From Engagement to Empowerment: A Holistic Approach to African-American

Student Achievement

Hinsdale South High School (Darien, IL)

Overview – Who is Hornet Nation? Equitable and Accessible AP Program Guided and Structured Support for Students

Inside and Outside of School Tier 1 and Tier 2 Academic Programs Tier 1 and Tier 2 Behavioral Programs

A Holistic Approach…in segments!

Hinsdale South High School is located in Darien, Illinois in Chicago’s western suburbs.

A large, comprehensive college-preparatory high school with approx. 1800 students, 75 extra-curricular activy programs, and 31 athletic programs.

Hornet Nation:We A.R.E. Accountable, Respectful, & Engaged

Who A.R.E. we?

Student Demographics – 1,779 students 62% White, 19% Black, 9% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 27% low-

income. Since 2007, our Black population has grown from 10% to 19%

and our low-income population has grown from 12.5% to 27%. Of our Black students, 74% are low-income.

Our presentation focuses on how we have embraced our changing demographic as an opportunity to revolutionize our approach to public education by embracing the notion set by NCLB --- Every child that walks into the doors of our school will experience success and we will build any and all necessary support systems to make this vision a reality.

Who is HORNET NATION?

Snapshot of Performance Data: Celebrations and Challenges

Prairie State Achievement Exam (PSAE): Illinois’ assessment to track AYP via NCLB PSAE compares cohorts of students to one

another ACT’s EPAS Program

Local assessment to track individual student growth from Explore (8th grade) to ACT (11th grade)

Explore to ACT Reading Growth by Explore Score Bands HSHS Class of 2011

Hinsdale South National 0123456789

6.3

4.8

8.3

5.3

8.5

6.16.8

6.1

9 to 1314 to 1819 to 22 23 to 25

Explore to ACT Math Growth by Explore Score Bands HSHS Class of 2011

Hinsdale South National 0

2

4

6

8

10

12

5.14.0

6.8

3.5

9.6

5.0

7.5

5.011 to 1516 to 1819 to 2223 to 25

A Holistic Approach: Part OneRe-designing our AP Program to Mirror the (changing) Demographics of Our School Presenters:

Mr. Matt Guritz, Social Studies Department Chairperson

Mr. Michael Holland, Director of Guidance

Two AP Support Programs: RISE (for AP Psych and

AP Env.Science) No previous honors or

AP enrollment Concurrent enrollment

with their AP course For credit-Pass/Fail Taught by their AP

teacher with a focus on content/test prep

AP Summer Bridge (For AP Eng Lang) Skill focused AP enrollment is the

goal but not required for this course

Taught by an experienced AP English teacher

AP Parent Night (Jan.)

ILLINOIS States with No Federal Grant Money

AP Exam Fee $87 $87

College Board Fee Reduction -$26 *increased from $22 in 2011

-$26

Federal Grant Subsidy -$38 *for first 3 tests

Forego AP Refund for Administrative Costs

-$8 -$8

Cost to Register FRL Students $15/test $53/Test

District 86 -$15 *from AP G Fund

Cost to Student $0 $53

A Holistic Approach: Part Two

The Creation of Student Support Structures Presenters:

Mr. Michael Holland, Director of Guidance Ms. Ayesha Truman, Excel Program Director

Support for Transfer Students Mentoring

Mentor Recruitment Voluntary no extra

pay Mentor Training

One Time Training Session

Packet Continuous Support

Mentor/Mentee Pairing Schedules Preferences Compatibility

School Counselors Coordinate Identification:

EXPLORE Reading Test Every incoming transfer student

is given the EXPLORE Reading

Raw Score cut off of 14 or below

Counselors screen for other at-risk factors during intake

Low academic achievement Disciplinary/Truancy Problems Family Issues Drug/Alcohol use Coming from a school with

greater use of tracking and different academic expectations

EXCEL- Academic Support 50 minutes/ day with 5 to 1 student- teacher ratio Teaching staff communicate with various departments in order to

advocate for student’s needs Continual communication with parents Administer tests/ provide student with modifications Help students plan/ meet short and long-term goals

Executive Functioning Skills Planner Usage Materials Organization Goal setting Self-Advocacy Test-taking strategies Post-secondary planning

Excel Program Data (Day)

Sem 1 2010-2011Sem 2 2010-2011

Sem 1 2011-2012

90

90.5

91

91.5

92

92.5 92.28% 92.31%

91.52%

Semester

% o

f Cla

sses

Pas

sed

OFF-SITE EXCEL Generated from community liaison role Students earn credit- meet 2 nights/ week Community based Aligned with same goals as the day

program

Off-Site Excel Class Data

9090.5

9191.5

9292.5

9393.5

9494.5

95 94%

92.96%

% o

f Cla

sses

Pas

sed

Semester 2 2010-2011

Semester 1 2011-2012

CREDIT RECOVERY Students who have previously failed a course Online courses- with academic support Student directed- can recover courses more

quickly than the allotted time Increased probability of on-time graduation Success Stories!

A Holistic Approach: Part Three

We Cannot Do This Alone – Bridging the Gap Between School and Community

Presenters: Dr. Brian Waterman, Principal Ms. Denise Verdun, Community Liaison

Dream Deferred, 2009

Timeline/Original Goals Connection between HLT and HSHS Community Engagement Identification – Engagement – Empowerment Funding – Job Posting - Interviews

The Role of the Community Liaison

Important Events/Milestones Spring, 2010

Town Hall Meeting Collaboration w/ Willlowbrook Corner Coalition

Summer, 2010 Job Program through DuPage County

Fall, 2010 Formation of Teens for Excellence

Important Events/Milestones Fall, 2010

College Job Fair (parent engagement soars!) Spring, 2011

Off-site Excel Program (HTL Resource Center) Job Skills Workshop

Fall, 2011 Transition to adult focus – Parent Workshop Series

Winter, 2012 African-American History Celebration

Looking Ahead – Next Steps Summer, 2012

Off-campus academic camp for students

…and beyond! Adults, Adults, Adults Moving from Engagement to Empowerment!

A Holistic Approach: Part Four

A Rigorous Academic Program for Every Student: A Philosophical Shift Presenters:

Ms. Arwen Pokorny Lyp, Assistant Principal Ms. Lisa Elo, English Teacher

Tier 1 (For All Students): Reading Leadership Team/Common Reading Strategies Across

the Curriculum (based on CRISS) Comprehensive 4-Year Teacher Induction Program linked with

Teacher Evaluation System Based on Improving Professional Practice

Tier 2 (For Groups of Students): Designed to remediate specific skill deficiencies – not remedial courses!

Tier 1 and Tier 2:Academic Programmatic Interventions

Tier 2 (For Groups of Students):Designed to remediate specific skill deficiencies – not remedial courses!

Students are identified by 8th grade Explore scores and teacher recommendations.

English: English 1/Academic Reading Block and English 2 AR Math: Algebra 1 Block/Restructured Math Sequence Science: Science Academic Reading Program Social Studies: World Cultures (Content Area Reading &

Writing)

We also provide a fully inclusive Special Education model with co-teaching in all core content area courses.

The Big Question: Are our Tier 2 courses lessening the achievement gap? The very scientific answer is Yes…and no.

All students in Tier 2 courses were labeled as “off-target” for college readiness by ACT based on their 8th grade Explore scores. As a group, students in these programs are outperforming the nation in terms of their growth:

Reading: 6.3 points growth compared to 4.8 points Math: 5.1 points growth compared to 4.0 points

However, when we disaggregate our Tier 2 students by NCLB subgroup, our black students are not growing at the same rate as their non-Black peers. This year, we are presenting our APPROACH, we hope to come back again and present our DATA.

A Holistic Approach: Part Five The Implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention Systems (Hornet Habits) Presenters:

Ms. Lisa Elo; English Teacher and PBIS Coordinator

Mr. Alex Bitto; Dean of Students

PBIS: Tier 1 (For All Students) We A.R.E. Hornet Nation (Accountable Respectful Engaged) Hornet 101 for all freshmen First day of school Hornet Habit lessons Stamper program and booster activities Hornet Academy Truancy Task Force

Behavioral Programmatic Interventions: Making the PBIS Framework Our Own

PBIS: Tier 2 (Groups of students needing interventions beyond T1) Appointment of Tier 2 Coordinator (.2 FTE 2012 -2013)

First Initiative: Check In/Check Out (A.R.E) Beginning with freshman students only (25 – 45) Launch 4 - 5 weeks into school year Identified Through Fluid Data Parameters (1st Data Run)

Combination of 3 Ds/Fs Attendance: Missed between 25 – 35 periods ODR (Office Disciplinary Referrals) TBD: 1 – 3?

Second Initiative: Social Academic Instructional Groups

Behavioral Programmatic Interventions: Making the PBIS Framework Our Own

We have created a website to host all relevant information from this session: http://south.hinsdale86.org/dreams

You can also contact us at 630.468.4210 or email Principal Brian Waterman at bwaterman@hinsdale86.org

Questions? We are happy to help.

THANK YOU!