Districts team new students, roll out intensive programs

By Charlie Boss

3/9/2008

The Columbus Dispatch

An A is not enough at Hilliard Darby High School.

The school, which has consistently earned the top rating on the state report card, has beefed up opportunities for kids to get help on homework and classwork. And last year, it started offering classes in which students also can earn college credit.

Administrators now have focused their efforts on the 632 freshmen this year. The students are in teams, sharing similar math, English and science classes.

“There is always room for improvement,” said assistant Principal Mindy Mordarski. “We wanted to try and have an atmosphere where we are connecting with students. We believe if students are happy in school, they will succeed in school.”

Educators and policymakers nationwide have been refashioning high schools to help close achievement gaps between different types of students, improve academic performance, lower the number of disciplinary cases and engage students.

For years, large and urban school districts have been at the center of the change. Now, high-performing schools throughout central Ohio are joining the movement.

Starting in the fall, changes are coming to high schools in Dublin, Jonathan Alder, Upper Arlington and Worthington districts. And Hilliard officials are expected to announce plans this spring for their “High School 2020″ initiative, which lists recommendations to tackle the global and technological challenges high-school graduates will face.

Meanwhile, plans in Reynoldsburg and Buckeye Valley, a Delaware County district, will depend on official results from Tuesday’s election, in which both sought the passage of bond issues for high schools.

Buckeye Valley’s issue appears to be losing by 21 votes; Reynoldsburg’s is passing by 186 votes. A win in Buckeye Valley would mean updated science programs and a Reynoldsburg victory would mean a new take on high school — separate buildings for grades nine through 10 and 11 through 12, for example.

“Even the best have room to get better,” said Dan Hoffman, assistant superintendent at Reynoldsburg.

He recently rejoined the district after spending the past decade working on high-school reform with the Center for Essential School Reform and KnowledgeWorks Foundation. He was the lead developer of the Metro School, a science, technology, engineering and math high school for Franklin County.

Districts “are realizing high schools have been inflexible for years,” he said. “It only takes a little bit of flexibility and creativity and kids will make choices that will make it a better place for everybody.”

Reynoldsburg high-school administrators also are studying plans to create six learning academies, such as one that would focus on arts and communication and another in business and entrepreneurship.

The federal No Child Left Behind law, as well as the state’s plan in which schools must show a year’s growth in students, is raising the bar for all schools, including the high performers.

“We’re held accountable for the learning of our students,” said Kip Greenhill, principal at Upper Arlington High School. “That’s a change. So in order to meet those requirements, high schools need to restructure.”

Starting in the fall, the school’s 450 freshmen will be teamed up and share math, science, social studies and English teachers.

Dublin’s three high schools — Coffman, Jerome and Scioto — also are getting a makeover in the fall.

Students can take their first Chinese class and work toward an International Baccalaureate diploma, which requires them to complete rigorous coursework and service projects. Officials also have made changes to allow more students to be valedictorian, earn an A or schedule an elusive elective class.

“We can get better,” said Tracey Miller, principal at Dublin Coffman. “Our graduation rate is still not 100 percent. We don’t have 100 percent on the (Ohio Graduation Test) on the first time. We still have some kids that get Ds and Fs.”

This year, Gahanna Lincoln High School widened offerings for its 2,333 students to better prepare them for life after graduation.

Teens could sign up for Chinese and participate in a new science academy with classes focused on robotics and the medical field. In January, the school began its Leadership Tomorrow class, in which students work on service projects that develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

Changes

A wave of new programs and reorganizations started this year at some high schools, while others are scheduled to begin in the fall. They include personalizing the high-school experience, creating smaller learning communities and preparing students for life in a global environment. Some examples at various districts:

Currently

Brookhaven: Columbus schools have created three smaller schools at the high school.

Gahanna Lincoln: The school started offering Chinese classes and opened a science academy focusing on robotics and the medical field. Students also could sign up for a Leadership Tomorrow class, in which they work on service projects that develop problem-solving and critical-thinking skills.

Hilliard Darby: The school’s 632 freshmen are grouped in teams that share English, science and social studies teachers.

Starting in the fall

Dublin Coffman, Jerome and Scioto: All three will offer Chinese classes and the prestigious International Baccalaureate diploma program, which requires students to complete rigorous coursework and service projects. Seniors with a grade-point average of at least 4.1 will be recognized as valedictorians. The grading scale has been adjusted so 93 percent or higher is an A, instead of 96 percent or higher. The school will offer credit for yearlong courses by semester, which will allow students flexibility with their schedules. The school day also will have eight 45-minute periods instead of the current seven 50-minute periods.

Groveport Madison: Freshmen will be organized into teams based on the foreign language they take. Students who sign up for Spanish, French or Chinese — or possibly Russian or German — will share math, English, science and social-studies teachers.

Jonathan Alder: Freshmen will be grouped into teams, which will move together in core courses, including English, math, science and social studies.

Upper Arlington: Freshmen will be teamed and share math, science, social studies and English teachers.

Thomas Worthington, Worthington Kilbourne and Linworth Alternative: Administrators are studying plans to offer special programs, including a high-school-credit recovering program, an international business academy, an entrepreneurship academy and a health-care career pathway academy, and weaving in technology at the alternative school.

In the future

Linden-McKinley: Columbus plans to transform Linden-McKinley into a building for grades seven through 12 focused on science, technology, engineering and math.

Reynoldsburg: Administrators also are studying plans to create six learning academies with tracks such as arts and communication, science and technology and business and entrepreneurship. Officials are awaiting results on a federal grant for $1.5 million to help with the reorganization.