NEASC Visit is Upon Us

   

     On Sunday, October 19th, ELHS will be visited by the New England Association of Secondary Schools & Colleges (NEASC) for our accreditation visit.  It is a wonderful opportunity to show off all the wonderful things going on at our high school.  It is also a process of reflection to identify the areas that we look to improve upon.
     I am very grateful to our students, staff and the entire East Longmeadow community for their support and work during this three year process.  On Sunday, we will welcome NEASC with a panel presentation at 1pm in the auditorium that will highlight our self study, strengths and needs.  This will be facilitated by both students and staff and will be followed by a reception at 4pm in the cafeteria.  All  of the ELHS community is welcomed to join the celebration.
     Throughout the day on Monday through Wednesday, the NEASC visiting committee will be visiting classrooms, talking to parents, students, administrators and staff and reviewing student work. The committee will then record their findings via a final report.  The students and staff of ELHS work very hard to cultivate academic excellence and a positive school culture on a daily basis.  We look forward to sharing these details with the NEASC committee.

The Good, Bad & the Ugly of Teenage Cell Phone Use

   

For many of us, our cell phones serve many positive uses.  They help us find information, stay connected to others and keep our busy lives organized.  Nearly 80% of young people today between the ages of 12-17 own a cell phone- and that number is rapidly rising (Pew Report, 2013).  So, what are our teens doing with this technology?  According to a similar report, texting follows "checking the time" as the most common use of cell phones amongst teenagers.  Additionally, teens under the age of 18 send and receive over 2,779 texts a month which equates to about 1 hour and 51 minutes a day!
     While most teens utilize texting in an appropriate manner to communicate with friends and family, there is also a growing number of teenage texts that relate to bullying and sexual explicit information.  Cyber bullying through the use of cell phones happens to about 1 out of 5 teens.  This practice has caused many teens to become depressed, withdrawn and filled with anxiety.  Fortunately, there has been a growing awareness to the problem which has resulted in new regulations with harsh consequences to those who engage in this type of activity.  As parents, being keen observers to changes in behavior of our children and speaking to them daily about how things are going with them could help detect a problem.
     In the United States, eight states (including Massachusetts) have enacted heavy laws that are meant to dissuade minors from sending and disseminating sexually explicit (nude) photographs, videos and messages (commonly known as "sexting").  24% of high school teens report that they have been involved in sexually explicit communication via their cell phone.  While this practice is much more common amongst girls than boys, most young people do not realize that the sending or dissemination of such messages is a considered "dissemination of child pornography" and can result in felony criminal charges and harsh consequences.  In addition to the legal consequences, the sending and dissemination of sexually explicit information can leave participants in a devastating state of humiliation and isolation from their peers.  It is our hope that our students make good decisions and choices when it comes to the use of their cell phones and how they treat others.  At ELHS, we work to education our students on these issues as much as possible.  In every corner of our building, we have large signs that serve to remind our students to exercise good digital citizenship and to avoid acts of bullying and humiliation.
     This year, we will once again host Digital Citizenship week with the goal of giving our students a forum to learn and speak out about the appropriate uses of technology.  It's a topic that can never be discussed enough and we encourage our parents to talk to their children about what their children are putting out there and receiving either via their phone or internet.  Keep reminding them that once it's out there- it can almost never go completely away.

Preliminary MCAS Scores are In!

The ELHS preliminary results for last year’s MCAS are in and we are proud to report that ELHS has maintained a level one status (highest one) for three years in a row!  As the chart below shows, we have been making great strides particularly in the area of English Language Arts.

 In 2011, we had 88% of our students performing at an advanced and proficient level in ELA.  Last year, we raised that number to 98% of our students performing at an advanced or proficient level in ELA.  This is clearly a reflection of the hard work of our students and our staff’s three year commitment to improving literacy skills across the curriculum.  We will continue this focus this year as well.  

In the area of Math, we continue to  be at or above the state average with overall MCAS performance.   We have been averaging about 87% of our students being at the advanced or proficient level in Mathematics.  With last year’s adoption of a new curriculum brought on by the new Common Core Standards, our math department will work collaboratively this year with their colleagues both at ELHS and at Birchland Park to work on raising these levels even more. 

Thoughts on the Common Core Standards (CCS)

There has been much discussion recently both for and against the Common Core Standards.  Sadly, the focus on whether or not states should adopt the Common Core Standards has been heavily politicized- so much that it has distracted from what the Common Core Standards really set out to do, which was improve the way schools were preparing students for college and careers across the nation so they were competitive in the global economy. 

            Many opponents of the CCS feel that the federal government should have no voice in the educational standards selected by each state.  I do acknowledge that with certain issues, the actions of the federal government should be tempered, however, without some consistency in educational standards across our country, think about the student who moves from one state to another.  They may be at risk of “missing” key concepts and skills that may not be taught in their schools of attendance.  Additionally, are we really giving every student in this country a equal and fair advantage to achieving success with college and their potential career if there is no commonality on the expectations for learning no matter where you live? 

            Many opponents of the CCS fear that their should be no “national curriculum” and that individual states should define what course content should be taught.  I agree.  What this really represents is a common misunderstanding between “curriculum” and “standards.” Standards and curriculum are two very different things.  Standards define what students should know and be able to do by the end of a course of study.  For example, a standard from the CCS calls for all students in grades 6-8 to “draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.”  

       Curriculum defines the road map to getting there- course content, pacing, scope of content, resources to be used, etc.  So, in relation to the standard above on “drawing evidence from informational text,” the teacher can choose any informational text that best supports their content area and any method of instruction that will help achieve the standard.  That autonomy should always remain with the local school districts and the teachers who know the course content best.  The CCS does not set out to challenge the design of local curriculum.  While the CCS does list “recommended readings” for English, social studies and science, these are just that- recommendations, not requirements.  There are some required texts, such as excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution, but for the most part, that has always been embedded in school curriculums.   The CCS does not tell states, districts, or teachers how to teach.  The CCS does not dictate test questions for states. They simply state that by the end of each grade level in English and math, students across the country should be able to know and be able to do similar tasks related to these areas of study so they are equally prepared as all their peers across the nation.  Keep in mind that the CCS does not dictate standardized testing requirements either.  That comes in the form of MCAS and potentially PARCC- a whole other topic.   

            I saw an op-ed piece recently where opponents of the the CCS were scrutinizing how political beliefs were being embedded into the CCS.  Their example was illustrated by a test question on a teacher’s exam.  The question did indeed have a political bias- the teacher’s personal political bias, which is not okay.  However, this question was not devised by the developers of the CCS since they do not design tests. Standardized tests are generally devised by key leaders in the department of education of each individual state.  Local assessments are generally devised by local teachers.  If there is a bias in an assessment question, that is an issue to take up with those writing the test. 

            Many fear that the adoption of the CCS represents a dramatic paradigm shift in how schools teach English, math, social studies and science.  The truth is that in the state of Massachusetts, the former state frameworks were very much aligned to the skills that are outlined in the CCS.  What the CCS did for the previous MA state standards was 1.  increased the rigor (i.e. complexity)  of what students should know and be able to do across the grade spans and 2.  developed a rational, effective scaffolding of skills from one grade level to the next so that by the time students reach 12^th grade, they are prepared to do complex, real world applications related to reading, writing and critical thinking. 

            Lastly, opponents of the CCS often discuss the financial burden that school districts will have to undergo to align to the CCS in terms of changing assessments and obtaining CCS- ready resources for the classroom.  The textbook is not the sole source of knowledge and the development of skills for teaching and learning.  It is one resource.  In an age where technology helps us gain access to a wide variety of information in so many different formats, educators and students no longer have to rely so heavily on textbooks, workbooks and other tangible resources for the classroom.  One could argue that as we demand the development of more 21^st century skills in our classrooms (communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity) the access to often free online resources, make this more cost effective for schools. 

            Listed below are some sample CCS standards for both the English, math and literacy standards for social studies and science so you can judge for yourself their relevancy and controversy. 

English (grades 9-12)

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.2
Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Social Studies and Science (grades 9-12):

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

Algebra I (grade 9):

Perform arithmetic operations on polynomials.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.HSA.APR.A.1
Understand that polynomials form a system analogous to the integers, namely, they are closed under the operations of addition, subtraction, and multiplication; add, subtract, and multiply polynomials.

Multicultural Club Continues to Honor Diversity

Mr. Polk (advisor) and students of the Multicultural Club show off their cultural garb during Multicultural Week

     The Multicultural Club works tirelessly to promote one of the tenets of the ELHS mission statement, "Honor Diversity."  Since its inception, the MC club has hosted numerous events to bring awareness to  cultures and cultural issues from around the world.  They kicked off the year with a symposium and art gallery starring prominent, local African American artists.  They have also hosted movie nights that promote cultural understanding.
     This week,  they have sponsored Multicultural Week, providing all of ELHS interesting facts from around the world.  On Wednesday, they encouraged ELHS to wear an article of clothing that expressed their own cultural background.  From dashikis (Africa) to shalwar kameez (Pakistan) to other traditional clothing representing South America and Europe, students expressed pride in their cultural backgrounds and learned something in the process.
     Many thanks to Mr. Polk and the entire Multicultural Club for all their efforts in helping ELHS honor diversity.  It is much admired and appreciated.

Gay Straight Alliance Helps to Promote a Safe & Tolerant ELHS

   

Ali Phillips, Joe Piemonte and other GSA members
are recognized by Channel 40 

     Last year, ELHS introduced a new Gay Straight Alliance Club.  This club was initiated to help promote a safe and tolerant school environment for all students through various youth leadership activities.  These students and their advisor, Ms. Jennifer Faulker,  have worked to educate our students and staff about ways they can help eliminate bias and prejudice related to homophobia and other gender related issues.
      There has been much research that shows that students who are harassed due to issues of sexual orientation are twice more likely to report depression or suicide.  They are also more likely to receive low grades and engage in drug and alcohol use.  Additionally, these students are also more likely to become victims of violence.
     I am very proud of the work of our students in GSA.  They have truly exemplified qualities of positive student leadership.   They have sponsored "Give a Compliment Day," brought awareness to name calling at ELHS, hosted an educational workshop on LGBTQ issues for parents and most recently organized our "Day of Silence" in support of LGBTQ students.  These students are very passionate about their work and have made a real difference in changing the way people think about and treat LGBTQ students.  If it means one less student who is bullied or treated disrespectfully- their efforts have been worth it.  They are currently gearing up to present more workshops for staff and students.  Thank you GSA!

NEASC Update: Strengths and Needs of ELHS

For the past 2 ½ years, ELHS has been immersed in the NEASC accreditation process.  During this time, we have collaborated as a community to evaluate all the programs, services and resources that are in place for our students.  Last month, our staff finalized our findings and will be presenting this to the NEASC visiting committee in October of 2014.   We had many things to celebrate and many things we felt we need to improve in order to provide our students the most effective and positive learning experience possible.   Listed below are the strengths and needs that were identified by our staff: 

Strengths of ELHS:  dedicated, hardworking staff; working to improve technology instruction and resources; a focus on best practices related to the instructional block; expansive professional development opportunities for staff, a focus on aligning courses to the Common Core Standards; use of Edline to provide students and parents easy access to what is happening in the classrooms; data driven instruction; common assessment development to ensure consistency and rigor in our courses; focus on data analysis to improve instruction; individualized approached to meeting the needs of students; school wide rubrics that focus on 21^st century learning skills; five year curriculum review cycle to ensure that all courses are relevant, engaging and adequately supported through various resources; a focus on maintaining a safe, positive and respectful place of learning; research based staff evaluations that focus on improved student learning; instructional leadership of the principal working with other building leaders that is rooted in our school's core values, beliefs and learning expectations; the maintenance of acceptable student load and class sizes which enable teachers to meet the learning needs of individual students; an equitable and inclusive learning environment; community and parent communication and collaboration

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Needs of ELHS- increase collaboration time for staff members developing best practices of teaching and learning; update technology hardware and access to technology for all students; renovation of the  library and classrooms to meet 21^st century learning expectations; advisor/advisee program for students; ensure that school budget keeps pace with changing curriculum standards; update/replace older equipment to minimize maintenance and energy costs and ensure that our students are able to be exposed to the latest teaching tools;  increase Special Education staff necessary to accommodate IEP caseload; review school wide grading practices; communicate more effectively to student the 21^st century learning expectations, 

ELHS Highlighted on Channel 40

Channel 40's Britney Decker interviews ELHS students

On Friday, February 28, 2014, Channel 40's Honor Roll Live segment, broadcasted the morning news LIVE at East Longmeadow High School.  You can see the full segment by clicking here:  ELHS on Channel 40 

We were so excited to showcase all our amazing students and all the great things going on at ELHS.  Over 150 students and staff showed up at 4:45am and spread the Spartan spirit all over Western Massachusetts.  The band and cheerleaders led the way followed by the following groups:  Chorus, Environmental Club, Robotics Club, Entrepreneurship Club, GSA, Hockey team, Track & Field team, Golf team, Journalism Club, T.V. Studio, and the Senior Project.

We were so proud of how all our students presented themselves!  Thank you to all who came in early to show Western Massachusetts why we are the best high school around!

Growth in Writing Scores

You may have heard your student discussing how they are writing more in all their classes.  One of our learning expectations at the high school is to develop effective literacy and communication skills with our students.  We also want to provide them the practice of analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information through writing to help them be successful on assessments such as the MCAS and SAT.

Twice during semester one, we administered common open response assessments in all content areas and all grades.  These assessments were directly related to the content that was being taught in the classroom.  Students read various pieces of texts and were asked to respond to a prompt.  Students were assessed via a rubric on each of the following elements:

• FOCUS- Develop a topic
• EVIDENCE- Support a response or claim
• EXPLANATION/ANALYSIS- Draw accurate conclusions
• ORGANIZATION- Develop a strong body of writing that demonstrates an understanding of content 
• CONVENTIONS- Utilize grammar, vocabulary and spelling appropriately.  

We are proud to share that our efforts have paid off!  The data chart below shows that all grade levels made gains between the first and second assessment administration.  Congratulations Spartans!