WHAT WE DO
Initiatives to Improve Student Achievement
The staff and administration at Wichita High School South believe that all students have the capacity to learn and achieve at our school. We hold our students to high standards and offer additional time and support to those students who need it through our block scheduling, Titan Time (seminar), and the Pass the Class Tutoring Program. The proof that these initiatives are having an effect on the achievement level and grades of the students at Wichita South is shown on the data table and chart below:
Advanced Placement via Individual Determination (AVID)
The AVID Program (Advancement via Individual Determination) is designed to increase a student’s school wide performance. The mission of AVID focuses on providing access to four-year colleges for students in the middle who are capable of completing a college preparatory path. These students enroll in a rigorous curriculum and are supported with the AVID elective class, study aids, and techniques in order for them to achieve success. AVID students are supported through academic elective class, seminar class, and tutoring. The students are challenged by taking demanding courses, being active in extracurricular activities, and preparing for college.
Professional Learning Communities
Improvement involves changing our practices or shifting gears into new ways of thinking. Wichita High School South was the first school in Wichita to institute Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in the fall of 2004. USD #259 showed their support for this initiative by allowing us to begin school one day a week at 8:30 a.m. This staff development tool provides teachers with time once a week to work collaboratively to improve teaching methods, creating common assessments, examining data to adjust instruction, and sharing the wealth of knowledge that they have gained from their experiences. The PLC framework allows teachers to become learners with shared values, goals and mission; hence, they become more effective in the classroom and student achievement increases in direct proportion.
Block Scheduling
Wichita South implemented the eight-block schedule in 1997-1998 and is now in the eleventh year of implementation. Classes are 90 minutes in length and students have a ten minute passing period between classes; two blocks are held before lunch and two after. Hours 1, 3, 5, and 7 alternate with hours 2, 4, 6, and 8; the odd day is designated as a red day, the even is blue. On the blue day, students are given a 90-minute period (Titan Time) to enrich their learning experiences or make up work which was missed due to absence. Teachers tutor and are able to give individual assistance during this time. Titan Time has also been utilized for special activities such as fine arts programs, sports assemblies or college representative visits.
Failure List
Each week every teacher is asked to post their grades on E-sis. Students who have a D or F in a particular class are strongly encouraged to attend tutoring sessions during Titan Time (seminar) to receive additional assistance or make up the work that was missed. Titan Time provides the teachers opportunities to make individual accommodations for student learning styles. Cindy Montgomery, Site Technology Specialist, maintains the data base for the failure list and disseminates it to the rest of the faculty and staff on a weekly basis.
Academics First Policy
Any student who currently has two or more F’s will not be allowed to participate in or attend extra curricular activities. The list is updated every Monday morning and remains in effect until the following Monday.
Administrators work closely with students whose names appear frequently on this list.
Academic Progress Reports
Grade reports are distributed to parents twice every nine week grading period through the U.S. mail or Parent/Teacher conferences. Parents can also monitor students’ progress daily by accessing Parent Assist through the internet. In order to do this, parents must file the appropriate documentation and receive instructions from Cynthia Montgomery, Site Technology Specialist at Wichita South.
Titan Time
Students who will be taking the Kansas Math and Reading Assessments in the spring are assigned to a teacher for Titan time who will work with students on math and language arts skills. Sophomore students will focus on math while juniors will focus on language arts. During the first twenty minutes of seminar, students will work through practice tests items. The teachers will then go over items with the students, teaching or re-teaching the necessary skills. Teachers will also prepare students by teaching test taking strategies. Part of the students’ grades for seminar will be tied to their participation in these activities.
During the 2006-07 school year, students were assigned to grade level seminar classes. Students enrolled in 9th and 12th grade seminars will use the first twenty minutes for advocacy activities.
Counseling Support for Students
The Wichita South Guidance Department follows the American School Counseling Association Model offering counseling services related to Academic, Career and Personal Social Domains of counseling. Counseling services are delivered through individual sessions, group counseling, and classroom guidance activities. Students have the opportunity to access support services based upon their individual needs. Support groups are organized based upon student needs as they related to these topics: academic (study/test taking); anger management; body image, divorce, drug/alcohol recovery, grief; parenting (teen pregnancy/teen parents); healthy relationships. Domain counseling provides an opportunity for counselors to be proactive in working with students instead of reactive in crisis situations.
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent Conferences were traditionally held at the end of the first and third grading periods so that the teachers could discuss achievement with the parents in light of the grade card. During the 2005-06 school year, the timing of conferences was changed because we believe that having conferences after grades have been earned and marked on the grade card is too late to effect any change in the students’ work habits. Now the conferences are held during the first and third nine weeks, but only progress reports are issued to parents, not grade cards so that the student still has time to complete work and achieve higher grades.
Pyramid of Interventions
We believe every student can be successful at Wichita South. We have developed the following pyramid to assist students, parents, teachers and administrators when addressing academic issues with students.
SPED
Placement
CST Referral
504 Plan Consideration
GEST Referral
Guided Study Program
Peer Mediation
Conference with Student / Parent
Good Friend Program
(SHS Adult Mentor)
Counselor Phone Call to Parents
Counselor or Administrator Meeting with Student
Classroom Teacher Contact Parent
Classroom Based Interventions
Extended time, alternate assignments, peer tutoring,
shortened/simplified directions or assignments, repeat instructions,
visual/auditory aids, oral exams, frequent checks for understanding, etc..
Counselor / Administrator Watch to Monitor Achievement
Academics First / D/F List / Regular Monitoring of Student Achievement
Staff Development
The Professional Learning Communities offer staff to be continuous learners in a collaborative atmosphere so as to positively impact student growth. School begins for students at 8:20 on Wednesdays to allow teachers collaborative learning time.
There has been an increase in staff development opportunities in relationship to the target areas of reading and math. In 2004-2005, duty-staff development was implemented. Professional Enhancement Points (PEP) are awarded to staff members who meet at least twice a month to participate in staff development.
The Wichita South Leadership Team is comprised of the Instructional Facilitator, the Data Leader, and teacher leaders who meet every other day to plan and guide school improvement and staff development as the instructional staff implements the campus improvement plan.
Rubrics have been developed by the state; faculty members have received training on the use of these rubrics and have used the rubrics in order to develop departmental plans for school improvement. Staff members have had opportunities to examine the types of questions used on the state and local assessments so that they can understand the level of performance which is required, and in turn, expect more from students on a daily basis. Standards have been aligned in all curriculum areas; course/unit organizers and pacing guides have been developed for all curricular areas. Departments have collaborated to choose target indicators in reading and math to focus instruction.