Executive Summary. Hilltop Alternative School

Transcription

1 Levy County School District Mr. Dennis Webber, Principal 320 Mongo St. Bronson, FL Document Generated On September 17, 2013

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 6 Additional Information 7

3 Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. <br><br> The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1

4 Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? has a school population between 140 and 150 students. This varies during the school year as we serve the entire District population of schools. The school is located in the District headquarters in Bronson, Florida. The school site is actually the old Bronson Middle / High School campus. Hilltop Alternative serves all of the district schools that include the following: - Chiefland Elementary, Chiefland Middle / High - Bronson Elementary, Bronson Middle / High - Williston Elementary, Williston Middle School and Williston High School - Cedar Key Schools (K-12) - Yankeetown Elementary and Middle School has experienced growth over the last four years in the general population along with providing a new program called credit retrieval. This program is assisting all the other high schools in the district with students who are lagging behind in credits towards graduation. The purpose of the credit retrieval is to provide students the opportunity to improve academically through courses online that assists in making up credits. The students that attend either come to us because of behavior issues in their home school or they have lagged behind academically, and they need the opportunity to makeup credits so that they can graduate with their class. Our school also serves teen parents who have chosen to be a part of the overall program. The faculty and staff at provides a wealth of academic excellence coupled with skill sets that assist the students that come from all over the district. The faculty and staff cover the elementary levels through the high school grades with quality academic backgrounds that provide students with both general and specific instructional benefits. The following information reveals the strength of our staff as they serve the students from Levy County: 1. Tracy Thomas - Alternative Ed Aide; AA Degree 2. Robert Lowyns - Administrative Assistant; Alt. School Teacher; Reading Endorsed; Curriculum Coach; Mentor Teacher 3. Sandra Foster - Alternative School Teacher; ESOL Endorse; Testing Co-coordinator; Curriculum Facilitator 4. Kathy Walker - Health Team Co-or; Alternative School Aide 5. Chelsea Greek - Alternative Ed Teacher; Guidance Counselor 6. Greg Brochetti - Alternative School Teacher; ESOL Endorsed 7. Gary Harris - Alternative Ed Teacher 8. Karen Cox - Alternative School Aide; Youth Crime Watch 9. John Joyner - Alternative Ed Teacher 10. Kathleen O'Brien - Alternative School Teacher 11. Dennis Webber - Principal Page 2

5 In serving the District of Levy County there is a greater need to include direct instruction in our classrooms. Through the years most of our instructional time has been through computer based learning. We are making a major adjustment to have direct instruction through the means of daily pullouts without certified teachers. This will enable our students to receive the needed guidance and instruction from the classroom teachers. serves children at the elementary level, students at the middles school level who have had behavior issues along with issues of being retained. Our school also has a high school lab that assists those students who have had either behavior issues or academic issues. The final component that makes this a unique school is the credit retrieval lab, which I have shared in the previous paragraph. Our goal at Hilltop is to assist our student population in such a manner that they will be able to complete either their behavior program or their academic goals, and then to return them to their home school. As a staff we are making adjustments to the culture, climate and content of our school environment, and we believe that this will be the best way to better serve our communities. There are several unique situations that Hilltop deals with within the school year. We serve students that are on probation or have come from J.D.C. We also are serving our teen parents that come to us from our district schools. Another sector of our population that we serve is our students that have struggled academically in their home schools and many of those students are a level 1 or at best a level 2. Page 3

6 School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. The purpose of is to prepare and qualify students both academically and behaviorally to return to their home school. We believe through our mission statement and system of beliefs and values we can assist students to achieve the desired goal of excelling in this alternative setting. The mission of is to provide opportunities for academic learning and behavioral improvement by equipping students with the necessary skills to return to their home school. Beliefs: - We believe students are responsible for their behavior and academic progress. - We believe a safe and structured environment promotes student learning. - We believe students learn in different ways and shall be provided with a variety of instructional approaches to support their learning. - We believe each student is a valued individual with unique physical, social, and intellectual needs. - We believe students learn how to make appropriate decisions in a supportive and challenging environment. - We believe commitment to continuous improvement is essential for to succeed. - We believe parent/guardian support is important to the success of Hilltop Alternative students. The Overriding Principles At Hilltop Are: - We will maintain a safe, orderly learning environment. Any student that breaks the school rules is subject to disciplinary action. - The staff will enforce every rule in the handbook and are very strict in what other schools might consider minor rule violations. At Hilltop Alternative School all rules are considered important. - All daily point sheets will be considered when the Principal evaluates the student for early release consideration. In simple terms, if the student wants an early release consideration, they need to follow all the rules! - should be viewed as a second chance for your child. Attendance at both schools is a privilege, and students may lose that privilege if they break the school rules. - Placement at means your child has received either a manifestation hearing or has been expelled from their home school due to either disruptive or defiant behavior. Or you child has been given the opportunity to work in the credit retrieval lab to catch up on class credits. - offers a unique opportunity for your child to continue his or her education. The superintendent and other district leaders support the concept that students may need a second chance to complete their educational program. Hilltop Alternative & Summit will not tolerate the type of behavior that resulted in getting your child placed here. - Contained within this handbook are the mission statement, rules and consequences and other general information you and your child need to know. Your child will be held responsible and accountable for all material in this handbook. - The faculty and staff of Hilltop want your child to succeed and will do everything within our power to help him or her receive an education. We will do our best to provide a safe, secure and structured learning environment; however, we will not tolerate disruptive or defiant behavior within the school or on the bus. Page 4

7 - At the end of this handbook, you and your child will be asked to sign an agreement that you have received the handbook, and that you and your child willingly agree to abide by the rules, consequences and general information contained within. - The Administration of Hilltop reserves the right to modify the handbook and the Point System. As a faculty and staff we believe that through consistent modeling of our MISSION STATEMENT and PURPOSE DRIVEN belief system, we will enable students who have either been removed from their home school or by choice will be able to accomplish the objectives and goals that have been established for them. Page 5

8 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. SCHOOL'S NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS 1. The Credit Retrieval program has been established at the school and is beginning to accomplish its purpose on the campus. (To catch students up academically) 2. There has been steady growth in the school programs and what we offer to students on the campus. 3. There has been the establishment of the elementary program for students that have been sent to us from the other schools within the district. 4. The number of credits earned has increased over the last 3 to 4 years. SCHOOL'S AREA OF IMPROVEMENT 1. Curriculum Delivery has improved both in the uniformity and conformity of the programs offered. 2. The curriculum has become more constant than it was in the past. 3. The Plato programs that are offered has increased. 4. The faculty and staff has established differentiated instruction by having small group pull outs. GOALS TO ACHIEVE IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS 1. We as a faculty want to see improvement in the area of student retention. 2. We want to see improvement in direct instruction and specifically as it apply to the EOC'S. 3. We want to establish a summer program of remediation for EOC'S 4. We also want to continue improving in the area of cultural change on the campus. 5. We as a staff want to improve our SAC committee to the stakeholders that make up our school population. 6. We as a faculty want to improve our FCAT test scores because we have been below district and state standards. Page 6

9 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. As a faculty and staff we believe that "it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men!" It is our goal in this new school year to develop good communication with the surrounding communities where our students come from, so that we can show a new level of consistency in developing proactive relationships with all parents. The benefits will bring greater assistance to our student body. We are planning in the early part of September an open house for all students and parents to enjoy the opportunity to experience the positive influence of our school, and the academic privileges that the students are able to experience in the various labs on our campus. We believe that through the open house program there will be an opportunity to make an investment into the community whereby strengthening public relations. As a faculty and staff we are excited about the potential that our direct instructional programs will provide for our students. They will not only have the opportunity off working in the labs through our computer programs, they will be given assistance through direct instruction. Page 7