Patrick Henry High School

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Patrick Henry High School Excellence Today
Equals Success Tomorrow
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Patrick Henry High School School Improvement Plan
Vision of Patrick Henry High School All students
at PHHS will receive an education that allows
them to choose the future they want and be
successful in achieving it.
Mission of Patrick Henry High School All students
will be challenged by a rigorous curriculum to
achieve at high levels, but be supported by staff
to meet those high expectations.
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Current Goals
Increase the number of students who have adequate
reading both the meet basic skill levels, as
well as to read competently to succeed in
higher-level classes.
Increase the number of students who are on track
for graduation by passing classes, meeting
requirements, and passing the MBST.
Improve links with the community so that students
will receive more support outside of school for
meeting academic expectations.
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My Vision of Patrick Henry High School Patrick
Henry High School is a place of learning
that embraces our community. It is a place where
students, parents and the community work together
toward a common mission and set of goals.
where all parents become actively involved in
their childrens education.
where students feel safe, have an active voice in
their education and become partners with their
teachers in becoming successful.
where decisions are based on data that is used in
a proactive way rather than a reactive way
where communal success is as important as
individual success.
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where its professional practices expand beyond
our walls and into other schools and learning
communities.
that takes time to celebrate its successes.
that seeks solutions to problems rather than
dwelling on them.
that treats its students as if the schools
livelihood depended on it.
that treats all participants as family.
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My Beliefs I believe that
if you believe students can learn and set high
expectations, they will respond accordingly.
students must become partners in learning with
their teachers if they are going to be successful
in class.
we need to thoroughly understand all of our
students in order to meet their needs.
we need to hold all students to clear and high
expectations.
we need to make informed decisions based on data
not on beliefs or prejudices.
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each and every learning partner (teachers,
administrators, students and parents) must
believe that all students can learn at high
levels.
we must develop a system that guarantees students
additional time and support when needed.
we must begin to think about grading students on
benchmarks mastered not on the amount of seat
time students have had in class.
(Quote Robert Cole and Philip Schlechty wrote in
their book A High Schools Collective Response
When Kids Dont Learn the following In the
factory model of schooling, quality was the
variable time was the constant. Students were
given a set amount of work to do in a set period
of time, and then graded on the quality of the
work accomplished. We must turn that on its head
Hold the quality of the work constant, and allow
time to vary.
we need to continually work on our instructional
practices to improve the learning of all of our
students.
we need to greet and treat students as if our
livelihood depended upon it. These students are
our patients. We must never treat them with
indifference.
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My Goals
Raise reading, writing and mathematics test
scores to proficiency levels for all students.
Create an environment that rewards staff,
students and parents for exemplary performance.
Increase graduation rates to proficiency levels
and beyond, and develop a tracking system that
tracks students beyond graduation.
Align online courses to coincide with
requirements for regular courses.
Provide faculty with a data connection software
system that allows faculty to base their planning
and instructional practices on fact not
conjecture. A system that will allow faculty to
diagnose problems and work collegially to inform
and improve instruction. Lezotte and Jacoby in
their book Sustainable School Reform once wrote
Disaggregation (of data) is a practical,
hands-on process that allows a schools faculty
to answer two critical questions Effective at
what? Effective for whom? It is not a problem
solving process but a problem finding process.
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Develop a system to identify a students level of
proficiency not for tracking purposes but
specifically to assist faculty in determining
what additional assistance is needed.
Continue the concept of teaming to analyze data
and examine instructional practices.
(Particularly critical at grades 10 and 11)
Develop an instructional calendar that
continuously focuses on the top 20 percent of
 the weaker test or objective areas. Research
shows that if you focus on the top 20 percent of
your weaker objective areas all year long, you
will get 80 percent of your results back. It is
called the 80/20 rule.
Reading and writing concepts must be taught
across the curriculum in an organized and planned
way. Reading and writing is everyones
responsibility!
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Implement Effective Teaching Strategies. Continue
the concept of professional learning
communities.
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My Concept of Effective Teaching Practices in the
Classroom
Do you have high, consistent expectations for ALL
students? Do students know exactly what is
expected of them when they first enter your
classroom? Do they know exactly how they are
being graded? Do you have a plan to address
students who are falling behind in their work, or
who enter your class at a later time? Do you have
an enrichment plan?
Do you model the way you want students to think
about an issue? In other words do you teach out
loud and then ask students to verbalize their
thinking process, not just the answer?
Do you provide essential vocabulary as you teach
reading, writing and math? Students with weak
vocabularies will have difficulty in answering
questions. Never assume students know the meaning
of a word.
Do you make learning real or is it all lecture
and worksheets? If you lecture, do you relate
what you teach to students lives? Before going
on to the next lesson, do you show appreciation
to your students for what they have learned? For
mastering the concept you taught them?
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Do you use cooperative-learning techniques to
get students engaged in lessons and build on each
others strengths? Do you look at communal
success as opposed to individual success in the
classroom? Do you use the expertise of the
students in your class who get it to assist
those who are struggling? Students can be great
teachers.
Do you incorporate skill in your classroom
techniques? All skills whether it is developing
habits of the mind or a specific concept need to
be practiced to the point of mastery. The 20
percent of the weaker test objectives as an
example need to be practiced over and over again
for students to master them.
Do you teach test taking strategies such as
problem solving, process thinking, mapping,
organization and handling stress and pressure?
Do you use meaningful formative assessments to
determine mastery of objectives? Do you analyze
the data to determine which areas need to be
re-taught? Do you provide additional instruction
for students not mastering concepts and
enrichment activities for those who have?
Do you celebrate mastery of skills and knowledge
with your students? Do you make them feel like
We are all in this together? Success builds
confidence and self-esteem on both sides of the
equation.