and Involvement X

Union (UTLA) agreements

6/5/07 Los Angeles Unified School District: Taft High School (Visual and Performing Arts SLC) Design Proposal

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VI. SLC DESIGN BY ATTRIBUTE:

WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT HIGH SCHOOL

Unifying Vision The Visual and Performing Arts Academy (VAPA) of Taft High School is a small learning community which provides an opportunity for Taft’s diverse student population to experience the arts from both an academic and a performance perspective. Our multi-discipline approach to teaching the arts is designed to bring a greater depth of understanding to the arts by coordinating the curriculum between the Arts, History, English, and Science departments. The VAPA teachers believe that performance and artistic achievement are enhanced when the student understands the historical, cultural, literary, and scientific aspects of a choreographed dance, visual artwork, musical performance, or dramatic presentation. By bringing this kind of relevance to the classroom, our goal is to inspire students to greater achievement, independent thinking, and, ultimately, a life-long appreciation of the arts. Visual and Performing Arts SLC goals include:

• Students will cultivate a passion for the visual and performing arts through performances, art showings, guest speakers and performers, field trips, and by linking the arts to the core curriculum.

• Students will develop an understanding and respect for diverse artistic and cultural perspectives through working with culturally mixed groups on interdisciplinary arts projects.

• Students will demonstrate a familiarity with the canon of the arts through performance and artistic creations. This canon includes the major artistic achievements within each arts group, historically significant works of art, representative works from a variety of cultures, and works that incorporate several art forms such as opera, musicals, film, and multimedia.

The VAPA community is a dynamic environment where fresh ideas, thoughtful discourse, and open communication are encouraged and nurtured between all participants—students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community. This environment is facilitated through several efforts (some are still in the planning stage):

• A VAPA website will keep parents and students informed of upcoming performances and events, as well as provide a ‘homework hotline’ and easy access to teachers’ email addresses. The website will also showcase student work and will be largely managed and created by the students. (Fall 2007)

• A newsletter will also provide communication between parents and teachers, as well as provide another ongoing venue for expression of student work and opinion. (Fall 2007)

• A common planning period allows VAPA teachers and administrators to communicate with each other regarding curriculum and student achievement.


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• Performances, Exhibitions, Open House and Back to School nights all provide students and parents with opportunities to actively participate in the VAPA community.

• Each year students create an interdisciplinary end-of-year project. Currently, our spring musical serves this function.

• Seniors will create an in-depth portfolio to culminate their achievements in VAPA. (Spring 2008)

• Taft’s VAPA has developed partnerships with local businesses and artistic organizations that provide expertise, funding, internship opportunities, guest speakers, performances, mentoring, and/or field trips. Through these real world contacts our student are made aware of the many career opportunities for them in the arts.

• VAPA will have an advisory council composed of teachers, parents, administrators, business and community partners, and students. The advisory council will monitor VAPA progress, refine VAPA’s vision and mission as needed, and help develop partnerships with the business and arts community. (Fall 2007)

• VAPA has an elected student council which helps run VAPA events, advises the VAPA advisory council on student needs, and aids in fundraising.

• VAPA will conduct an end-of-year student and parent survey to determine how well VAPA’s artistic and academic efforts meet the needs of those groups. (Spring 2007)

VAPA’s vision statement will be posted in all classrooms, will be printed on all communications, and will be posted on our website. The vision, however, is more than just words; it is integrated into the daily activities of our students and staff. We live the VAPA vision with every art showing, dance recital, musical performance, and play. It is integrated into our lessons, and it expresses itself in the relationships that student create with each other. It “takes a village” to support this vision and VAPA is fortunate to have the full support of the Taft village. VAPA works with the Taft counseling department, the VAPA counselor and the head counselor to create a master schedule and individual programming that best provides for the needs of our students. VAPA has a good relationship with the plant manager and District 1 maintenance and operations managers to ensure that Taft facilities are able to meet to our goals. VAPA staff coordinates with counselors, deans, and administrators to support proper student conduct. VAPA will make budgetary decisions with the input and support of the VAPA student council and the VAPA staff. When elected, VAPA will also seek the input of the VAPA advisory board. VAPA teachers are open-minded to new ideas, work hard to create innovative lessons, and are by nature collaborative and enthusiastic. VAPA administrators are supportive of the role of the teacher, and provide guidance and resources to achieve our goals. VAPA students and parents are active participants in the high school experience. Through the efforts of each of these stakeholders, VAPA will inspire students to achieve academic and artistic excellence, independent thinking and personal growth.


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Identity Taft’s Visual and Performing Arts Academy seeks to provide a unique learning environment where students can develop their artistic interests and abilities in a rigorous academic setting. Within the local artistic and academic community, VAPA will be seen as a leader in developing students who are creative, thoughtful people. The VAPA environment will be known as a place where students learn how to express themselves in both the artistic and academic languages. We will be seen as a place that develops the next generation of art lovers, independent thinkers, responsible citizens, and expert practitioners of thoughtful self-expression, while providing a thorough foundation in the technical skills required for a career in the arts and academic skills to succeed in a post-secondary arts education. VAPA already provide students with a variety of resources to achieve this goal, and is planning to acquire other resources as funding becomes available. All classrooms have access to a DVD player, LCD projector, computers, and other technology. Currently, our performances take place in Taft Hall, however, the acoustics and physical arrangement of the hall make it less than adequate for such events. A performance venue is being planned through a QZAB grant that would provide an integrated space for music, drama, and dance performances. Taft’s location is expedient for providing a myriad of meaningful field trip opportunities to local museums, performances, and arts-related businesses. Partnerships have been and will continue to be developed with community businesses to provide exposure to the variety of careers in the arts, as well as provide potential internships. VAPA will also invite local professionals to speak to VAPA students through a developing Speakers program. VAPA currently has an enrollment of about 350 heterogeneous students. We plan to increase VAPA student enrollment to nearly 500 students by the 2008-09 school year. VAPA SLC students will be in VAPA-specific classes for at least two-thirds of their school day. VAPA will have an administrator, counselor, and lead teacher to oversee the SLC. The head counselor will integrate VAPA classes into the master schedule. VAPA teachers work closely with their coordinator and administrator to have their interests represented to the Leadership Team and to the School Site Council (SSC). Decisions made by the Leadership Team and the SSC directly relate to budget, student conduct, facilities, master schedule, student programming, student behavior, and safety. VAPA staff, students, parents, and community members are working together to go beyond normal school resources in order to raise funds for our SLC and to bring in other community resources such as guest speakers and performers. VAPA’s vision statement will be posted in all classrooms, will be printed on all communications, and will be posted on our website. Already, through classroom discussions, VAPA assemblies, and individual counseling, students are able to articulate the vision and goals of VAPA and how those impact their own educational objectives.


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VAPA students’ achievements are shared with the school in a variety of ways. School-wide PA announcements are made when our groups (such as Play Production, Orchestra, Vocal Ensemble and Dance Team) win or achieve superior ratings at festivals. Concerts, plays and art showings are given throughout the year where Taft students, parents, and staff can see how our students are performing. In addition, a VAPA award is given at the senior awards ceremony in the spring. Currently VAPA classes are spread across the Taft campus. The reason for this is that certain facilities such as the dance rooms, the music rooms and the drama room, are dedicated rooms designed for those specific classes and cannot be moved. Academic classes are scheduled to move to the E building in the fall of 2009. See the following map.

The presence of the Visual and Performing Arts SLC is already demonstrated campus-wide. Our students and faculty proudly wear their VAPA sweatshirts and tee-shirts and their concerts, plays, and art showings are an integral part of Taft High School and the surrounding community. Students are eager to share their VAPA experiences and accomplishments with other students, staff, and parents. The creativity of VAPA students is appreciated site wide by the mural production of VAPA seniors on the halls of Taft High School. Every spring VAPA seniors in Art are assigned (by class) a wall segment of the main building on which to design, produce, and paint a collaborative, thematic mural. Taft High School students, staff, and parents will be made aware of the VAPA students’ achievements through public performances and showing. In addition, VAPA SLC staff members will share their accomplishments with other faculty at staff development meetings. Parents and


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community members will be made aware of our vision and goals through letters home, email communication and via the VAPA web site. VAPA’s identity is projected on campus by the VAPA sweatshirts and tee shirts that VAPA students and faculty wear. VAPA campus arts projects and service learning activities also help to let the Taft community know about VAPA. In addition, VAPA has created its own logo as seen below.


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Equity and Access VAPA SLC is open to any student with an interest in the arts. VAPA articulates with local middle schools to inform students and parents about our SLC, through visits by VAPA representatives to local middle schools, student visits to VAPA SLC classes, and the development of an informative VAPA website (planned for fall 2007), and promotional materials. Furthermore, VAPA works with Taft counselors to ensure that students coming from outside the Taft area will be made aware of the VAPA SLC’s vision, programs and course offerings. All students have access to VAPA curriculum if they are interested in following an educational and career path that focuses on the arts. It is not VAPA’s goal to attract only individuals who will become artists; the primary objective of VAPA is to encourage students to assume an artistic perspective in their pursuit of educational and career opportunities. Students and parents complete an interest survey and application that allows VAPA counselors, teachers and administrators to suggest the most appropriate classes (dance, drama, music or fine arts) for the ninth grade that align with each student’s interests and abilities. While some VAPA courses are grade-level-specific, many, such as Vocal Ensemble and Dance Team, are a combination of ninth through twelfth graders. All classes include special education, gifted, and ELL students. All VAPA students will participate at least once a year in some public display of their art. The VAPA instructional, administrative and counseling team’s weekly meetings are twice a month devoted to facilitating development, implementation and evaluation of VAPA curriculum (i.e., thematic integration, inter-disciplinary approaches), programs, and personalized instruction. In order to embrace and celebrate the ethnic diversity of its student body, the VAPA curriculum includes an emphasis on multi-cultural activities within the curriculum. Several classes have specific units on the art of various cultures, while others include a wide range of cultural repertoire in their performances. As an example, Vocal Ensemble has recently performed a Baroque Jewish cantata movement, an African-American spiritual, a Muslim children’s song from the Philippines, an Argentinean folk song, as well as standard Western choral literature. VAPA offers personalized instruction and modified curriculum to meet each student’s needs through a variety of techniques such as scaffolding, differentiated instruction, and the use of culturally relevant materials. VAPA has an EL specialist and special education teacher to assist in ensuring that a wide range of educational strategies and learning modalities are being used to address the needs of all VAPA students. VAPA English teachers and some instructors of other subjects are CLAD certified. All VAPA classes are taught by teachers who are highly qualified in their areas of expertise.


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VAPA SLC classes adjust course programming in order to meet the needs of students and interests of parents. Students may enroll in AP and Honors classes outside of the SLC, if they are eligible. VAPA SLC teachers work with students and counselors to ensure that students are advised about AP and Honors course offerings and requirements. VAPA currently offers AP Studio Drawing and 3-D, and AP Music Theory. VAPA supports the academic success of all its students. VAPA SLC teachers, counselors, and administrators meet at least once a month to discuss students’ progress, accomplishments, and needs (including evaluation of portfolios and projects). The VAPA instructional, administrative and counseling team have developed a system of assessing students’ success and making mid-course adjustments as indicated. VAPA counselors provide teachers with student information (home language, IEP accommodations, etc.) and generate special reports that indicate those students receiving unsatisfactory marks. Teachers also share their own observations and assessments of students with other instructional, administrative and counseling team members. VAPA SLC teachers work with counselors, deans and administrators to implement early academic intervention for students in need. Teachers contact parents to help students achieve, and, if necessary, arrange conferences with all parties to resolve issues. Starting in the fall of 2007, VAPA SLC teachers will work closely with the ninth Life Skills teacher to improve study skills. Currently VAPA classes are spread across the Taft campus. The reason for this is that certain facilities such as the dance rooms, the music rooms and the drama room, are dedicated rooms designed for those specific classes and cannot be moved. Academic classes are scheduled to move to the E building in the fall of 2009. In the past classes have been moved to accommodate the access of students with disabilities (wheelchairs). To ensure the safety of our students and to help manage crisis situations, selected teachers in each building have walkie-talkies.

Starting in the 2007-08 school year, VAPA SLC students will be teamed up with student mentors to foster community and help by modeling better behavior and high achievement.

As a complement to the support of the VAPA counselor(s) and administrators, VAPA have in place a “Teacher Advisory” support system whereby teachers will assist students in course selection, career exploration and internship programs, according to students’ interests and abilities.


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Personalization VAPA SLC students receive personalized instruction that reflects the multicultural experiences of our students and their interests in the arts. Taft is a true multicultural school. Our students come from a wide variety of ethnic, socio-economic, religious, and cultural backgrounds. VAPA classes allow students to delve deeper into their own heritage as well as learn about others through multicultural arts units, a wide variety of performance repertoire, and students’ sharing their won experiences through their art. For example, our second year Design class incorporates four ten-week multicultural units on Latin, African-American, Pan Asian, and Middle Eastern art. Core curriculum instructional material has an emphasis on the arts while still addressing the California State Standards. Artistic resources, such as plays, music, choreography, and paintings are related to core academic content. The VAPA SLC and core content teachers coordinate their instructional activities so students see how the arts relate to their academic classes. VAPA is currently has an enrollment of about 350 heterogeneous students. We plan to increase that to nearly 500 students by the 2008-09 school year. Staff and other students can easily recognize VAPA students by their VAPA sweatshirts and tee-shirts. Furthermore, adults know VAPA students through VAPA assemblies and discussions at our weekly VAPA staff meetings. The VAPA SLC program is designed to allow students to enter their art classes at an appropriate level, and to progress to more advance classes. Instruction is bases on diverse learning styles. In some cases English teachers will be looped. VAPA has an EL specialist and special education teacher to assist in ensuring that a wide range of educational strategies and learning modalities are being used to address the needs of all VAPA students. The use of IEPs and collaborating with special education teachers help facilitate instructional strategies for students with exceptional needs. Arts students have traditionally had a strong desire to express themselves individually and to create their own identity. VAPA helps students achieve this by building a climate of acceptance where all students and staff are committed to the students’ freedom of expression. Through the sharing of art, we teach students how to be critical in a constructive way without being negative or derogatory. Students enter at beginning level of visual arts, dance, vocal, drama, and music, or may test/audition to move to a higher level. Students matriculate into higher-level classes each year. Students have the opportunity to continue with the same teacher and in some cases with the same students. This allows the students to create a relationship with the teacher as well as to foster individual and group acceptance. Students work in collaborative groups in a team teaching environment on community projects. VAPA SLC students have monthly activities that showcase their artistic and academic achievements. Our performing art students participate in various competitions around the community as well as performances for local businesses. The visual art


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students assigned a display are in school offices: health, main, counseling, dean, etc. and they have a monthly assignment of creating and displaying art based on a monthly theme. This teaches students leadership responsibilities as well as a sense of freedom to express themselves. VAPA SLC students have the opportunity to attend after school activities that feature guest speakers, performers and guest artists. Next year, students will create a personalized passport which will allow them entrance into these performances as well as earn them a stamp. VAPA students will need a total of three stamps per semester for their after school activity grade. VAPA SLC teachers are able to access students’ cumulative files in the counseling department, and have access to other student information through ISIS. VAPA teachers meet weekly during our conference period to discuss our students, addressing both their successes and their needs. The VAPA counselor and VAPA administrator attend two times a month. During this time we are able to express or concerns about students whom we feel will benefit through the use of tutoring, counseling, or other intervention programs. The VAPA counselor and administrator visits our classes frequently to become familiar with the students enrolled in our VAPA SLC. VAPA SLC teachers are available for parent conferences and meet with parents at back to school night and open house. In addition, the first Monday of each month, students, parents, and our community partners are invited to our VAPA SLC teacher meetings. Beginning next year, during the first week of school, we will hold a breakfast to welcome the new VAPA students. The advance VAPA students will host the breakfast which allows them to introduce themselves to the new students. The breakfast will be opened to parents and community partners as well. Our website will allow for further communication opportunities including email. All VAPA SLC students work with the VAPA counselor to have a written graduation plan and a postsecondary plan, they will complete their IGP with their counselor. Through guest speakers, field trips, and supplemental instructional materials, VAPA SLC students are made aware of the wide variety of careers available to them in the arts and entertainment industry. Fieldtrips have been arranged to:

• CAL Arts • Disney studios • Gene Autry Museum • El Pueblo de Los Angeles

--Students will collaborate with the park to act as docents In the near future, VAPA plans to solicit alumni to help us with certain projects, be adult mentors, and help supervise fieldtrips and activities. This will be facilitated by the use of the Taft Alumni pages on the Taft website.


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Rigorous Standards-Based Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment VAPA’s interdisciplinary rigorous curriculum utilizes a broad-based art centered approach to teaching through which students cultivate a passion for the visual and performing arts. The VAPA curriculum, philosophy, and pedagogy are consistent with Federal, State, District, and school guidelines and requirements. All VAPA classes are aligned to the state standards, which are posted in each classroom. The focus of VAPA aligns with Taft’s ESLRs, especially the ESLR concerned with “Individual Growth.” VAPA provides students course offerings and a sequence of classes that align to District graduation requirements and fulfill the A-G University of California admissions requirements. The VAPA counselor programs VAPA students to ensure that they are given every opportunity to meet these requirements and standards. In order to provide every Taft student an opportunity to take arts classes, VAPA teachers may teach arts classes outside of the VAPA SLC. Non-VAPA students will be able to passport in to VAPA classes such as Vocal Ensemble and Orchestra. As our SLC grows, we plan to offer AP and Honors classes within VAPA. In the meantime, qualified VAPA students may passport into those classes. VAPA teachers frequently work beyond the regular school day in order to provide students with unique arts learning experiences. Our instrumental music teacher conducts a band camp two weeks before the start of school. Our vocal music teacher and our drama teacher work extensive hours after school in the spring in order to put on a musical. Several of our teachers coordinate informal trips to museums, art showings, and concerts that occur after school or on weekends. VAPA articulates with local middle schools to ensure that incoming students are prepared to be successful in our program. The VAPA coordinator, along with other SLC coordinators, visits these schools to talk to potential Taft students about the VAPA SLC. In addition, VAPA teachers have established personal and professional relationships with several of the arts teachers at our feeder schools. This allows us to better coordinate curriculum across the middle school/high school divide, and in many cases allows us to get to know incoming students before they arrive at Taft. VAPA also communicates with Pierce College, CSUN and other colleges through personal contacts and professional meetings. These links help VAPA teachers design curriculum, lessons, and academic and artistic standards that better prepares our students for success at the college level. VAPA has also formed partnerships with several arts organizations that assist us in preparing our students for careers in the arts. Media City Ballet, the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Shakespeare at Play are just a few of the organizations that we are in contact with and that advise us on what is expected of an artist in the working world of art. VAPA students are assessed using a variety of methods. Standardized tests, periodic departmental assessments, projects, essays, reports, PowerPoint presentations, and departmental


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finals are the more typical forms of assessment found in our classrooms. As an arts centered SLC, however, we also place special importance on assessments that demonstrate a student’s proficiency in their chosen arts form. These include performance evaluations, exhibits, festival evaluations, and arts projects. The ability to incorporate arts based activities as part of the assessment in the core curriculum is also a unique feature of VAPA. For example, VAPA theater students might act a scene from Romeo and Juliet as part of an English class assessment. VAPA students also take part in the following curricular and assessment strategies:

• Project-Based Learning: Interdisciplinary teams of teachers work together to develop integrated projects. Projects integrate the skills and knowledge students will need to work in the arts and entertainment industry. Our end of the year project is a Broadway musical that incorporates instrumental music, vocal music, acting, dancing, set design, program design, lighting, and sound.

• Portfolios: Students compile a collection of work that demonstrates their skills, interests, talents, and ambitions. The portfolio includes such work as writing samples, letters of recommendation, a complete resume, and examples of their artistic accomplishments. The portfolio can exist as either a physical or digital collection, or both. By the time VAPA students graduate they will have compiled a representative body of work that can be used for college admissions and job interviews.

All assessments are aligned with the California State standards. In addition, arts assessments are designed to be in keeping with the rubrics created by arts groups such as national arts education organizations (i.e. the Music Educators National Conference), and local arts education groups. VAPA students also produce a minimum of one rigorous, standards-based activity per week, per class. At the end of the year, VAPA students work on a group project such as a musical that incorporates all the arts in to one performance. VAPA is open to all students. Teachers work with other staff to be certain that all our students are equally and effectively served. For example, VAPA is assigned an EL specialist and a special education teacher to assist in ensuring that a wide range of educational strategies and learning modalities are used to address the needs of our students. In order for VAPA students to meet all their UC A-G requirements and take an arts class every year we encourage them to take summer school for at least one summer. Suggested summer school classes are Life Skills/Health, PE, or Intro to Computers A/B. Currently dance and Marching Band students can count those classes for PE, thus relieving some of the strain on their schedule. Below is a possible schedule that does not include summer school or the PE substitutions.


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VAPA Scope and Sequence of courses

Subject 9th Grade 10th Grade 11th Grade 12th Grade

English English 9A/B or 2 hr.

English 10 A/B Am. Literature / Contemp. Comp.

Expo Comp/ Lit. Analysis

Math Algebra 1 A/B or Geom. A/B

Geom. A/B or Algebra 2

Algebra 2 A/B or Math Analysis A/B

Math Analysis A/B or AP Calculus or None

Science None Biology A/B Chemistry A/B Physics A/B or none

Foreign Lang. None For. Lang. 1 A/B For. Lang. 2 A/B For. Lang. 3 A/B or None

Technical Art Intro to Computers A/B

None None

None

Social Studies None World History US History Gov/Econ

Visual Art / Performing Art

VAPA arts class VAPA arts class

VAPA arts class VAPA arts class

Life Skills / Health

Life Skills/ Health

None None None

Physical Education

P.E. or Dance A/B Or Sports

None None P.E. or Dance A/B Or Sports

VAPA teachers meet once a week to collaborate on instructional strategies, data analysis, and long term planning. These meetings are also used to coordinate curriculum, develop common assessments, and to plan for VAPA assemblies, guest speakers, and workshops. In addition, informal discussions of student progress at these meetings help VAPA teachers identify students who are beginning to have problems academically before these problems become serious. VAPA has a strategy in place to assist students who are having academic problems. After every grading period, our counselor creates a list of students who have two or more Ds and Fails and/or excessive absences. This list is shared with VAPA teachers at our weekly meeting. Teachers then design targeted individual intervention strategies that will be successful with a particular student. Such strategies may include after school tutoring, parent contact (by phone, email or at a conference), counseling services such as with our diploma program advisor, and referral to programs such as Beyond the Bell and Saturday school. Not to be overlooked, however, is the power of personal contact of several VAPA teachers with a struggling student and their interest in seeing that that student succeeds academically. VAPA students demonstrate mastery in the use of technology that relates to the arts as well as general technology skills. Students learn to use technology that includes digital recording, web


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design, graphic design programs, video production, and stop-motion video. In the future, students will assist in the creation and updating of our VAPA website. Students fulfill their technical art requirement either through classes within our SLC or through technology classes open to the whole school.


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Accountability and Leadership VAPA teachers are individually and collectively committed to the success of all VAPA students. They create a caring and nurturing arts community by modeling high artistic standards through their own art achievements, by creating a learning environment where experimentation is encouraged and accepted, and by advocating the VAPA mission statement that is posted in all VAPA teachers’ rooms. VAPA teachers meet once a week during their common conference period and, in addition to coordinating curriculum, analyzing student data, and discussing student achievement, they make decisions regarding VAPA policies, projects, and goals. Decisions are made by the consensus of all VAPA teachers. If consensus cannot be reached, a vote is taken with a simple majority deciding the issue. VAPA teachers create subcommittees to handle specific VAPA needs and to coordinate VAPA projects. Parents are able to give input into the decisions by either attending these VAPA meetings or by phone or email. The VAPA student council is the main vehicle for students to have a say in VAPA decisions. When appropriate, a VAPA student council member attends the weekly teacher meetings. The VAPA student council is elected by VAPA students and is responsible for advising VAPA teachers on VAPA policy. They also help coordinate VAPA events such as assemblies, fund raising, logo creation, design and sale of VAPA sweatshirts, and campus beautification projects. The student council is made up of two students from each arts group (two visual arts, two dance, two drama, one instrumental music, one vocal music) and one at-large representative. The teacher sponsor for the VAPA student council works with students to develop their leadership skills by advising them on communicating with their constituency, helping them to create a VAPA bulletin board, and training them to handle public relations. The VAPA student council meets at least twice a month. The Taft High School administration supports VAPA by programming students into the correct classes, giving VAPA teachers a common planning period, providing special staff development for all SLCs including VAPA, and by providing financial support. The principal and other administrators support VAPA by attending VAPA events such as music and dance concerts, arts showings, and plays. Other administrative support includes assistance from District Arts Coordinators and District sponsored festivals, as well as help from local school services such as Taft’s PSA counselor and the VAPA counselor. The VAPA administrator and coordinator ensure that VAPA students and teachers are receiving adequate administrative support. When there are issues concerning administrative support, those issues are brought before the Leadership Team or the School Site Council for resolution. SLC coordinators, including the VAPA coordinator, attend the weekly meeting of the Taft Leadership Team. These meetings give all SLC coordinators an opportunity to discuss common SLC interests such as student discipline, attendance policies, student data analysis, instructional strategies, and financial support. Information from these meetings is brought back to the VAPA teachers at their weekly common planning time meetings. At that time, the VAPA teachers have the opportunity to give feedback to the Leadership Team through their coordinator.


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The administration, technology support personnel and VAPA coordinator provide VAPA teachers with a variety of student data including grades analysis, CST scores, periodic assessment scores, and CAHSEE results. VAPA teachers also use a variety of internal assessments specific to the arts. These include rubric based evaluations of art works, festival ratings and commentaries, student performance self-evaluations, critiques of video and audio recorded performances, and standards based portfolio assessments. All data is shared with VAPA teachers at their weekly meetings, is discussed, and is used to modify instructional strategies and meet the needs of individual students. In addition, a portion of staff development time is used for training teachers to interpret data and use the results to modify instructional strategies. The Taft administration, technology coordinator, and technology support personnel in conjunction with the District’s technology staff ensure that VAPA teachers and students have functioning technology in the classroom that promotes student achievement. VAPA teachers also receive professional development on ISIS, the use of arts related technology and incorporating technology into the curriculum. VAPA teachers work closely with their coordinator and administrator to have their interests represented to the Leadership Team and to the School Site Council (SSC). Decisions made by the Leadership Team and the SSC directly relate to budget, student conduct, facilities, master schedule, student programming, student behavior, and safety. VAPA staff, students, parents, and community members work together to go beyond normal school resources in order to raise funds for our SLC and to bring in other community resources such as guest speakers and performers. VAPA is constantly evaluating the effectiveness of the SLC. CST scores are examined in the early fall, and CAHSEE scores in the spring. Periodic assessment analysis takes place twice a semester. Festival ratings are ongoing throughout the year. Parent and student surveys take place in late spring. The data from all these sources is shared with VAPA teachers at their weekly meetings or on special SLC staff development days. The analysis of the data is used to determine the policies and instructional strategies that VAPA will use in the future. VAPA conducts an assembly early in the school year to let students know what the vision, goals, and expectations are for students. The assembly includes showings and performances by advanced VAPA students so that all VAPA students may understand that VAPA has high artistic standards. VAPA not only expects its students to adhere to Taft’s code of conduct, but is in the process of developing its own set of student behavior standards particular to arts students. These will include concert behavior, acceptance of others’ artistic works, and respect for other cultures’ works of art. VAPA teachers work closely with parents, counselors and deans to assist students who are having difficulty with maintaining appropriate behavior. VAPA also sends home a letter to parents informing them of VAPA’s vision, goals and expectations so that parents may become an important component of the support team. VAPA is currently developing a website that can further inform parents, students and staff about VAPA’s mission and activities.


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Collaboration, Parent And Community Engagement VAPA SLC has established partnerships with local businesses such as Disney, Media City Ballet, the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra, the Canoga Youth Arts Program, the Gene Autry Museum, Song Makers, Shakespeare at Play, Target, Ralph’s Grocery, Starbucks, and Trader Joes. VAPA also partners with local educational institutions such as CSUN, Pierce College, and Los Angeles City College. Starting next year, visual art students will collaborate in design and marketing with Target, Ralph’s grocery, Starbucks, and Trader Joes by creating ten displays (monthly basis) per school year. Our visual arts student work will be displayed at:

• Gene Autry Museum • CSUN • Pierce College • Visual art students will be docents for El Dia de Los Muertos, collaborating with Olvera

street merchants Partnership activities include field trips to partners, guest speakers, work experience opportunities, and performances at partners’ locations. Beginning next year, on the first Monday of each month, parents and community partners will be asked for input into the development of curriculum and instructional strategies at our common planning time meetings. They will also be asked to contribute ideas on how to expand and improve our VAPA SLC and about ideas on tutoring or other services that can help their child learn and grow. Minutes of these meetings will be published on our website. At our other weekly VAPA meetings, teachers review student work and progress. During those meetings VAPA staff will also review curriculum, develop cross-disciplinary strategies, and theme-bases projects. VAPA SLC informs prospective parents and students about our program by:

• Recruiting students from our local middle schools • Holding assemblies and art show to recruit students already attending our school • Mailing out our VAPA SLC brochures • VAPA SLC website (planned for fall 2007) • Presenting at our ninth grade parent orientation meeting in June

VAPA SLC parents as well as students will be able to evaluate the SLC’s strengths and weaknesses through a survey conducted at the end of the school year. The results of this survey will be used to modify curriculum, events, and projects for the following year. The arts provide many opportunities for parents to be actively involved. At VAPA performances, students and parents sell food and drinks that our community partners have donated. Parents also volunteer to:

• Make costumes • Construct sets • Help in the classrooms • Chaperone fieldtrips • Help with fundraising


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• Donate art supplies On college day (planned for the 2007-08 school year), VAPA SLC will have colleges and businesses speak to VAPA students. In the beginning of each school year, our VAPA students create a new design for our VAPA SLC sweatshirts. Our student elected VAPA council votes on which design wins. The VAPA council is composed of nine students that are elected yearly. The council consists of two visual art students, two drama students, two dance students, one vocal student, one music student and one student at large. The student council meets two times a month during lunch to discuss:

• Art shows • Performances • Recruitment possibilities • Fieldtrips • Fundraising

Prior to the ten-week mark, VAPA SLC will have a conference night (planned for the 2007-08 school year). At this conference, students will:

• Show parents/guardians two of their projects • Explain the criteria for each project • Discuss the grade they received and why

VAPA teachers and student council will help set up the conference night. VAPA SLC students currently work to promote the arts within the community and at Taft High School by:

• Displaying monthly seasonal work at Target, Ralph’s grocery, Starbucks, Trader Joes, and in offices, throughout our school

• Theater performances • Art shows • Music concerts • Dance shows • Artist highlight article in Taft’s Tribune • Campus beautification (murals) • Artwork displayed yearly in bulletin cases around the campus • Final performance

VAPA SLC teachers will celebrate accomplishments by having a year-end award ceremony (planned for 2008), which will include:

• Award recognition for dance, drama, music, vocal, and art performances, and contests • Certificates of appreciation • Most improved students • Parent volunteer recognition • Community partner recognition


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Professional Development In accordance with VAPA’s vision statement, VAPA supports and recognizes the importance of professional development for faculty members, administrators and counselors, through the following strategies:

• VAPA faculty members are personally involved in the arts as artists or performers and continue to develop their crafts. VAPA teachers will continue to gain appreciation and understanding of the various needs, demands and special aspects pertaining to the visual and performing arts. At least one staff development per year should be arts focused, and help develop the teacher as an artists as well as an instructor.

• VAPA SLC teachers, counselors, and administrators meet at least once a week. One

meeting a month is dedicated to discussing operational needs and procedures of VAPA; one meeting a month is set aside for discussion of students’ progress, accomplishments, and needs (including evaluation of portfolios and projects); and two meetings per month are devoted to development, implementation and evaluation of VAPA curriculum (i.e., thematic integration, inter-disciplinary approaches), programs, and personalized instruction. Every year some staff development time is allocated help teachers understand the various types of student data that are available, and how that data can be used to modify instruction. Other professional development informs teachers on the resources available at Taft High School such as: Beyond the Bell, Saturday School, tutoring, Taft’s diploma program advisor, and our PSA counselor.

• As a complement to the support of the VAPA counselor(s) and administrators, VAPA

will have in place (Fall 2007) a “Teacher Advisory” support system whereby teachers will assist students in course selection, career exploration and internship programs, according to students’ interests and abilities. VAPA staff members will be instructed on how the system works, their role in the system, and how to best implement it.

• VAPA faculty will pursue continuing education through conferences, advanced degree

programs, and other educational programs such as the Getty Art-Centered Education Program. VAPA teachers are encouraged to implement and share results of new, experimental teaching methods.

• Guest speakers, artists and district specialists are invited to make presentations to VAPA

faculty, administrators and counselors. When appropriate, students, parents and community partners are invited to participate.

• VAPA faculty are encouraged to attend productions of the performing arts and

exhibitions of the visual arts taking place outside of Taft High School, particularly those of our post-secondary partners such as Pierce College and California State University, Northridge.


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• Next year, VAPA faculty’s professional development will include exploring ways of developing multi-cultural activities within the curriculum. Examples of culturally-relevant professional development might be attending culturally-diverse artistic performances and exhibits.

• Also next year, we plan to have teachers, parents, administrators, and counselors visit

other schools that have Visual and Performing Arts SLCs.

• VAPA faculty members share their knowledge and abilities with colleagues, parents, and students in order to promote understanding of, contribute expertise toward, and cultivate passion for the many aspects of an arts-based, interdisciplinary curriculum.

• Teachers, parents, administrators, and counselors visit other participating Taft VAPA

teachers’ classes in order to strengthen VAPA’s arts-based, interdisciplinary curriculum and facilitate a greater understanding of each teacher’s subject, teaching styles, and student activities.

• VAPA counselor(s) and teachers have and will continue to develop knowledge of post-

secondary options and requirements specifically for students pursuing the arts and will guide students in the selection, application and audition process.

• Select VAPA faculty members will pursue specialized training to prepare them to teach

Advanced Placement classes. VAPA currently offers AP Studio Drawing and 3-D, and AP Music Theory.

• Professional development will address the new District initiative to implement a new

Career-Tech program that will ensure the career-readiness of every student.

• VAPA faculty and parents work to develop a collaborative relationship with the outside arts community, faculty of our post-secondary partners (such as Pierce College and California State University, Northridge), and community businesses. Future professional development will focus on furthering that relationship.

VAPA supports the academic success of all students. Taft High School is committed to creating a community of “well-prepared graduates who are college and career ready” through the A-G initiative. The VAPA instructional, administrative and counseling team have a system of assessing students’ success and making mid-course adjustments as indicated. The VAPA counselor provides teachers with student information (home language, IEP accommodations, etc.) and generates special reports that indicate students receiving unsatisfactory marks. Teachers also share their own observations and assessments of students with other instructional, administrative and counseling team members. VAPA teachers make use of resources and programs already available at Taft to further inform instruction. Our literacy coach works with our English teachers to develop curriculum and


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instructional strategies. Our VAPA coordinator is on Taft’s staff development committee that is creating professional development for the school as a whole. The focus of that PD is inline with VAPA’s goals. For example, the committee is stressing culturally relevant instruction and the use of student data to inform and modify instruction as part of its professional development plan. VAPA teachers take advantage of a variety of District and outside resources for professional development as well. Grammy in the Schools Day allows teachers and students to speak to people who have a variety of careers in the performing arts. Beyond the Bell brought to Taft author Tony Thornton (The Choral Singers Handbook) to speak to students and staff about choral signing. Festivals such as the Shakespeare Festival, the LAUSD music festivals, and the Los Angeles Master Chorale Festival give teachers and students alike an opportunity to receive constructive criticism and recommendations for improvement.

Documents

Smaller Learning Communities vapa slc proposal … · grounded in engaging thematic content, personalization, instructional support for faculty, and academic intervention. Small Learning