At the Whitewater Unified School District School Board meeting on Monday night, Principal Mike Lovenberg reviewed three of Whitewater High School’s goals for the 2020-2021 school year. These goals were set for the students to improve both academically and culturally.
The first goal of the year was for at least 60% of the student body to be involved in at least two extra-curricular activities by the end of the school year. To encourage this, the school held an activity fair for freshmen, encouraged staff to reach out to students, and hosted info on various activities online. Data was collected from rosters submitted by coaches and advisors to see total enrollment numbers. In the end, 46% of students were involved with two or more activities by the end of the year, while 71% of students were involved with at least one activity during the pandemic.
The second goal presented was for the class of 2024 to pass all their classes during their freshman year. To make this happen, the staff worked to identify at-risk students through their grades and behavior and offering them extra help. They also encouraged one on one time with teachers, an after-school study center, and modified athletic codes to hold students accountable for their academics. At the end of the year, 70% percent of students passed their classes.
The final goal focused on the students’ GPA, planning for 70% of the students in the class of 2021 to achieve a 2.8 GPA. The steps to help achieve this goal were similar to those of the previous goal, with an extra emphasis on intervention for students with slipping grades. By the end of the school year, 66% of students achieved at least a 2.8 GPA, with the class average being 3.1.
Principal Lovenberg expects growth to continue as the next school year progresses, noting that these numbers were still impressive given the circumstances of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Principal Chris Fountain reviewed three goals Whitewater Middle School had for the 2020-2021 school year at Monday’s Whitewater Unified School Board meeting.
The first goal was for 63% of students to meet or exceed their Reading MAP growth target by Spring of 2021. To achieve this, the school had students recognize learning targets and would continue Advanced Learner opportunities. A new Language Arts curriculum was also being piloted by all grades this year. In the end, 42.9% of students met or exceeded their growth target.
The second goal was for 60% of students to meet their MAP growth target, but this time for math. In addition to the strategies used to reach the reading goal, the school also utilized daily oral math segments in class to improve skills, as well as bringing in a math interventionist to help support students and staff. When the data was collected in the spring, this goal also fell short, with only 48.5% meeting their growth targets.
Finally, the third goal was to build a sense of community within the school. The staff would accomplish this by focusing on making personal connections with students, and by developing different opportunities for students to be involved with the school. According to a survey conducted by the staff, 78.5% of students reported that they were engaged with the school, surpassing their goal of 75%.
Principal Fountain predicts greater improvement yet as classes return to in-person attendance for the following school year, citing the constantly changing environment of the pandemic as a probable reason for not meeting these goals.
Comentarios