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Low student achievement is especially problematic at the high school level. Throughout California, high schools score much lower on the state’s Academic Performance Index (API) than elementary and middle schools. For data about this issue, review the 2000-2001 API Growth Results (PDF).
Birmingham Senior High School is unique in that the student achievement results of traditionally underserved groups are improving significantly. Over the last two years, African American and Latino students have far exceeded the growth target set by the state on the API. However, like many high schools in this state, the students at Birmingham are not yet achieving the desired level of achievement on the state’s measure of academic progress. In fact in 2001, Birmingham was identified by the state for the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP).
The journey to improved student achievement has, at times, been difficult for the Birmingham community. The changes required continuous dialogue focused on data and research. Once the staff came to consensus, they created an action plan and began to implement it.
One major focus of the reform effort at Birmingham has been to manage the size of this large comprehensive high school. With over 3,300 students and 160 staff members, the administration realized that something must be done to create smaller communities for both students and staff. While they have not yet completely institutionalized learning academies within Birmingham, students do have various opportunities to travel in cohorts. Within these programs, students have two classes in common and then move together in these classes through grades 9, 10, 11, & 12. This allows students to get to know their cohort quite well and it also enables teachers and students to create a more personal relationship.
In addition to making the campus feel like a smaller community for students, this has also been a priority for staff. At Birmingham, there are meetings and professional development opportunities in which all of the staff members participate. The majority of professional development, however, takes place in small groups with teachers talking to teachers about a particular issue. These small groups are organized in two ways. First, teachers with a common planning period come together once a month to discuss data and assessments. These are called period-by-period conferences and are facilitated by the school’s math coach and consist of about 25 teachers. Also, at the beginning of the year, teachers choose a particular area that interests them and meet in a small study group of 3-5 teachers to discuss this issue once a month. At Birmingham, this happens on Tuesdays during banked time. Schools can bank time by adding instructional minutes on to each day so that a certain number of times per year the students have minimum days and the teachers can meet together.
Another important feature of the professional development program at Birmingham is coaching. Coaching happens on multiple levels at Birmingham. The teachers at Birmingham have the benefit of both a literacy and a math coach. These coaches are available to teach model lessons and to observe lessons and give feedback. The administration at Birmingham has also used some of their II/USP funds to implement a program called Ventures. Through Ventures, a group of 25 new Birmingham teachers, mostly uncredentialed, meet with a Ventures leader every month to learn classroom strategies. Then the teachers have a week to develop how they will implement those strategies. The Ventures leader then comes back to observe each teacher trying out the strategies. If there is a particular strategy a teacher finds difficult, the coach will model that strategy. There is also a conference time for feedback after each observation. Thus after each monthly meeting, teachers have an opportunity to and are expected to implement what they are learning. In this system, teachers are both supported and held accountable.
The staff at Birmingham has become aware of the critical need to analyze data and, in particular, to disaggregate data in order to assess the performance of ethnic subgroups. Before the school year begins at Birmingham, there are two “buy-back” days, which are used for professional development. The focus of these two days is data analysis. The administration gathers together Stanford-9 (SAT 9) scores, particularly the content cluster results, Advanced Placement test results, High School Exit Exam results, pass/fail rates, and retention rates. Next, with all of the staff members together, they take an initial look at the data. Then they break up into smaller groups and really delve into particular aspects of the data.
Analysis of the content clusters on the SAT9 has been a major focus for the staff at Birmingham. By department, teachers evaluate the areas of strength and weakness for students on the content clusters. As a department, the teachers then determine when they are teaching those skills and what strategies they are using and adjust appropriately.
In addition to the statewide testing, there are other schoolwide or department wide assessments administered to the students at Birmingham. Each academic department gives students an exit exam aligned with the state’s content standards at the end of both semesters. The students are also given benchmark exams throughout the semester to check for understanding. Birmingham also has parent-teacher-student conferences where the students present a portfolio of their work to the parent and teacher. Finally the literacy coordinator oversees the administration of a computerized, diagnostic test to all ninth graders. This test produces a lexile, or reading level across all reading types, for each student. This test is re-administered at the end of the year to measure progress and plan for interventions.
As a result of the professional development program at Birmingham, there have been some major shifts in curriculum and instruction at Birmingham. Teachers have begun to incorporate standards into their teaching. The standards are posted in the classrooms and sent home to parents. Teachers consistently make reference to the standards and align their assessments to those standards.
In addition to a schoolwide focus on standards, the general attitude of the teachers towards reading has shifted. When the administration first started the period-by-period conference professional development time to discuss SAT9 results, teachers outside of the English department were reluctant to focus on reading. Slowly, those attitudes began to change. Teachers came to realize that if the students couldn’t read the textbooks, they wouldn’t be able to progress very far in any content area. Now science teachers are beginning to share reading strategies with English teachers. Across the school teachers and students participate in a sustained silent reading program. In addition, all teachers incorporate the word-a day program into their teaching. The focus of this vocabulary program is root words. The staff members at Birmingham believe this gives students strategies to understand new words.
Another new curriculum focus at Birmingham High School and throughout the district is Algebra. Beginning this year, there are no more remedial math classes. All students take Algebra. The district gives teachers a pacing plan so that they know where students need to be every month. The district also provides teachers with assessments each month so that they can assess the students and plan instruction accordingly.
Finally, all teachers at Birmingham are working with the Principles of Learning developed by the Institute for Learning, based at the University of Pittsburgh. It brings to educators the best current knowledge and research about learning processes and principles of instruction. The Principle of Learning that the staff at Birmingham is focusing on this year is clear expectations. With this in mind, teachers come together to develop rubrics and look at student work in order to determine what they expect students to know and be able to do.
There are a number of intervention programs at Birmingham. One intensive program is called the “Success Academy.” Last year, entering ninth graders who had reading or math levels in the one percentile were assigned to the academy, which consisted of two hours of Reading/Language Arts and two hours of Algebra. The scores of all of the students in the program rose dramatically so that this year all of those students are either in regular or higher level classes.
Before and after school there are a number of interventions offered at Birmingham. In the mornings, both the literacy and math coaches are available to work with students who are struggling. In the afternoons, there is a homework club in addition to many teachers who are available to tutor students after school. Finally, there is a large athletic program at Birmingham, and this year the football coaches established a study hall every day after school for the players.
The Birmingham community has made significant progress in raising the achievement levels of all students, but there is still a lot of work. The increase in achievement for African American and Latino students is significant, but student achievement levels must continue to improve. Staff and students at Birmingham have a solid foundation on which to build continued reform efforts.
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