At BHPS, three practices that I believe are having the most impact on the school (and by 'on the school' I take this to mean on student learning, and on students' physical, emotional and social development) are:
1. Learning that is collaborative, project-based, and interdisciplinary, with assessment that is authentic and continuous and seamless with learning. This approach to learning is aligned with the vision of the 'Second to None' reform document in several ways, for example: creating curricular paths to success - the curriculum is more holistic, i.e. once disparate topics are tied together in relevant and engaging ways; powerful teaching and learning - students learn by doing, teachers become mentors and facilitators not just instructors; restructuring the school - implementation of interdisciplinary units requires re-thinking of traditional scheduling to allow overlap of subject disciplines.
2. Students being assigned an advisor and meeting regularly to discuss any issues. With the advisory system students feel cared for and therefore more connected with their school, learning experiences, and goals for the future. Goal planning becomes focused and has guidance. Again, this aligns with the Second to None document - comprehensive support for all students is provided.
3. Plenty of time devoted to students participating and engaging in community experiences and internships. This practice is definitely one of the best ideas at BPHS. It provides students with opportunities to experience work and community service, connecting them with the real world, and helps them develop interests and ideas relevant to their futures once they graduate from high school. It aligns well with 'creating curricular paths to success' (because it gives further real world relevance to curriculum topics), and 'restructuring the school' (because it school scheduling has to accomodate students being off campus for half a day each week).
At La Costa Canyon High School where I did my CPI, there are school practices in place that give all students a support structure: for example, small size AVID classes give guidance and facilities for college applicants; academic support classes help students with IEPs achieve academic success; Special Ed programs are in place; there are numerous clubs, societies and sports activities to help students develop extra-curricular interests and skills. Also in place in LCC is a very good computerized system for entering and tracking students assignments and assessments. The school has a strong emphasis on students doing well in standardized tests, and the grading database is used as a resource to pinpoint problem areas which need further attention.
At BPHS, it is difficult to predict which of their practices will not endure, because all of what they are doing there seems to be working very well. Perhaps it will not be possible to keep the student population small, because the school's continued success will inevitably lead to more enrollment. [Although, the district may decide the small school model is a good one to keep and so rather than expanding BPHS they would downsize other schools/build new ones.]
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Michel - many people noted it may be hard to keep BPHS small. The opposite seems to have occurred, it is only 150 students.
ReplyDeleteI don't quite know what to make of this, but the things you note at LCC seem to be structure-oriented, while the practice at BPHS seem to be more human or interaction oriented. I wonder if it simply in the wording you used, or might say something further about "best practices".