# Presentation: 315209

## Bentonville High SchoolBentonville, AR

- Kay Jacoby
- Rose Spaulding

- Transitioning Ninth Grade
- to
- High School

## School Facts

- High School 9-12
- Student Population 3,135
- Northwest Arkansas
- Staff Characteristics
- Assessments
- Student Demographics
- Ninth Grade Test Scores 2006-2007
- Free and Reduced Lunch

**Notes:**
Staff 95% White, 3% Hispanic, Less than 1% each-African American, Asian, American Indian   
Assessments –IOWA, EOC Algebra, EOC Geometry
Student Demographics – 
Ninth Grade Test Scores-
Free and Reduced Lunch

## Ninth Grade Transition Program Goal

- Increase graduation rate
- Decrease drop out rate
- All students graduate within four years

**Notes:**
Graduation Rate – transition ninth grade into a large comprehensive high school

Decrease Drop Out Rate – design strategies and interventions for Freshmen Learning Community, develop a system of support

## Small Learning Community

- Freshman Learning Community (FLC)
- October 1, 2006 student population 741
- October 1, 2007 student population 912
- Housed in central location
- Faculty of “ninth-grade only” teachers
- Resources needed for success
- Small Learning Community Leader
- Two guidance counselors
- Two assistant principals
- Tiger 101 curriculum
- Internal Data Software System
- Surveys (Students, parents, and teachers)

## Tiger Camp

- One day event
- Prior to start of school
- Ninth grade students and parents attend school together
- Run through abbreviated student schedule of classes
- Representatives from clubs and organizations
- Attendance 2006
- 638 Students
- 460 Parents
- Attendance 2007
- 803 Students
- 455 Parents

**Notes:**
Notes:
Parents and students learn the layout of the building, students schedule, faculty, staff and administration
Grab and go breakfast
Open campus lunch
Opportunity for parents to meet all their students teachers, start putting names and faces together
Parents receive information regarding classroom procedures

## Seminar

- Tuesday and Thursdays – 8th Hour
- 90 minute class period
- Sustained Silent Reading
- Mentoring/Advisory Program
- Guided Study
- Testing Center
- Travel

**Notes:**
SSR – All students and teachers read for the 1st 15 minutes of seminar. Students may read books, newspapers, magazines
Testing Center – if a student misses a test in class, teacher can send to the testing center and the student may get a pass to travel to the center to make up test.
Travel – students must have a pass from teacher they need to go see and their ID, they can go  in for study session, review for test, do make up work

## Tiger 101

- Conducted during seminar during advisory
- Tuesday 2:15-2:45
- Lessons / Activities
- Goal setting
- Learning styles
- Time management
- Study skills
- Personal responsibility
- Planning for college

**Notes:**
2006-2007 curriculum – CollegeEd
2007-2008 Curriculum – Transitions – 60 modules all student will complete the 60 by the time they graduate from high school. 
Ninth grade year – soft skills, time management, anger management, personal responsibility 
Senior year – interview, etiquette, resumes, dress for success
Learning Styles 2007 – all teachers and students complete Kaleidoscopes, gives all insight into how a teacher may teachers, how a student learns, hopefully teaching and learning styles will match up in the SLC, have not collected data on students as of this date, but students have completed

## Mentoring/Advisory Program

- Personalize school experience
- Meets twice a week
- Advisor monitors
- Parent contacts
- Attendance
- Grades

**Notes:**
Meet during seminar –seminar teacher and students
Goal – each ninth grade student have a personal adult advocate to help him or her make a connection with the school and their peers
Advisor – may recommend student for tutoring or guided study
	      begin conversation with classroom teacher – performance of student in class
Tiger 101 is conducted during advisory time

## Guided Study

- Ninth grade mandatory tutoring
- Core subjects
- Tuesday and Thursday
- 2:30-3:45
- Students who have 2 or more F’s in core subject areas
- Student recommendations
- Parents
- Teachers
- Counselors
- Assistant principals

**Notes:**
Notes:
Student is not allowed to attend any functions during seminar, travel to library, computer lab, clubs/organizaton meetings, pep assemblies until their grade is at C or above.

1st semester for program, will be tracking number of students entering and leaving guided study, how many are repeat student in GS, how many only attend one time.

Have noticed since guided study, their grades are improving in other classes 

Students only attend one core subject at a time, once they have a C or better they can move to another core subject area if needed

## Internal Data System

- Track and monitor all BHS students
- Access demographic information
- Access discipline information
- Rights to access program
- Counselors
- Principals
- Administrative assistants
- Enter contacts
- Parental
- Counselors
- Administration
- Probation officers
- other

**Notes:**
Notes:
Purpose is a tracking system for all students, show when a student enters BHS, when they leave BHS, reason for leaving
Instantly see what contacts have been made with the student by the above mentioned and what action was taken
This information is archived for each year the student is enrolled at BHS, all SLC assistant principals can view past history of the student and all interventions from previous years.

## Surveys

- Student Surveys
- Conducted October 2006
- Conducted May 2007
- Parent Surveys
- Conducted October 2006
- Teacher Surveys
- Conducted October 2006
- Conducted May 2007

**Notes:**
What we learned:
Parents overall felt students had transitioned well to the high school
The parents that attended Tiger Camp higher positive response
Parents would like more communication
We are conducting 4 “Breakfast with the Boss” one each 9 weeks to inform parents of upcoming events, testing, etc...
Main events are placed in daily announcements, parents can access this from web-site
Student surveys-80% felt adequately adjusted
65% wide variety of clubs and organizations and extracurricular activities available
Felt not involved enough with upper classmen activities
Three school wide pep assemblies this year
Opening football season, homecoming and largest rival 
Ninth grade can attend homecoming and colors day dances
Teacher surveys-communication, communication, communication

## Summary Points

- Key Learnings
- Communication, communication, communication
- Perspective-junior high / high school
- Ninth grade earning credits towards graduation
- Challenges still Ahead
- Pyramid of interventions
- Failure not an option
- All students graduate within four years