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A I N T

Focus on Learning

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U G U S T I N E

CHAPTER 3
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C A D E M cY

ACTION PLAN PROGRESS NARRATIVES

This progress report provides the Progress Report for 2012 first, followed in historical descendancy by the 2009 and 2006 reports.

2012 PROGRESS REPORT

The following areas were chosen for evaluation and attention during the 2009-2012 accreditation period: Implement documentation techniques for all collaborative meetings One person has been assigned as the official record keeper for all faculty and collaborative meetings. Additionally, two alternates are available. Meeting notes are kept on computer and are available for reference at all meetings. A Peer Observation Worksheet has been developed and is used to document formal observations. The completed worksheets are kept in the Peer Observation Folder located in the Faculty Lounge. Expand the mentoring program to include all faculty The mentoring program at St. Augustine Academy relies on peer observation and discussion. All teachers are expected to participate in this program in order to enhance classroom perspective and experience and to make themselves more aware of each other's teaching style and classroom personality. Teachers are responsible to visit and observe a minimum of one other classroom per semester. Generally observations are made within St. Augustine but occasionally teachers will observe at different campuses. Substitutes are made available to cover classroom duties to allow for this. During the past year there have been eight formal observations. It should be understood, though, that this does not really reflect the small, collaborative nature of the school. The faculty participates in constant discussion over classroom and curricular issues. It is not unusual to find 3 or 4 teachers working together during their prep period or lunch time to 38

find the best way to impart knowledge or help a particular student. One teacher might spontaneously say, I'll drop into your classroom this afternoon. These meetings are not official or documented; they occur naturally. They are part of the unique nature of the school. Continue developing benchmarks The development of standards and benchmarks is a huge and ongoing project. As one can see, it remains an Action Plan item for the upcoming period. An overall plan was developed at the beginning of the project. English and Mathematics were chosen as the pilot subjects. A worksheet was created using California Standards as the base. This was then distributed to all English and Mathematics teachers for their input and correlation to what they were teaching. Some items were deleted, some were added as areas actually covered, and some were added as items that the teacher felt they would like to cover. From this information a template was created for the teachers to enter data as to what they did, how they did it, and how they assessed progress and completion by the students. This was handed out to all English and Mathematics teachers for use during the 2010/2011 academic year. At the before-school in-service the completed worksheets were reviewed. Further work is being undertaken to integrate the English curriculum throughout the grade levels. During the 2011/2012 academic year work has been begun on History/Social Studies standards. St. Augustine Academy diverges somewhat from California Standards in the History/Social Studies curriculum. St. Augustine Academy requires two years of both American History and World History while California only requires one year of each. Furthermore, St. Augustine's history program covers a longer time frame and, in World History, concentrates its curriculum on the development of Western Civilization. Following is a listing by discipline of work towards development of standards and benchmarks:

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 English Standards Development Create worksheet of California Standards for all English classes 4-12 Collect input from teachers to focus data for SAA specific curriculum needs Create template for teacher use to track actual curriculum taught Distribute to teachers for one-year input Re-evaluate from completed templates to refine integrated curriculum throughout the grade levels Simplify for daily teacher use Math Standards Development Create worksheet of California Standards for all Mathematics classes 4-12 Collect input from teachers to focus data for SAA specific curriculum needs Create template for teacher use to track actual curriculum taught Distribute to teachers for one-year input Review for consistency across all grade levels History Standards Development Review correlation between California history requirements and SAA requirements Create worksheet of California Standards of appropriate classes

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2009 INTERIM VISIT

After conversations with the Headmaster, faculty, board and parents and evaluating current needs for improvement in student learning, it is recommended that the following areas be addressed: Implement documentation techniques for all collaborative meetings Documentation of formal and informal meetings as well as peer observations needs to be kept. These records serve as verification of what has been accomplished as faculty members work together to improve student outcomes and instructional strategies. Expand the mentoring program to include all faculty The current peer mentoring program is geared toward new or less-experienced teachers. All teachers should be required to make a minimum number of observations. Each teacher should also be observed a minimum number of times. This will give teachers needed feedback which will ultimately improve student learning. Continue developing benchmarks The core curricular areas need to finish developing the benchmarks using the model presented in the school report. This comprehensive review will serve to strengthen the instructional methodologies which will then improve student learning.

2006 FULL VISIT

In order to summarize efficiently, below is the findings of the 2009 Mid-Term Visiting Committee. This report summarizes the progress the academy has made on the original Action Plan items. Following this report are the list of recommended areas of follow-up by the same committee. Finally, our progress report on those critical areas ends this chapter. Expand the number of leadership roles to include stakeholders, especially faculty members, in a collaborative decision making process to progress in sequential steps of the WASC action plan, to make curricular, instructional and financial decisions regarding the school improvement process.

The administration has made great strides toward including stakeholder participation in all aspects of the school. Teachers have leadership roles in curriculum review and instruction. A WASC representative student team was formed. Student input was gleaned from this group as well as from schoolwide surveys. In most cases, leadership of the focus groups shifted to faculty and parents eliminating the administration having sole leadership responsibility. Parents assumed responsibility for organizing fundraising events. They also are responsible for planning extra-curricular activities such as dances and picnics. The board treasurer reviews the financial information twice a year and invites parental review of the financial audit.

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Formulate an ongoing focused staff development plan based on student needs and staff input. The staff development plan should include a component of peer observation and mentoring.

In an attempt to prioritize the students needs, polls of parents and students were taken. The results of these polls were integrated into discussions at faculty meetings and a consensus was obtained on three major areas of concern. Action plan #2 was formulated from those results. A mentoring program was designed. An emphasis was placed on helping the new teachers. Teachers were given time to visit each other and conference with their colleagues. Teachers observed classes at other Catholic schools. They also attended various workshops and conferences and shared their findings with the faculty. Ideas and techniques observed during these experiences have been implemented into various classrooms. Formulate a post secondary guidance program for grades 9 through 12

In alignment with its mission statement, the school determined that the parents are the primary guidance counselors of their students. The role of the school is to assist the parents in that endeavor. A portion of the schools library has been designated as the College Corner; students and parents can examine hard copy materials obtained from colleges and military academies. The newly hired guidance counselor notifies parents and students of upcoming events such as testing dates and sites, application deadlines, and availability and accessibility to financial aid. The annual College Night was created to allow students face-to-face time with college representatives and access to materials from those institutions. The military academies are also invited to present programs to the students. A new handbook has been created to assist students and parents on post high school goals.

Utilize assessment data to drive the instructional decisions and develop essential standards for all core subjects with specific measurable benchmarks.

Changes at St. Augustine Academy have occurred through disaggregation of national exam data. The results on these exams in mathematics led to a decision that the textbook was not making the essential connections between subjects. New curriculum was chosen that is more closely aligned with those national exams. The CSU/UC Mathematics Diagnostic Testing program is also used to assess the students readiness to advance in math. In an effort to guarantee success for incoming students, the admissions process was reviewed. A systematic collection of data and evaluation of information on new students was written which ensures proper placement of these students. One of the key aspects of this action plan was for the school to develop essential learning standards for all core subjects with benchmarks. The history/social science department has begun that process and written some excellent measurable benchmarks. They need to be commended and used as a model for the other core areas of English, math, and science.

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Develop a plan for addressing the varied student learning needs for all students.

St. Augustine Academys primary focus has changed from an exclusively college prep school to an all-inclusive family institution. This means that in addition to the highly motivated and self directed students on the college prep track, the school now has a number of average and below average students. Students needing academic support are identified during the admission process as well as through teacher recommendation. If the school feels the needs of a specific student cannot be met, a conference is held with the parent to determine the best course of action. For the highly academic students, AP classes have been added. Students may also take courses at the local community college or online through an approved high school distance learning program. The graduation requirements were reviewed and the concept of all students taking four years (9-12) of each core class was changed. Study hall, teacher tutoring, peer tutoring and summer school are options used to assist special needs students. This area is still in transition and will continued to be addressed. A K-3 enrichment program was piloted at an off campus site. This program will ensure incoming students are ready academically. It will also assist in the early detection of academic deficiencies in these students. Identifying students with varied learning needs creates scheduling nightmares especially in a school as small as St. Augustine. The school is still working on how it can best serve these needs with the limited faculty, facilities and funding available.

A. Priority and/or Additional Areas for Improvement: Identify and note any areas that need to be given priority for the schools ongoing improvement. After conversations with the Headmaster, faculty, board and parents and evaluating current needs for improvement in student learning, it is recommended that the following areas be addressed: Implement documentation techniques for all collaborative meetings Documentation of formal and informal meetings as well as peer observations needs to be kept. These records serve as verification of what has been accomplished as faculty members work together to improve student outcomes and instructional strategies. Expand the mentoring program to include all faculty The current peer mentoring program is geared toward new or less-experienced teachers. All teachers should be required to make a minimum number of observations. Each teacher should also be observed a minimum number of times. This will give teachers needed feedback which will ultimately improve student learning. 43

 Continue developing benchmarks The core curricular areas need to finish developing the benchmarks using the model presented in the school report. This comprehensive review will serve to strengthen the instructional methodologies which will then improve student learning. C. School Success: Report on the schools success in carrying out its action plan St. Augustine Academy has made a significant effort to address the action plans. They were redrafted following the previous visit and the entire school community has worked together to implement those areas. Yearly review of these action plans should be done. These reviews would verify ongoing progress as well as allow for revision or addition of new action steps. IV. Commendations Related to Progress The committee commends St. Augustine Academy for its thoughtful review of the Focus on Learning process. Cooperation by the whole school community was evident throughout the visit.

Systematic development of learning standards with measurable benchmarks. St. Augustine Academy has made great strides in their beginning efforts to write learning standards and benchmarks for the core classes. The history template is an excellent model for all future work on these items. Hiring of a post secondary guidance counselor. The addition of an experienced high school guidance counselor has helped students and parents with post secondary educational planning. Along with the Headmaster, their completion of the High School Handbook has proved to be a valuable tool. Parents for their active participation and support of St. Augustine Academy Parental involvement in all aspects of the school community was evident throughout the visit. Parents have taken leadership roles in many areas of the school. This interaction has lessened the workload of administration and faculty while strengthening the bond between home and school. Students for their interaction with peers, teachers, and administration. The students at St. Augustine Academy possess qualities of thoughtfulness, respect, and courtesy to visitors, the faculty and their peers. The older students serve as excellent role models to the younger students and a genuine family atmosphere overflows throughout the school.

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The visiting team was impressed with the open and honest discussion of the schools progress since the last visit. The administration, faculty, parents and students should be commended for their commitment to the overall success of St. Augustine Academy.

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