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WASC accreditation terms received by Ivy, FUHS

On May 22 letters were received by Ivy High School and Fallbrook High School denoting the new terms of accreditation based on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) visiting committee reviews that took place in March.

Ivy, Fallbrook Union High School District’s continuation high school, was granted an impressive six-year accreditation with a midterm review, expiring in 2014.

Fallbrook High School, with many improvements noted, earned a three-year accreditation, as it did in 2005.

Oasis High School, the home study alternative high school, has applied for initial WASC accreditation, is in the process of beginning the self-study and is scheduled to receive a visit next year.

Ivy High School

Lisa Broomfield, principal of Ivy High School for the past two years, after receiving the news that her school had been awarded a rare six-year accreditation, said the first thing she did was thank God.

In past years, the school has received three-year accreditation terms, so when Broomfield heard the news she immediately told her WASC coordinator, Dana Smith.

“[Smith] did a fantastic job putting everything together,” Broomfield said. “I just couldn’t believe it. I was so excited and happy.”

The Ivy WASC committee, comprised of staff, board members, parents and community members, put forth a “tremendous amount of effort,” Broomfield said.

The key, she explained, was “a single focus: increasing student achievement.”

“It is a great tribute to Mrs. Broomfield and the staff on serving a very challenging group of students,” said Dr. Robert French, interim superintendent of FUHSD and a 52-year veteran of education. “

have answered the needs of the students and the visiting team saw that. A six-year accreditation, with a one-day visit in-between, is about as ‘A’ as you can get. Rarely do you see that.”

Some of the areas that Ivy administration and staff have shown improvement in since the last WASC review include implementing a strong system of data analysis and increased training for teachers in using measurable benchmarks for student progress; adding a full-time academic certificated counselor to help students maintain high academic standards; improved communication between teachers, students and parents; the creation and implementation of Individual Learning Plans for all students to understand their graduation and testing status; implementation of a trimester program; implementation of ‘Ivy Alerts’ for students at risk of failing classes; a partnership with Fallbrook School of the Arts for design and sculpture classes; and more.

Since students admitted to Ivy typically struggle with test scores in both reading and math and many have poor attendance histories, areas listed for ongoing improvement included increasing student passing rate on state-mandated assessment tests, increasing the number of credits students earn each trimester and improving attendance rates.

Broomfield explained that systems that have been implemented at Ivy are steadily improving these areas. Switching to a trimester program and offering a new computer ROP class after school, she said, has allowed students increased opportunity to earn credits. A Learning Center allows students to retake classes they have failed.

“Each month students who have perfect attendance are entered into a raffle for a $100 Best Buy [gift] card, and that has generated a great deal of excitement, as you can imagine,” Broomfield said. “During STAR testing, we give students with perfect attendance a carne asada burrito and they absolutely love that!”

How conventional or unconventional the methods Broomfield and her staff have used are, the six-year accreditation validates their success.

“My staff goes above and beyond to do whatever is needed to ensure student success,” Broomfield said. “There is no limit or boundary and we will try almost anything and steal any good idea we see!”

Fallbrook High School

While the traditional high school received another three-year term of accreditation from its 2008 WASC review, it was positively noted by the committee that Fallbrook High had made many improvements since their last visit and, in particular, “has begun to address access to a rigorous curriculum for all students.” Principal Rod King said that means the school is making strides to go to all college prep level courses in the core subjects and ensuring students are prepared to succeed in them.

King worked closely with Steve Kettering, who served as WASC coordinator for the school for the first time. Kettering received accolades for the successful outcome of the review from both the administration and staff.

Kettering shared the praise by crediting his coworkers: “The entire staff embraced the WASC process.”

“Kettering was a real leader; he pulled it together,” French said. “He got the staff to address some major concerns and they addressed those concerns beautifully.”

“Steve Kettering can walk on water as far as the staff is concerned; he’s pulled them together,” French said.

Kettering and King both said they were pleased with the visiting committee’s findings. King, in his eighth year with the District and concluding his second year as principal, was especially gratified at one particular compliment the committee paid to the school.

“One thing [the] WASC [committee] said when they came through was that we were truly becoming a professional learning community,” King said. “What that means is that as a professional learning community we continually look at what we are doing, what’s working, what’s not working, and continually monitor whether our expectations are as high as they should be.” King said he is convinced that will lead to achieving an important goal he has established – for Fallbrook High to become a California Distinguished School.

“Our goal is to get a six-year clear <accreditation>; if we get that, we will be a Distinguished School,” he explained. With the improvements noted this time around, King said he is pleased that progress is underway toward that goal.

“It’s like trying to turn the Titanic,” he said, of the effort involved with a school and staff the size of Fallbrook High School.

Improvements noted at Fallbrook High over the past three years included the establishment of weekly collaboration between teachers used for creating benchmark assessment, pacing guides and analyzing data; establishment of benchmarks in core areas and using assessment data to drive instruction; the creation of an ELD department to meet the needs of second language learners; and increased rigor in English 9 and 10 and in world history to encourage higher level thinking, a beginning step to adding rigor to all core courses.

The committee lauded the fact that the faculty is planning to implement mandatory tutoring for students at basic, below basic and far below basic levels or for those with a grade point average below 2.0.

In addition, plans were disclosed by the staff for expanding the credit recovery system for students below grade level.

The report also noted the fact that there had been a 40 percent turnover in the teaching staff since their last visit and that the teachers are “demonstrating a willingness to embrace the WASC improvement process.”

Kettering reiterated that belief and spoke of the challenge involved with a significant number of new staff members.

“The challenge related to the turnover was to integrate all of the new staff into a WASC process that was already moving forward,” he said. “I am very proud of the entire staff, ‘old’ and ‘new,’ for coming together to make the WASC process work so well.”

Sixty-one teachers out of the staff of 152 have come on board at Fallbrook High School within the last three years. Coincidentally, it was reported in the 2008 findings that more teachers are focused on the use of higher thinking skills, student engagement and checking for understanding and the use of technology.

Of the school’s newest teachers, French said, “Some of these brand new or second-year teachers are absolutely incredible. They are unbelievable. How could you not be motivated and learn?”

The WASC committee recommended that the staff consider identifying teachers on staff whose instructional skills exemplify best practices and have them coach their colleagues.

It was explained that it is the WASC coordinator’s duty to inform new teachers of the school’s goals and guide the leadership team (department heads and Focus Group leaders) in addressing and documenting success on the 7 Critical Areas and Key Issues and lead the staff in thoughtfully responding to student achievement data.

“[Kettering] has brought a clear understanding of the process to all stakeholders,” the report stated. “After some disappointment and frustration with the last report, the staff has moved forward on a journey toward improvement.”

“The growth that the staff has begun in this area must be sustained in order to be ‘a way of life’ at Fallbrook High School…” the report continued.

“All teachers have a different style; teachers are very independent,” French explained. “WASC forces you to look at the data and make decisions based on it. Some teachers didn’t used to want to be bothered with data. Now they are analyzing it.”

French is pleased with the accreditation Fallbrook High received.

“The best thing is that they are not putting this on the shelf for the next three years,” he said. “They are getting started right now on the improvements they have outlined.”

The WASC visiting committee reviews are a means of certifying to the public that a given school is a trustworthy institution of learning. The process looks into the school’s programs, operations and methods to ensure the level of integrity of the institution.

With his five decades in education and numerous involvements in WASC reviews, French said what has been most rewarding in his position as interim superintendent is how he has observed the Fallbrook teaching staff assimilate data and use it to make better decisions to improve student performance.

That, he said, is what leads to better WASC reviews. The importance of the WASC review process was underscored by King.

“If you don’t get accredited, the student’s diplomas aren’t worth the paper they are written on,” King said. “It’s huge.”

To view more information about Fallbrook High School’s attention to WASC goals, go to http://www.fallbrookhs.org and click on “About FHS,” then on “WASC info.”

 

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