Executive Summary. Bass Adult High School

Transcription

1 Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson City Public Schools Mr. Henry Johnson, Principal 5200 Delaware Avenue Nashville, TN Document Generated On March 18, 2014

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 4 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 5 Additional Information 6

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? is one of three unique programs that are housed in the W.A Bass Building. The school is located at 5200 Delaware Avenue in West Nashville, and it has been in its current location for the past two years. is the former Cohn Adult High School (previously housed in the nearby Cohn School Building). The school was established in 1986 to serve the growing need for educational services within the Nashville adult community. Adults who failed to complete high school graduation requirements were encouraged to apply. The new location hopes to continue to serve the adult population in Davidson County with an opportunity for nontraditional students to earn a regular high school diploma. Thanks to the support of Metro Nashville Public Schools, adult students with a wide variety of personal experiences can continue their education. The adult program works closely with many area services to provide opportunities for nontraditional students over the age of 18. Our students include individuals of all ages and backgrounds. We provide a flexible, supportive, and professional environment which enables everyone to learn at his or her individual pace. Every nine weeks, the accepts applications for enrollment. Students who complete graduation requirements confer diplomas in both December and May graduations. Our graduates also receive assistance and information that helps them continue their education in post-secondary institutions, colleges, and trade schools. Bass Adult is the only public school in Nashville that educates adult students. Our students come from all different parts of Nashville and the world. Students come voluntarily to Bass and bring with them credits they earned while they were enrolled in a traditional high school setting. Classes are in session from 6:30 a.m. through 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Students have the flexibility to choose the time that they want to attend, or they simply can work from home. English Language Learners have the opportunity to attend class based on their current level. These students can also choose from a variety of class times. Some select the first period class, which starts at 8:00 a.m. and ends at 9:55 a.m. Second Period class starts at 10:00 a.m. and ends at 11:55 a.m. Third period class starts at 12:30 p.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. Fridays are designated as open labs where all students can come in and work as long as they chose. Students are encouraged to come in on Fridays to take review exams for credit. The faculty of Bass has undergone changes over the years. When Cohn Adult first opened its doors in 1986, the staff consisted of one principal, secretary, guidance counselor, five custodians, and one campus supervisor. There were three full-time teachers, one half-time teacher, six part-time teachers, and ten teachers who taught miscellaneous evening classes. Bass Adult currently has one principal, one assistant principal, a guidance counselor, and four teachers assigned to the program. The teachers collectively have over one hundred years of experience in traditional and non-traditional schools. The guidance counselor, who is in her first year with the program, has over nineteen years of experience. In 2012, Mr. Henry Johnson was selected as the principal of the Adult Program. Mr. Johnson brings seventeen years of experience to the school. He has worked in traditional and non- traditional high school settings throughout his career. He is also the principal of the Alternative Learning Center, and the Transition Program. Page 2

5 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. Mission: The mission of is to provide a unique opportunity for adult students to complete their high school education and receive a diploma in a judgment-free, respectful, mature environment and enable them to move forward in their lives. Vision: Bass Learning Center will provide students the opportunity to change their lives and to prepare for the future. Governing School Philosophies - Achievement is universally reachable. - Everyone deserves a second chance to achieve and succeed. - Age plays no role in the desire to learn; therefore, teachers and students must be committed to an environment of self-directed, accountable, and lifelong learning. - Our students can achieve better than they have in the past. - Diversity among students and teachers adds to the learning experience. - Student educational needs should be the primary focus of all school decisions. - Students learn in different ways and need a variety of instructional approaches to support their learning. - Adult students deserve the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge through the use of appropriate assessment tools, including state examinations. - A safe, orderly, and positive learning environment promotes student learning. Beliefs The administration and faculty at Bass Adult are sincere in their beliefs that all students deserve a second (and possibly even third) chance at the opportunity to get an education. Collectively, school administration, teachers, and support staff understand that adult students face unique challenges that can be addressed by the school. Moreover, these unique educational needs are the primary focus of all school decisions. Striving toward success for all, the faculty treats all students with dignity and respect, modeling for them appropriate behaviors and maintaining high educational expectations. In addition, the faculty is flexible and empathetic in their dealings with adult students. The adult students who attend Bass, for the most part, have had a negative experience in school. As a result, the faculty strives to reverse such negativity by demonstrating compassion and determination when dealing with adult students. Page 4

7 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. has graduated 143 students since August of 2012, with a projected 48 this year. Our graduates come from not only the United States but also from over 40 other countries all over the world. The diplomas that our students earn are not a GED but a regular High School Diploma. Toward graduation, thousands of half-credits have been earned by adult students in the last three years. The breakdown of earned half-credits is as follows: 1,055 earned from ; 1,367 earned from ; 1,237 earned from ; and 639 earned in Fall of The final numbers from Spring 2014 are forthcoming. Since August 2012, Bass Adult has seen a significant increase in enrollment. Specifically, Bass Adult High Exceptional Educational students receiving services have more than doubled from 2010 (from an average of 12 to more than 27 on average). Despite the increase in enrollment, our admission process must be refined. Currently there are only two requirements for admission to our school: students must be at least 18 years old, and they must live in Davidson County. Our admission policy is so open that each nine weeks we enroll a large number of students who are not really serious about pursuing their diploma. Applicants are told in advance that they must work hours per week to successfully complete the program, but many never begin working at all. As a result, they are eventually dropped from the program. Indeed, Bass Adult is the only school in Nashville that is tailored for adult students. In the future, we need to advertise the school and its policies more aggressively to the general public. We accept everyone into the program; however, due to issues previously mentioned, we usually end up enrolling the same students into the program multiple times. Clearly, the graduation rate of adult students from the program needs to be increased. Toward achieving that end, students must be encouraged to spend more time working on A plus from home. Moreover, technology needs must be addressed so that there is not so much lag time for students working at school, as A plus tends to have system breakdowns frequently. This tends to frustrate students and discourage the learning process. With further reference to areas of need, Bass Adult High needs someone who can teach Spanish. Two years of a foreign language is a graduation requirement for students entering high school 2009 and beyond. We offer Spanish on the A+ Learning program, but it is really difficult to learn a foreign language on the computer. We believe that our graduation rate would increase if we had at least a part-time Spanish teacher who can help students achieve the MNPS foreign language graduation requirement. In addition, Bass Adult is looking to continue making improvements to our facilities to improve our overall school security. At the moment, there are plans to install an additional 4 security cameras in the proximity of the adult high school classrooms and computer lab. Page 5

8 Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. We have held 2 College and Career Days within the last year and have another scheduled in April. Participants have included the following community partners: Nashville State Community College, TN Technology Center, UPS, Tennessee State University, MTSU, Fisk, Genesis Career College, Miller-Motte Technical College, Office of Drug Education (MNPS), Fifth Third Bank, US Army, US Navy, Kroger, Goodwill, Volunteer Beauty Academy, Elwood Staffing, Lincoln Technical College, and The Tennessean. Page 6