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A World of Opportunity
Story posted August 14, 2008
Results:
• In 2007, 79% and 81% of students met or exceeded state math and reading standards respectively, up from 37% and 49% five years ago
• AP participation rates among low-income students increased from 8% to 21% in one year
• The drop-out rate decreased from 7.7% in 2002 to 2.5% in 2006
From the moment you enter the lobby, it is clear that Forest Grove High School places a high value on achievement for all students. Large banners highlight the recognition the school has received for academic accomplishments (such as Oregon's Closing the Achievement Gap award, which it has received for two years running), and the school's mission-"To provide a superior education that challenges our students to achieve academic and personal excellence and to become world-class citizens"-is posted throughout the school.
As Dave Willard, the assistant superintendent for the Forest Grove School District, stated, "We set the bar high for every student, make the entire curriculum so that every student has access. The students know what is expected of them, and more important, they know we are committed to helping them succeed at the highest level. We have embraced the new three Rs of education for the 21st century: rigor, relevance, and relationships."
Collaborative Leadership
To ensure that practice and instruction are driven by data, rather than anecdote, every two years Forest Grove holds a school improvement retreat during which representatives from all stakeholder groups (including teachers, students, parents, board members, and community members) review disaggregated student achievement data to examine program efficacy, curricular alignment to state standards, state graduation requirements, and professional development. They then establish school improvement goals for the next three to five years. Using data to drive professional development has also prompted the use of differentiated instruction, student-owned strategies, power standards (i.e., essential, prioritized standards), recommendations for Breaking Ranks II (the National Association of Secondary Principals' vision for high school reform), and other best practices.
In addition to traditional parent conference nights and quarterly Latino parent nights, Forest Grove offers parents a variety of tools and information to support high expectations. Parents use a Web-based service that provides biweekly updates and course expectations for each class and allows parents to check grades, missing assignments, assignment due dates, and attendance records. Forest Grove staff members also work closely with one another and with parents to support early intervention for struggling students. During weekly team meetings, teachers review individual student progress and, as a result, often initiate individual parent conferences to identify and implement intervention strategies. Assistant principals provide a further check by coordinating student progress meetings for students who are failing multiple classes.
In the area of school-community connections, the staff reports an atmosphere for support consistent with the districts goal of increasing community awareness of the Search Institute's 40 Developmental Assets (available at www.search-institute.org/assets). The developmental assets are experiences and qualities that students should have to become successful, caring, responsible adults. The school's message about supporting youth is spread in local churches and shared with service clubs and business groups. The results are manifested in the school when business leaders conduct mock interviews with all sophomores as part of the job shadowing advisory requirement and when community and business leaders serve as mentors for senior projects, are guest speakers for classes, and critique resumes.
Personalization
Forest Grove is continually striving to meet the needs of each student and has embraced a host of strategies to help students develop a sense of belonging in the school and a sense of ownership over their learning. Creating that sense of belonging begins early with the ninth-grade transition program, which pairs upperclassmen with the new arrivals and offers the freshmen support and guidance during their first year of adjustment.
The Forest Grove house structure also helps to establish peer-to-peer as well as student-teacher connections. Students in grades 9 and 10 are divided into houses, and upperclassmen are encouraged to pursue a more specialized course of study through the school's six academies. The house structure-in which students have the same English, science, and social studies teachers-enables teams to plan together, address individual student needs, and implement individual interventions.
During the first semester of grade 9, each student is introduced to the "plan and profile" and begins to document experiences and academic and career learning plans for high school and beyond. Profiles are updated in the fall of each year, and learning plans are attached to each student's class records for forecasting in the spring. Learning plans are completed within an advisory structure that keeps students in the same group throughout their Forest Grove career. Every student in the school meets with his or her advisor to review and discuss academic information, transcripts, course selection issues, school and class issues, and various school reports. In addition, advisers meet with their advisory group biweekly to address grade-level issues, such as making a successful transition to high school, driving, colleges and careers, and personal financial literacy.
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
One way Forest Grove fosters achievement is by placing its best teachers with struggling students. The Forest Grove policy of open access to AP classes promotes a challenging curriculum for all students. With open access and the addition of 11 new AP classes (for a total of 21) during the 2006-2007 school year, the number of seats filled in AP courses rose from 180 to 460. AP participation rates among low-income students increased from 8% to 21%, and Hispanic student participation nearly doubled-from 8% to 14%--all in the course of just one year. To give more students access and to accommodate their varying pace, Forest Grove offers some AP classes over the entire year, instead of a semester.
Dual enrollment programs at Portland Community College and Pacific University offer another opportunity for students to engage in challenging course work. This option allowed 131 students to earn 1,123 credits during the 2006-2007 school year.
Because common standards and expectations are agreed upon and promulgated through the collaborative exchanges of faculty members, the curriculum is consistent across the school, and all students are exposed to the same information and learning opportunities regardless of who their teacher is.
Assessment is an ongoing activity at Forest Grove. Teachers have regular access to the data management computer system, which enables them to use the data to tailor instructional strategies or investigate new options. For those students who do not meet state math or reading standards, 9th and 10th grade reading and math workshops-some of which are taught by AP teachers-are required, effectively doubling the time available for students to master areas of weakness while continuing with traditional math and English course work.
Assessment takes a turn during the senior year when students spend time researching and writing their senior projects. This culminating activity is finally complete when each student makes an oral presentation to a panel of judges. On this stage, students have an opportunity to demonstrate many of the writing, critical-thinking, and presentation skills they have gained during their four years at Forest Grove.
One Student at a Time
As a result of these and other school improvement efforts, students report at an overwhelming rate that they feel connected and that they belong at Forest Grove. Data support that finding: the drop-out rate declined from a high of 7.7% in 2002 to 2.5% in 2006. Academic performance has increased drastically with 79% of the students meeting or exceeding the state math assessments and 81% meeting or exceeding the reading assessment-scores that are up from 37% and 49%, respectively, five years ago. Forest Grove staff members understand that a good high school opens a world of opportunity for all students, and they are committed to providing the necessary knowledge, skills, and experiences to meet future vocational and academic challenges.
For additional information, please contact:
John O'Neill, Jr.
Principal, Forest Grove High School
503-359-2432
joneill@fgsd.k12.or.us
This story came to LFA's attention as a 2008 Metlife Foundation/NASSP Breakthrough School.
Story adapted with permission from NASSP from James A. Rourke and Elizabeth Boone's article A World of Opportunity in Principal Leadership, Special Edition June 2008
Further details about this story can be found at:
NASSP's "MetLife Foundation/NASSP Breakthrough Schools: Forest Grove High School Profile," 2008
Copyright (2008) National Association for Secondary School Principals. For more information on NASSP products and services to promote excellence in middle level and high school leadership, visit http://www.principals.org/
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