Gardner High School’s Accreditation Continued

New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) Accreditation

In late September 2007 NEASC conducted a site visit to Gardner High School. Such a visit is done every ten years. For about eighteen months prior to the visit, GHS faculty and administrators participated in a self-study to assess the schools’ strengths and weaknesses according to NEASC standards. Following the visit, NEASC sent a report of their findings and the GHS Principal had the opportunity to review the report so that corrections could be made. In late March 2008, the NEASC Commission on Public Secondary Schools met to review Gardner’s and other high schools’ evaluations. At that meeting the Commission voted to continue Gardner High School’s accreditation in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The Commission commended Gardner High School on the following:

• the mission and expectations that are well-displayed throughout the building.
• the opportunities afforded to students to apply knowledge outside of the traditional classroom
• the initiation of common planning time for many departments
• the new teacher mentor program
• the variety of assessment strategies that meet different learning styles
• the school’s promotion of “on time, every time” which has reduced student tardiness
• the teaching staff for their willingness to support changes needed to more effectively meet students’ needs and for providing peer leadership
• the reporting of student progress in achieving the academic expectations on the final report cards
• the addition of Advanced Placement courses
• the teamwork model developed by the United States history teachers
• the establishment of a formal means for students to meet with the principal that has enhanced their involvement in the decision-making process
• the regular recognition and celebrations of student successes that are embedded in the culture of the school leading to student pride in their school and their peers
• the safe, respectful climate that encourages students to strive for success and honor the successes of their peers
• the number of student support services provided to students
• the Gateway Program offered through Mount Wachusett Community College that provides opportunities for high school dropouts to return to school
• the introduction of the Ambassador Program
• the partnership with families to meet the educational needs of students
• the outstanding cooperation with area businesses, community organizations, and the local community college

The Commission expressed concern regarding the school’s adherence to the Standards on Mission and Expectations for Student Learning and Curriculum

• the lack of input by parents, students, or community members in the development of the mission statement
• the lack of unified ownership of the mission and expectations for student learning and the resultant limited use of the document to drive decision-making in the school
• the students’ lack of clarity regarding the quality of learning expected related to the academic expectations in the mission
• the confusion regarding the use of departmental and school-wide rubrics to assess, formatively and summatively, student progress in achieving the academic expectations in the mission, particularly regarding levels of achievement and the acceptable level of achievement for each
• the absence of any indicators to access achievement of the social and civic expectations in the mission
• the limited extent to which the formal curriculum includes content, clearly integrates the academic expectations from the mission into the course curriculum, and suggests instructional and assessment strategies, including the school-wide rubrics
• the lack of adherence to a coherent codified curriculum
• the limited extent to which teachers have incorporated the academic expectations in the mission into their lessons
• the inaccessibility of curriculum documents to teachers, including those new to the high school, which are housed only in the main office
• the limited extent to which the curriculum emphasizes depth of understanding over breadth of coverage
• the limited effectiveness of curriculum coordination and articulation between and among all academic areas within the school and with sending schools
• the negative impact of fiscal constraints on the availability of adequate instructional materials and supplies
• the practice of copying sections of textbooks for students without textbooks
• the limited extent to which the print and non-print collections in the media center support the curriculum
• the outdated and inadequate number of computers to implement the curriculum
• the limited professional development offerings in curriculum processes
• the absence of school-based personnel who are responsible for curriculum processes
• the minimal integration of technology into the curriculum

Given these concerns, the Commission voted to place the school on warning for the Standards on Mission and Expectations for Student Learning and Curriculum.

The Commission requests that school officials submit a Special Progress Report by February 1, 2009 addressing the above concerns:

The Commission will remove the school’s warning status for this area (mission/curriculum) when the school demonstrates that it has satisfactorily addressed the above concerns.

Further, the Commission expressed concern related to the adequacy of the budget to fully support the school’s educational programs and services, staffing levels, instructional materials, equipment, including electronic resources, and facilities and health and safety issues. Given these concerns, the Special Progress Report should also include detailed responses to the following additional highlighted recommendations:

• submit the FY09 budget line items for staffing levels, textbooks, other instructional materials and supplies, computers and software, and the print and non-print collections and assess their level of adequacy
• develop, implement, and fund a current technology plan to support the curriculum and instructional practices
• immediately inspect and update fire extinguishers
• complete the installation of centrally monitored smoke and heat detector/fire alarm systems
• inspect flooring throughout the building for safety code compliance, including asbestos removal
• increase building maintenance staffing to ensure compliance with health/safety issues repair/replace the roof
• repair the leak in the refrigerator in the kitchen area
• resolve the rusted flooring on the other two refrigerators in the kitchen area
• clear outdated equipment and materials currently stored in the locker rooms, food service areas, and the computers
• immediately repair/replace the broken window on the third floor
• post evacuation instructions in all classrooms and corridors
• remove the old wrestling mats that are stored in the cafeteria
• resolve immediately issues related to maintaining a proper level of daily cleanliness throughout the facility

All accredited schools must submit a required Two-Year Progress Report, which in the case of Gardner High School is due on October 1, 2009. In that report school officials should indicate the status of all recommendations in the school’s evaluation report by classifying each in one of five categories: Completed, In Progress, Planned for the Future, Rejected or No Action. In addition, they should provide a brief description of the action that has been taken on each valid recommendation in the evaluation report and include anticipated dates of completion where applicable. Special care should be taken to include appropriate information to justify the Rejected or No Action status of any recommendation.

The Two-Year Progress Report should also provide detailed explanations regarding the manner in which each of the following highlighted recommendations has been addressed:

• develop a plan to review the school’s statement of mission and expectations for student learning that includes input by parents, students, and community members
• utilize school performance data based on rubrics created to measure specific expectations for assessing the effectiveness of the mission and expectations
• ensure that common planning time is used effectively
• provide teachers with significant input in the planning of professional development programs
• implement the Performance Improvement Mapping process
• describe steps taken to increase course offerings
• report steps taken to ensure that the curriculum in all courses emphasizes depth over breadth
• describe steps taken to ensure the development and implementation of lessons that are more student-centered
• acquire and integrate appropriate software in the core academic areas
• develop formal opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration among all departments
• provide professional training for all departments and time to use assessments reports, including the examination of student work, to develop and revise curriculum and instruction
• develop and implement common assessments which measure the school-wide academic expectations

Gardner High School personnel have already spent much of the 2007-2008 school year addressing the items noted. Many of the items were corrected immediately. Others, such as those related to the Mission Statement, take more time. A subcommittee began work to further refine the school’s mission statement. We will place regular updates to inform the public on actions taken.