LTUSD has WASC plans and updates for South Tahoe High on website

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) didn't give South Tahoe High and the Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) the results expected after a WASC accreditation team visited South Lake Tahoe in the Spring of 2016.

Instead of an expected six-year term they received a two-year accreditation which goes through June of 2018. On March 19 and 20 of that year a team of educators will return to the campus and evaluate recommended changes.

Bob Grant, the LTUSD Career Technical Education and Visual & Performing Arts Coordinator has created webpages on the District's website for parents, students and other community members to utilize. There, people can find out the WASC action plan, visiting committee report, their improvement plan as well as self-study reports.

A new principal will take over at the school this summer but the plan-of-action has already been put in place and acted upon. Common Core Standards are in place as are more career-technical education and community college courses for high school students.

What the visiting education committee liked about the school in 2016:

• Specialized facilities and equipment are the foundation of CTE (Career Technical Education) and other specialized courses.
• The school has 1:1 Chromebooks and teachers have been trained to integrate technology in their classrooms
• Teachers and administrators are very engaged.
• The school has a strong vision that provides for student choice.
• STHS has a strong CTE curriculum whereby students have many choices in terms of career preparation pathways.
• Processes for developing CCSS aligned curriculum are clearly underway. There is a high level of motivation and teacher collaboration (formal and informal) as this transition kicks into high gear.
• The curriculum is supported by ample technology used for both teaching and learning.
• STHS has a strong AVID program as well as access to many A-G approved course options within each subject area.
• Teachers are enthusiastic about using a variety of instructional strategies in the classroom.
• Technology is used extensively to support instruction to deliver instruction, provide students with practice, and assess students.
• There is a school wide focus on inserting relevance into instruction by using practical and real-world examples whenever possible.
• CTE and academic courses are working on integrated models, such as Geometry By Design, which offer students additional consistency and real life applications.
• STHS has begun using the Get Focused, Stay Focused curriculum to support students in creating individualized learning plans for high school and beyond.
• Use of AERIES, email and other methods to report student progress.
• School has modified curriculum to adjust to changing demographics and has added classes to help with credit recovery among the academically lagging population.
• STHS uses a variety of assessments to gauge student learning/progress.
• Use of formative instruction in all departments.
• The School District and community made a financial commitment in 2009 by having the majority of school bond money go to high school improvements and this has created many state-of-the-art facilities and programs.
• The staff is close-knit and has several opportunities for full staff social gatherings, including holiday parties, start- and end-of-school events.

What they wanted the school to work on:

• Increase literacy and skills in Common Core State Standards among South Tahoe High School Teachers - The school wishes to analyze and disaggregate 2015 CAASPP data, identify ways to integrate disciplines in this process, make appropriate instructional change, articulate and standardize common assessments.
• Provide course that meet the needs of all student subgroups - The school is working toward articulating with the middle school and community college, expand dual-enrollment course offerings, offer intervention and support classes for students struggling academically, grow CTE offerings, expand course blended with CTE, investigate need for non-college prep life­skills courses.
• Formalize, publish, test and implement a comprehensive South Tahoe High School and South Tahoe Middle School Code of Student Conduct - The school is in the process of completing a draft of this document for review and input by stakeholders and then implement and enforce code, analyze and evaluate data.

Things not in the report but recommended actions:

• Parent involvement should be a focus so that parents play a more active role in the school decision making process, including LCAP and the site plan.
• Because of a lack of common instruction, assessment and pacing within subject areas, a comprehensive and strategic plan for Common Core and NGSS implementation needs to be developed. The CCSS College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards will direct the further development of all programs, including CTE.
• Develop a professional development plan that increases collaboration and planning time and provides consistent staff development within and across departments.
•The communication channel between the district curriculum department and the school site should continue to be strengthened so that there is effective articulation between school sites.

The school has a Booster Club and School Site Council, but very few parents participate, something WASC wanted improved upon. Parents should contact the school to find out how to be more involved.

To find out more: http://ltusd.org/district/sths_updates_-_wasc