The audit also recommended that the junior high, at 25th and Madison, have a separate staff and facility. The school shares a building and resources with the high school. Holmes Junior was commended for adding a critical thinking skills class, hiring an instructional technology teacher to help other teachers integrate technology into their lessons, expanding the advanced placement program and setting up an intervention assistance team formed to help troubled students. However, instruction is generally lacking. Many teachers are not certified to teach the class or grade they're teaching.
Many lessons are still textbook-driven.
Many lessons are not on grade level, indicating a need for remediation. The audit urged the district to bring together the elementary schools and junior high to help eliminate gaps in instruction so students are prepared when they get to Holmes Junior. The junior high was also criticized for little parent involvement. Auditors urged the school to develop a public relations plan to reach the community. The Cincinnati Enquirer , a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.