chapter · 2018-08-31 · chapter i – school and community profile a. community palo alto is a...

CHAPTER I – SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PROFILE

A. Community Palo Alto is a community of about 64,000 residents, located 35 miles south of San Francisco and 14 miles north of San Jose in Santa Clara County. Leland Stanford Sr. established the city, when he and his wife Jane founded Stanford University in 1891 in memory of their son. Silicon Valley has its roots in Palo Alto: A large percentage of city residents are professionals in the high tech industry, education, healthcare, retail and service industries. Palo Alto is the second most educated city in the country (Forbes, 2012) and has the second highest concentration of master’s and doctorate degrees in the country (Nerdwallet, 2014).

Palo Alto features a dynamic mix of business and residential development. Hewlett-Packard, Stanford University and Xerox PARC have served as incubators for many of today’s tech giants. This demographic profile makes for a dynamic, exciting educational environment at Palo Alto High School (known widely as “Paly”). The heartfelt support provided by our community guarantees the continuing excellence and vitality of our school and our district.

Some demographic highlights: ● Palo Alto’s population was 64,403 in the 2010 census ● The mean household income is $163,661 (2012 CNN data) ● The median home price is $1,225,000 (2012 CNN data) ● 74% of adults hold a four-year college degree ● 43% of adults over age 25 have at least one graduate degree

B. Family and Community Trends Parents in Palo Alto are among the most educated in the United States. More than 70% of parents hold both undergraduate and some type of graduate degree.

Source: Infinite Campus

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C. State and Federal Program Mandates Paly is not in Program Improvement, nor does it receive Title 1 funds.

Students identified as Gifted and Talented in Education (GATE) are so identified upon their enrollment in elementary school and not upon their entrance to Palo Alto High School.

D. Parent and Community Organizations Parent Organizations Palo Alto High School benefits from the strong support and active involvement of parents. Vital Paly parent groups range from the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) to the Parent Advocates for Student Success (PASS). Parents serve on Site Council, the leadership team of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and on WASC focus groups.

Paly’s parent volunteers log more than 30,000 hours every year. Volunteers tutor students one-on-one and in groups, assist in classrooms and the school’s library, provide office help, serve as guest speakers, host college visits, chaperone dances, assist with Homecoming, improve the physical campus, drive for field trips and help with small one-time projects. Parents are also involved in committees for large all-school functions such as the Club Day, Turkey Feast, Not in Our Schools Week, Spirit Week, Community Service Day, Career Month and Field Day.

Parents organize and run a number of Paly booster organizations: ● The Paly Sports Boosters (PSB) raise money to equip our athletes and facilities. PSB funds Positive

Coaching Alliance training for coaches and school buses and vans to transport student-athletes. ● The performing arts booster groups are Music Boosters, Choir Boosters, and Theater Boosters. These

enthusiastic parents help Paly keep its robust array of performing arts courses and co-curricular opportunities for student-performers.

● The Fiery Arts Boosters support our unique glass blowing program. Paly is one of just two high schools in the United States to offer glass blowing to students, thanks to our Advanced Ceramics and Sculpture class.

● The Robotics Boosters raise money for materials and equipment, and help the Paly Robotics Team (PRT) travel to local, state and national competitions. Mentors from local industry also contribute over 800 hours each year, teaching computer-aided design, project management, software, mechanical, and electrical engineering as well as materials science, public relations and marketing, and powered machine tool skills.

● In 2012, the Media Arts Boosters group was formed to support media arts pathways and provide additional resources in our newly opened Media Arts Center.

Community Organizations Project Safety Net (PSN) is a grassroots network that formed in response to a suicide contagion in the community. The network includes representatives of the City of Palo Alto, Palo Alto Unified School District, the health care community, non-profit organizations, faith community members and local residents.

Youth Community Service (YCS) continues to engage youth in meaningful learning through community service. Young people of Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, and the surrounding area build life skills and gain empathy for the needs of others through service. Activities promote an increased awareness of the needs of the community, the development of individual community service skills, and positive emotional and behavioral health.

Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) was founded in 1975 with a mission to use counseling and preventive education to help teens and their families realize their emotional and social potential. ACS believes all teens can be emotionally healthy and have the tools and knowledge to face life’s challenges.

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ACS also operates Outlet to build a safe and accepting community for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQQ) youth.

E. Community Foundation Programs Palo Alto Partners in Education (PiE) is the non-profit 501(c)(3) foundation which focuses on fundraising to enhance educational excellence for every student in the Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD). PiE works with parents, school staff, and community members to support our outstanding schools and programs.

PiE’s areas of focus include: ● Innovative Learning Programs: Compelling electives focusing on areas like STEM, media and arts,

computer science and blended learning. These programs spark students’ interests and build essential 21st century skills. PiE also supports elective courses in computer science, music, biotechnology and graphic design.

● Student Guidance and Support: Counselors who provide academic, social and emotional guidance, foster adult/student connections, and build student resilience.

● College and Career Counseling: Advisors and resource programs to help all students plan wisely for the future

The PiE Grants Program emphasizes innovation and collaboration, welcoming applications from teachers and other staff who seek to innovate, create and work together. Special consideration is given to grant applications that encourage collaboration among grade levels or different schools. The grant committee also prefers to see grants where the lessons learned can be expanded to benefit other grades or schools.

In addition to PiE, Paly’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) provides funding for specific Paly projects. PTSA raises approximately $180,000 per year from Paly families to support programs like these:

● Purchase and support of technology for teachers and classrooms ● College and Career Center support ● Parent education programs ● The Paly Link, a weekly community email ● Mailing and postage of student publications to every Paly family ● Teacher grants ● Teacher appreciation activities ● Community service support

F. School Business Relationships Paly has benefited from several community-based organizations and businesses over the years. The Brin/Wojcicki Foundation has made sizeable contributions to the Media Arts Center and recently donated $260,000 for the purchase of Chromebooks for our 9th and 10th grade classrooms. In 2012, Chromebooks were given to all students identified as socio-economically disadvantaged. In the fall of 2014, an anonymous donor purchased new furniture for our library and core academic buildings.

Working with local businesses, Paly has hosted Ed Camp Silicon Valley and Ed Camp Lead Silicon Valley to foster professional learning of Bay Area educators.

2014 marked the inaugural year for TEDx Palo Alto High School. The theme was “The Future of X.” Speakers included current students, Paly alums and international leaders and thinkers. A joint committee of students and faculty organized the event.

Science Research Projects foster student relationships with government agencies, businesses and the academic community in Silicon Valley. Students earn academic credit for science research work done beyond our campus.

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Working with the PTSA and Paly’s College and Career Center, students may take advantage of internship opportunities such as the Student Conservation Core, the Yosemite Conservation Core, Bay Area Air District, Palo Alto-based Machinist Shop, and Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee (BASOC), a non-profit organization that promotes the value of sport to athletes of all abilities and ages.

Paly students have also volunteered over 40,000 hours at 200 different community service organizations. Community service outreach events are held in both fall and spring to help students connect with their local community through service.

WASC Accreditation History for Palo Alto High School Palo Alto High School went through its last WASC self-study in 2008-2009. The Visiting Committee granted Paly a six-year accreditation with a three-year midterm progress report and one-day visit. In 2010, Paly had a change in leadership with a new principal as well as a new assistant principal and dean of students joining the administrative team. Even with the change in leadership, Paly successfully completed its mid-term visit in 2012 and the progress report was received by the WASC office and presented to the Palo Alto Unified School District’s Board of Education.

Palo Alto High School Core Purpose and Values At Palo Alto High School we have used our Core Purpose and Values as our vision and mission statements. All staff have small posters of the core Purpose and Values posted in classrooms.

Paly Core Purpose: To affirm the potential of every Paly student in an environment of support and inspiration, where people work together and lift each other toward great personal growth.

Paly Core Values: Everyone values and benefits from our collective effort to grow and promote human potential. Guiding this effort is our belief in these core goals:

● Promote personal integrity and respect ● Provide a nurturing environment characterized by teamwork and collaboration ● Care for and believe in every individual ● Encourage creativity and independent thinking ● Understand that growth and learning are an essential part of life ● Acknowledge great effort and great fun in work and play

Palo Alto Unified School District Schoolwide Learner Outcomes (SLO) Our Schoolwide Learner Outcomes (SLOs) are universal elements of good instruction that are relevant and easily applicable. Our teachers incorporate many SLOs in the classroom on a daily basis.

Our district-based Schoolwide Learner Outcomes: To achieve our mission, the Board of Education has adopted the following competencies as the basis of what we expect our students to know and be able to do when they are graduated from PAUSD:

SLOs to Be Measured by Report Card Grades: 1. Demonstrate knowledge of key concepts, principles, process, facts, and skills in the disciplines of

language arts, history-social science, mathematics, science, physical education, visual and performing arts, foreign language, career-vocational education, and health / practical living skills.

SLOs to Be Measured by the Rubrics: 2. Effective Communication Through Listening, Speaking, and Writing 3. Strong Research Skills 4. Ability to Integrate Knowledge Among Disciplines

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5. Reading with Understanding 6. Critical and Creative Thinking to Solve Problems 7. Effective Use of Technology

School Program Data Independent Study and Online Instruction The Independent Study program offers classes that help students fulfill their core graduation requirements if they were unable to do so in the regular classroom setting, or if their former school didn’t offer a course required for PAUSD graduation. Students may also enroll in these classes for health reasons – for instance, a student healthy enough to leave the hospital who needs a transitional setting.

Some Independent Study students complete classes through online programs such as Compass Learning and Avanta. All students taking online courses are monitored and supported by the classroom teacher. Students typically take only one online course at a time, and only during the Independent Study class period. All Independent Study students are fully incorporated into Paly social and academic life.

AVID We are reinvigorating the AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) program at Paly this year. All of our AVID and Focus on Success (FOS) teachers have attended the AVID Summer Institute over the past two years. Our principal also attended and has led our site team since last August.

Focus on Success Focus on Success is a study and life skills elective. It supports students in their core academic classes through lessons in organization, time management, study skills and goal setting, and by providing homework time and support from tutors.

TEAM Together Everyone Achieves More (TEAM) is a ninth-grade interdisciplinary program that includes 75-90 students. TEAM encompasses the core subject areas of English, biology and world history. The TEAM goals inspire community building, foster greater student/teacher interaction and strengthen connections between the disciplines.

Foothill Middle College Paly partners with Foothill Community College for the PAUSD Middle College program and our new concurrent enrollment class in nanotechnology. The Middle College program attracts juniors and seniors for whom the full comprehensive high school experience is not a good fit. Students take high school-level core classes to fulfill their high school requirements with Middle College teachers and community college classes at Foothill. The nanotechnology class is an exciting new addition to Paly’s course catalogue and is taught on the Paly campus by a professor from Foothill Community College.

Innovative Pathways Paly has created career opportunity pathways for students who would like to work directly after high school and for those who plan to attend two-year and four-year programs and colleges.

Social Justice Pathway The Social Justice Pathway began in 2014 with one section of 10th grade students. These students will complete a three-year program featuring self-direction and project-based learning in an interdisciplinary model rooted in community action and collaboration. Students explore the theme of Social Justice within the context of the core college-preparatory and A-G approved curriculum. Classwork has been designed to connect to real issues identified by our students and challenges in our local community.

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Sports Career Pathway Another new pathway, the Sports Career Pathway, focuses on internships, seminars, business classes and leadership development that will prepare students for work in the sports industry once they graduate from high school or college. The program positions students for future work and deepens learning during their high school journey.

Media Arts Pathway Paly has five nationally recognized student journalism programs: a monthly newspaper, The Campanile; two monthly magazines, Verde and Viking; the Voice, an online publication; and In Focus, a daily broadcast program.

Performing Arts Pathways The Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Pathways help students engage the arts continuously and rigorously. VAPA disciplines include theater, music (vocal and instrumental), ceramics, painting and drawing, photography, and film – each offering a distinct pathway. Students receive foundational techniques in their first and second years, and then move on to advanced courses, which include honors, CTE and AP credit. Some classes overlap by design so that students can receive a broad overview of the arts.

Co-Teaching We are in our 3rd year of co-teaching in the Special Education program. General Education teachers and Special Education teachers work collaboratively to provide an accessible and rigorous learning environment for all students.

Blended Learning PAUSD Blended Learning is a special teacher-led modality for learning at Paly. Fully-credentialed Paly teachers, who are experts in their content area, blend existing classes with online learning to give students more flexibility and agency over their own learning. Blended learning courses will be offered both during and outside of the traditional school day.

Our district learning management system (LMS), Schoology, is used extensively by teachers trained in the blended approach. To date, 17 Paly teachers have completed the PAUSD blended learning program, which was developed by PAUSD staff to resemble Leading Edge Certification training.

Paly Science Research Projects - A Course for Seniors in Science In this unique program, students work with researchers and scientists in fields such as medicine, genetics, space science and geology. Students may create their own investigation while being guided by a mentor, or work in the mentor's lab. Students gain hands-on experience with scientific process and present their findings to the Paly community at year’s end.

Living Skills The Living Skills course gives students the knowledge and skills to make informed, responsible decisions personal wellness issues. Students learn how to establish and sustain healthy interpersonal relationships, and develop resiliency for daily living and major life crises. They develop critical thinking skills and use them to question social influences, promote diversity, equity and social justice, and cultivate an appreciation for socially responsible behaviors. Students also complete 15 hours of community service. Living Skills meets the California State Health mandate, and is a PAUSD graduation requirement for all students.

Focused Programs: Preparing Students for Postsecondary College/Careers Courses offered at Paly offer students many ways to achieve at the highest level. Our courses are grounded in the newly adopted Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Graduation requirements meet the A-G college entrance requirements at both the University of California and California State University systems.

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Paly offers 20 Advanced Placement courses: AB Calculus, BC Calculus, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics C, Computer Science, Economics - Macro, English - Literature and Composition, Psychology, US History, Chinese - Language and Culture, French - Language, Japanese - Language and Culture, Spanish Language, Spanish Literature, Music Theory, Art History, and Studio Art - Photography/Drawing. Paly also offers another 13 honors courses.

Other electives inspire students to nurture their interests and passions. Courses in Visual and Performing Arts, Foods, Interior Design, Video Production, Journalism, Statistics, Problem-Solving, Java Programming, and English electives such as The Literature of Sport and The Writer’s Craft, are available to all students.

AVID courses, mid-year Restart courses, Scholastic Read 180, and fully-staffed writing and math resource centers support students as they learn. Our Special Education department practices full inclusion by staffing co-teachers in core academic subjects, and offering a daily writing lab along with academic planning and communication classes to meet the needs of all learners.

Embedded technology is a cornerstone of our curricula. In addition to the recent opening of our new Media Arts Center, facility planning includes a future learning center with breakout rooms and a genius bar. Each academic department has a computer lab, multiple carts of MacBooks, MacBook Airs or iPads, or access to both a lab and carts. Many teachers use SmartBoards and have integrated Google Apps into writing instruction and formative assessments. Our best practices include daily use of Schoology to post assignments, generate discussions and post media for various learning activities.

Seal of Biliteracy This program was implemented for the first time in the 2013-2014 school year. Student transcripts and school data were analyzed, and any students who met the county criteria received the seal of biliteracy. In 2014, 189 Paly students earned this recognition. Paly looks forward to continuing this program and honoring our students for linguistic excellence.

Common Core State Standards Implementation at Paly Paly is well prepared to meet the challenge of the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS). While we have received support from our district during this process, Paly teachers and staff have been the primary drivers of CCSS implementation. Each department has devoted at least one full professional development day to discussions of CCSS, in many cases hiring outside experts to facilitate the process. Many teachers have committed to leading the early adoption of the Smarter Balanced testing techniques as well as CCSS curricular elements.

Our goals for Common Core implementation have been threefold: 1. Literacy is every teacher’s job. 2. Students must read complex texts independently in every discipline. 3. Students must write argumentative and explanatory texts in every discipline.

Each academic department at Paly leads CCSS implementation for its discipline. This includes: ● Curricular alignment to CCSS. ● Creation of new assessments that mirror Smarter-Balanced assessments. ● Incorporation of more argumentative writing and non-fiction reading in courses. ● Summer professional development time devoted to the study and implementation of CCSS. ● Teacher attendance at CCSS-themed conferences. ● Adoption of new CCSS-aligned textbooks and support software. ● Use of more Document Based Questions (DBQs). ● Communication of changes to students and parents. ● In science, extensive training and preparation for Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

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DEMOGRAPHIC DATA STAFF DEMOGRAPHICS

The Palo Alto High School faculty includes a principal, three assistant principals, one dean of students, an athletic director, a student activities director, two full-time school psychologists, one part-time school psychologist intern, six guidance counselors, a full-time librarian, one full-time library assistant, one part-time library assistant, and 205 teachers and other classified staff members.

Certificated Staff A total of 138 certificated staff members serve the students of Palo Alto High School.

● 125 are classroom teachers. ● The certificated staff is not yet as diverse as the student population, but the school and district have

made hiring underrepresented minority teachers a priority as per our district strategic plan goal C3.3: “Recruit and hire staff that reflect that diversity of our community.”

● The teaching staff is highly qualified, with 100% meeting ESEA requirements in 2014-2015. ● Nine of our staff are National Board Certified Teachers. ● The number of Paly teachers over 30 with master’s or doctoral degrees is consistently around 60%,

while at the state level this number is consistently around 18%. ● The average daily attendance rate for teachers at Paly is 95%. (Source: PAUSD Human Resources

Department) ● Paly teacher demographics have been about 60% female and 40% male for the last four years. ● Paly has made many new hires in recent years, due to staff retirements and a rise in the student

population.

Source: DataQuest / PAUSD Human Resources Department

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Source: PAUSD Human Resources Department

Source: DataQuest

Source: DataQuest

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Source: DataQuest

PALY TEACHER INFORMATION

2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015

Teachers who have met the requirements of the ESEA and are highly qualified.

100% 100% 100%

Teachers teaching outside credentialed areas. 1% 1% 2%

Teachers with Short Term Staff Permits (STSP) and/or Provisional Intern Permit (PIP).

0% 0% 0%

Number of teachers participating in BTSA, all subjects but Special Education.

6 11 5

Number of teachers participating in BTSA, Special Education only. N/A 3 7

Number of teachers who do not currently hold CLAD certification, but who are working on completing certification. (Teachers have two years from the date of hire to complete CLAD certification. Most teachers in this category are out-of-state hires.)

1 0 4

Source: PAUSD Human Resources Office

Classified Staff The classified staff at Paly range from clerical support workers to classroom instructional aides. Paly’s classified staff can be divided into three categories: (1) direct support for classroom teachers; (2) support for administrative functions; and (3) support for guidance services.

Classified Direct Classroom Support Paly classified staff provide a host of services to enhance learning, curriculum and instructional work. A few examples:

● Accompanists support the vocal program in the performing arts. ● Readers help our English teachers. ● The science lab tech supports the lab component of Paly’s science courses.

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● All departments have in-house clerical assistance for several hours daily. ● Full or part-time workers in the copy room, the Academic Resource Center (ARC), and in technical

support for the 1,200+ computer devices we have on campus.

Classified Administrative Support ● Clerical support for administrators and teachers. ● Clerical support for the maintenance of student records. ● Accounting services, campus security and technology support. ● Campus maintenance and operations.

Guidance Support ● College and Career Center assistance. ● Support for the Teacher Advisor Program. ● Clerical support.



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Professional Development at Paly Professional development is highly valued at Paly and throughout the district. Extensive school and district resources have been dedicated to helping our staff learn and grow as professionals.

● Teacher initiatives include: ○ Attendance at a wide variety of professional conferences. ○ Teacher-driven staff development activities and presentations. ○ Freshmen English team research and implementation of heterogeneous grouping for all

freshmen. ○ Research and implementation of new courses and pathways at Paly. ○ Participation in district-sponsored learning opportunities. ○ Collaborative projects and curriculum development. ○ Volunteering to be part of WASC visiting committees.

● Among our schoolwide initiatives: ○ Bell schedule provides one hour of collaboration time per week for staff. ○ All staff are trained in Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR), an emergency protocol for suicide

prevention. ○ Professional learning opportunities and ideas are discussed at staff meetings and promoted

through all-staff emails. ○ Our administration models professional learning for staff by attending conferences, building

partnerships with different organizations, serving on WASC visiting committees, and participating in other activities.

● District-based initiatives: ○ A new professional development policy for all district teachers requires 18 hours every two

years to be documented on the website MyLearningPlan.com. Teachers can apply for a stipend for these hours and earn up to $1,200.

○ The district offers a wide variety of professional development opportunities, especially in the area of educational technology. Teachers can sign up for full-day or part-day trainings in

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areas such as classroom use of Google suite, SmartBoards, iPads, Schoology (LMS), iMovie and 2.0 tools.

○ Outside the Box, a district initiative started in 2012, funded substitute teachers so PAUSD teachers could visit area high school with innovative learning pathways and programs. The intention of this initiative was to build similar learning experiences in PAUSD. Both the Social Justice and Sports pathways grew out of this district initiative.

○ The district calendar includes two professional development days per school year. One is in the fall (usually site-based) and one in the spring (usually district-based).

Professional Learning Expenditures and Participation Paly spent $73,448.63 on site professional development during the 2012-2013 school year. The number was $57,930.51 during the 2013-2014 school year. These expenditures are for activities such as compensating teachers for time spent in the summer working on curriculum development and alignment to Common Core and NGSS, and for individuals and teams of teachers to attend professional conferences such as CUE (Computer Using Educators) and Learning Forward. Our district has also supported the professional development of Paly teachers. This chart highlights the work hours and funds spent at the district level.

PAUSD (DISTRICT) SUMMER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 2012, 2013

Pre-approved Applications

Hours Submitted

Funds Expended

Paly: Summer 2012 87 864 $34,560

All Secondary Schools (5) in District: Total Summer 2012 258 2923 $116,920

Paly: Summer 2013 86 936 $62,400

All Secondary Schools (5) in District: Total Summer 2013 288 1,656 $110,400

Source: PAUSD District Office

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS Enrollment Trends Palo Alto High School currently enrolls just over 1,962 students in grades 9 through 12. Our enrollment has increased slightly over the previous two years and significantly over the last 15 years. The district projects that the enrollment increase will continue over the next four to five years, reaching a maximum enrollment of approximately 2,200 students in 2020. In the spring of 2008, Palo Alto voters approved a new measure that provides $378 million to improve district facilities. Our Facilities Steering Committee (FSC) is currently hard at work to ensure that our physical plant sustains our tradition of excellence while supporting an increasing student population.

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Source: DataQuest

Source: DataQuest

Enrollment by Ethnicity While Palo Alto High School’s ethnic blend has grown more diverse over the last decade, our current student demographics don’t reflect the broad ethnic diversity seen throughout Santa Clara County and California. White or Caucasian students are still in the majority at Paly. Asian students represent the fastest-growing linguistic and cultural population on our campus, and Latino student enrollment has also been increasing over time. African American and White student enrollment have been stable in recent years. Smaller ethnic subgroups are too small to show concrete statistical changes in trends versus natural variation.

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Source: DataQuest

ETHNICITY – PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL COMPARISON TO DISTRICT, COUNTY, STATE

Palo Alto High

School 2013-2014

PAUSD 2013-2014

Santa Clara County Schools

2013-2014

State of California Schools

2013-2014 # % # % # % # % African-American 67 3.45% 285 2.3% 6,384 2.3% 384,291 6.16% Latino 199 10.2% 1,395 11.2% 108,349 39.2% 3,321,274 53.3% Asian 520 26.7% 4,221 33.9% 76,398 27.7% 542,540 8.7% White 1,030 52.9% 5,469 43.9% 58,986 21.4% 1,559,113 25.0% American Indian or Alaska Native

8 0.4% 36 0.3% 969 0.4% 38,616 0.6%

Pacific Islander 14 0.7% 85 0.7% 1,526 0.6% 32,821 0.1% Filipino 19 0.9% 90 0.7% 11,718 4.2% 151,745 2.4% Two or More Races 87 4.5% 885 7.1% 10,237 3.7% 167,153 2.7% Not Reported 0 0 1,608 0.6% 39,119 0.6% TOTAL 1,944 12,466 276,175 6,236,672

Source: DataQuest Paly’s student demographic data suggest that:

● African American student percentages at Paly are higher than the county average, but lower than the state average.

● Latino student percentages are lower at Paly than either the county or state average. ● Asian student percentages at Paly are similar to the county average, but higher than the state average. ● White student percentages are higher at Paly than either the county or state averages.

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African#American#

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Significant Student Subgroups At Paly we have a number of significant student subgroups. Over the past three school years we have seen the following trends in these subgroups:

● Voluntary Transfer Students (VTP): Have consistently made up between 6% - 6.5% of Paly’s total school population.

● Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Students: Percentages have remained very constant between 7.1% and 7.2% of the student population.

● FOS or AVID: Have increased from 1% of Paly’s population in 2012 to 2.9% in 2014. ● Identified Gate: Have decreased from 8% in 2012 to 6.4% of Paly’s population in 2014. ● Students with a 504 Plan: Have ranged between 7.1% to 8% of Paly’s population. ● Students with an IEP: Have consistently been about 10% of Paly’s total school population. ● Special Day Class: Have been a very small number of students at Paly, only 0.6% - 0.8% of our total

population.

Source: Infinite Campus / CalPADS

English Language Learners Although a variety of languages are spoken on our campus because of our diverse community, we have a relatively small number of English Language Learners (ELL). The majority of ELL students at Paly are identified as fluent English proficient (FEP) or redesignated fluent English proficient (RFEP). Traditionally, the ELL population at Paly has been very small. The number of English language learners on campus was 2.4% of the Paly population in 2011-2012, 3.7% in 2012-2013, and 1.9% in 2013-2014. The main languages spoken by our ELL population have been Spanish, Mandarin, or identified as “other non-English languages.” In the past three years we have also had subgroups of ELL students who speak German, Hebrew, Korean, Russian, and French.

0"

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"2012&2013"

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Num

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Student'Enrollment'in'Federally'Mandated'Programs'from'2011<2014'

Voluntary"Transfer"Program"(VTP)"

Socio&Economically"Disadvantaged"

Focus"on"Success"(FOS)"and/or"AVID"

"IdenGfied"GATE"

"504"Plan"

IEP"

Special"Day"Class"

18

19

Due to district guidelines, Paly does not have a formal English Language Development program on campus. Students who test as limited English proficient attend the ELD program at our sister school in the district, Gunn High School.

ENGLISH LEARNERS & OTHER LINGUISTIC DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION - PALY

2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 Total School Enrollment 1,887 1,957 1,944

# % # % # % English Language Learners (ELL) 45 2.4% 72 3.7% 36 1.9%

Fluent English Proficient (FEP) 451 23.9% 462 23.6% 489 25.2%

Redesigned (RFEP) 11 32.4% 0 16 53.3%

Source: DataQuest

Source: DataQuest

Student Participation Data in Co-Curricular Activities and Campus Life Extracurricular activities give students far-reaching life experiences beyond the classroom. Palo Alto High School students participate in athletics, student leadership, the performing arts, an extensive student media program and a variety of student-created, faculty-advised clubs.

There are over 80 chartered clubs each year, with well over 85% of the student body participating in co-curricular activities. Some popular clubs and co-curricular offerings at Paly are:

The Campanile (Newspaper) ● National Scholastic Press Association, Newspaper Pacemaker Award, 2012, 2014. ● Hybrid Gold Crown, 2012, 2014 Columbia Scholastic Press Association. (The Hybrid Gold Crown

means it is for both the newspaper and the Campanile website.) ● National Scholastic Press All American Award, 2010, 2011, 2013.

Percentage of Students Identified as English Language Learners

ELs

FEP

RFEP

Choir ● 2013 Chanticleer Youth Choral Invitation. ● 2012 Napa Valley Choir Festival Unanimous Superior Award. ● 2012 Invitation to the Vatican, Rome. ● CMA Festival Unanimous Superior Award for Concert Choir, Madrigal Singers and Spectrum

Singers, 2011.

Music ● Symphonic Band -- Superior Rating CMEA Festival. ● Orchestra -- Superior Rating CMEA Festival, 2011; Superior Rating CMEA Festival, Gold. ● World Strides Heritage Festival Anaheim, 2010.

The Paly Voice (Online News) ● Gold Crown, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, 2009-2012. ● Pacemaker Award, National Scholastic Press Association, 2010, 2012, 2013. ● Best of Show, National Scholastic Press Association convention, 2012.

Photography ● [proof], The Advanced Photo class arts magazine received a Gold Medal award from Columbia

Student Press Association for its first issue. ● A total of 148 state Key Awards. Twenty-eight students attended the national competition, including

three Silver Medalists and one Gold Medalist (invited to Carnegie Hall for the national awards ceremony).

● Collaboration with The New York Times in 2012. Over 120 students had their photographs archived in The Library of Congress with the WPA/FSA Photographic Collection for the "My Hometown Project."

● From 2010-2013, students and staff participated in an international exchange program with Lithgow High School in NSW, Australia to collaborate on projects and design an environmental art blog.

Spirit Team/Cheer and Dance ● Second Place nationals, 2012. ● First Place in Division, 2011. ● National Dance Competition, 2010.

Theatre ● California State Thespian Awards, March 2013. ● Finalist in six categories for the San Jose Stage Top Honors Awards. ● First Place Award, Northern California Thespian One Act competition; Playwriting Award,

Honorable Mention Award ETC Program, 2012. ● Second Place California State Sound Design Award, 2012. ● Thespians won top honors at California State Thespian Conference, 2011.

Verde (Magazine) ● National Scholastic Press Association, Newspaper Pacemaker Award, 2014. ● Finalist, senior graduate National Scholastic Press Association Verde Article, 2013. ● Gold Crown, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, 2012. ● Pacemaker Award, National Scholastic Press Association, 2011.

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Viking (Sports Magazine) Award ● Gold Crown, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, 2011, 2012 (print and online), and 2013. ● Pacemaker Award, National Scholastic Press Association, 2011.

Best Buddies Club ● Paly chapter was awarded “Outstanding High School Chapter of the Year” and two students were

awarded “Buddy Pair of the Year” in 2013.

Math Club ● National Champions in Calculus Continental Math, 2013. ● Winners, Santa Clara Valley Math Association Founders Trophy, 2013. ● First Place, Santa Clara Math Field Day Teams Contest, 2013. ● Forty-five students qualified for the American Invitational Math Exam 2014. ● Four students qualified for the USA Math Olympiad in 2014. ● In January 2015, a team of four juniors from the BC Calculus math class was designated an

outstanding winner amongst the 671 participating teams in the 17th Annual National High School Mathematical Contest in Modeling (HiMCM). Nine teams were designated outstanding, but only Paly and another school were invited to represent the USA at the international competition.

Speech and Debate ● Qualified for Lincoln-Douglas Debate in 2012. ● California State Speech and Debate Championship. ● 2009, 2010, 2011 National Forensic League Academic All-Americans.

Science Olympiad ● 2013 senior graduate won a Gold Medal at the International Physics Olympiad in Copenhagen. ● Bay Area Regional, First Place for the NorCal Science Olympiad State Finals, 2013, and 16th Place,

National Science Olympiad, 2013. ● First Place, Lawrence Berkeley Science Bowl, and competed in the National Competition in

Washington D.C., 2013. ● First Place in the Bay Area Regional, 2012. ● Silver Medalist at International Physics Olympiad, 2012.

President’s Award Community Service ● Awarded to 235 Palo High School students in 2012-2013.

Athletics Paly’s athletic program fields some of the most award-winning teams in the county. Paly is a member of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) and offers sports opportunities for girls and boys during all three seasons at the junior varsity and varsity levels. All seasons offer a “no cut” sport. We believe that student participation in athletics is part of the total educational process and helps students learn good sportsmanship, leadership, fair play, ethical behavior and teamwork. Many of our professional and experienced staff of coaches are also classroom teachers or support staff. We are proud of those student-athletes who have received special recognition or have risen to national or international ranking.

Here are some of the exceptional achievements and student-athletes from Paly in the past few years: ● VB Soccer CCS Champions 2009 ● CIF Football State Champions in 2010

21

● CIF Volleyball State Champions in 2010 and 2011 ● VG Basketball CCS Champions 2011 ● VB Baseball CCS Champions 2011 ● CCS Boys Track and Field Title 2012 ● CCS Girls Golf Title 2013 ● BJ Boyd - Oakland Athletics ● Christoph Bono - UCLA Baseball ● Kevin Anderson - Stanford Football ● Davante Adams - Green Bay Packers ● Joc Pederson - Los Angeles Dodgers ● Jasmine Tosky - USC Swimming ● Lily Zhang - U.S. Olympic Table Tennis, London 2012 ● Andrew Liang - Stanford Swimming ● Jeremy Lin - Los Angeles Lakers ● Teresa Noyola - Houston Dash (NWSL) ● Michelle Xie - Nationally ranked golfer ● Eve Jobs - Nationally ranked equestrian

Source: Paly Athletic Director, PE Department

School Safety and Facilities School safety is a critically high priority. Paly upgrades, reviews, and presents a School Safety Plan to the PTSA, Site Council, the Board of Education and the state each year. At least twice a year, we conduct two major emergency drills: Code Red (active shooter on campus) and Duck, Cover, and Hold (earthquake/emergency). Students, teachers, and staff regularly practice evacuation drills as well.

Daily safe practices include requiring all visitors to register at the main office, district office personnel to wear identification badges, and campus security regularly sweeping the entire campus to ensure a safe environment for all.

700#

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22

Traffic and pedestrian safety is another priority. With the help of the city of Palo Alto, Paly administrators plan and communicate safe pedestrian and bike routes to school.

Facilities We could not maintain our safe and clean facilities without the work of our outstanding custodial crew. Their countless hours of effort and dedication are evident throughout the campus.

First built in the early 1900s, our campus has expanded in the years since. In June 2008, the community generously voted to approve a $378 million capital bond measure for district facility improvements. Of that sum, $98 million has been allocated to improve our facilities and build additional classrooms and learning spaces on our campus to accommodate projected enrollment growth. The master plan developed by the Facilities Steering Committee in 2009 called for the construction of a new two-story classroom building (800 building), a new Media Arts Center, a new Performing Arts Center, extensive library renovations, infrastructure improvements, and updates to the Tower Building. It also includes athletic facilities including a new stadium, concession stand and improvements to our playing fields.

Facility Needs Even with generous support from our community and district, Paly continues to have facility needs. Outdated classrooms hamper effective instruction. Inadequate lab space for some science courses affects the quality of student learning.

The Tower Building houses the Guidance Department in what used to be the school library. The open space has been converted into cubicle-filled offices. While each counselor has his or her own office, the cubicle set-up doesn’t provide the privacy needed for confidential student conversations. The increased student support services provided by the College and Career Center have also stretched the seams of the current space. To ensure the emotional safety of our students on campus, we’re planning to move the Guidance offices, including the College and Career Center, to the library building when the library renovation project is completed. Moving these services out of the Tower building will help us provide emotionally safe spaces for confidential conversations, and be more accessible to students in a central location on campus.

The current library complex acts as the de facto student center. It needs renovation as well, and plans to improve the space were taken to the Board of Education in the fall of 2014. While we wait for the facility upgrades to the library, we have started to replace the furniture to create a more student-friendly and learning-friendly atmosphere. We firmly believe that building design and comfort directly affect student learning, and we eagerly look forward to the coming facility upgrades.

Additional Instructional Space Limited gym facilities currently restrict the Physical Education Department’s ability to offer courses for all four class years. Better gym facilities would help us attract students to electives that foster lifelong habits of physical fitness. Current facilities planning does include construction of an additional all-weather playing field, but attracting older students to PE classes requires facilities that are equipped to offer a range of options from aerobics to strength training to yoga. With the help of a generous donor, Paly’s old gyms will soon be replaced by a brand new, state-of-the-art facility. Construction on these new PE facilities has been delayed, but we hope to start the demolition of the current facilities in the spring of 2015.

District Policies/School Financial Support Expenditures Per Pupil In 2010, the expenditure per pupil that the district allocated to Paly was $70. For the past two years, the allocation per pupil has increased to $105. These funds are distributed to each department based on their need for supplies, resources, and equipment. The principal and assistant principal oversee the budget, and decide on the amount of money each department is allocated per pupil at the start of each school year.

23

Monies from Other Funding Sources, Grants, Foundations Paly receives generous funding from multiple sources:

● Partners in Education Foundation ○ 2013-2014: approximately $675,000 ○ 2014-2015: approximately $691,000

● School Site Council is allocated $25,000 per year, all of which is earmarked for professional learning for 2014-2015.

● PTSA budget is approximately $180,000 ● Brin/Wojcicki Foundation

○ $191,000 to the Media Arts Center ○ $260,000 for the purchase of Chromebooks

● ASB Fundraising 2013-2014 ○ Stanford Parking: $45,810 ○ Student Body Cards: $20,500

● Other Donations ○ Library $7,810 ○ Publications $4,924 ○ Career Month $5,511 ○ Community Engagement $2,889

SCHOOL PERFORMANCE DATA AND RESULTS Paly is a high-performing high school and our students traditionally score very well in standardized exams. Palo Alto High School has never been in Program Improvement nor have we ever been under any state- or federally-imposed programs of improvement for student achievement. Paly does not receive Title I funds.

It is important to note that there were significant challenges in compiling and analyzing the data for this report. Since May 2014, the district’s Director of Data and Research position has been open and unfilled. The Paly staff found that data from various sources did not always align. The data presented in this report is presented in good faith, without the expert evaluation of a district Director of Data and Research.

API Growth Palo Alto High School has consistently met our schoolwide Academic Performance Index (API) for the last three years. However, we have not met all API student targets. Paly’s weighted three-year average API score is 903.

API: SCHOOL SUMMARY

2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 API Base 897 900 906

API Growth 900 905 905

Growth in the API between previous and current year 3 5 -1

Target Met: Schoolwide Yes Yes Yes

Target Met: All Student Groups No No No

Target Met: Both Schoolwide and Subgroups No No No

Statewide Rank 10 10 10

Similar Schools Rank 8 8 7

Program Improvement (PI) Not receiving Title 1 Funds

Source: DataQuest

24

API: INFORMATION BY GROUPS

Number of Students

Included in 2011

Growth API

2011 Growth

API

Number of Students

Included in 2012

Growth API

2012 Growth

API

Number of Students

Included in 2013

Growth API

2013 Growth

API

Non-Weighted

3-year Average

API

Weighted 3-Year

Average API

Schoolwide 1326 900 1320 905 1405 905 903 903

Black or African American 45 665 38 599 43 680 648 650

Am. Indian /Alaska Nat. 1 1 3

Asian 308 968 341 962 369 968 966 966

Filipino 11 794 15 863 12 929 862 864

Hispanic or Latino 102 699 113 722 133 719 713 714

Nat.Hawaiian / Pacific Isld. 8 9 12 598

White 846 917 721 923 766 924 921 921

Two or More Races 0 69 925 66 907

Socio-economically Disadvantaged

102 681 118 682 118 700 688 688

English Learners 81 666 92 719 42 763 716 708

Students with Disabilities 114 592 115 600 158 673 622 627

Source: DataQuest

Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) Paly has traditionally performed very well in many of the AYP criteria. However, in the past two years Paly did not meet our AYP targets by failing to meet a small number of criteria. The graduation rate for the class of 2010-2011 did not meet AYP graduation rate goals in two groups: Socio-Economically Disadvantaged students, who had a graduation rate of 86.84%, and Students with Disabilities, who had an 89.71% cohort graduation rate. The target graduation rate was 89.75%.

In the 2012-2013 school year, Paly’s schoolwide math score of students at or above proficient was 87.6%, while the target rate was 88.7%. In 2011-2012 the graduation rate for African-American students, Socioeconomically Disadvantaged students, and Students with Disabilities were at 85%, 79.59% and 82.89%, respectively. While these scores are high, none of these cohort rates met target graduations rates for these three subgroups.

In 2013 Paly again failed to meet AYP, but progress was made from previous years. In 2013 Paly met our AYP criteria of a 95% participation rate and we also met our graduation rate goal of 90%. The area we were unable to meet was the percentage at or above proficient in English language arts. This year our White students, though they were at a 94.3% rate, did not meet the target of 100% to fulfill the AYP criteria.

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AYP – GENERAL INFORMATION 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 Made AYP? Yes No No

Number of Criteria Met 14 of 14 Criteria Met 13 of 14 Criteria Met 12 of 14 Criteria Met

Participation Target Rate, ELA and Math 95% 95% 95%

Met all Participation Rate Criteria? Yes Yes Yes

ELA Target Rate 66.7% 77.8% 88.9% ELA: Met All Percent Proficient Rate Criteria?

Yes Yes Yes

Math Target Rate 66.1% 77.4% 88.7% Math: Met All Percent Proficient Rate Criteria? Yes Yes No

Met API Criteria Yes Yes Yes

Graduation Rate Goal 90% 90% 90%

Met Schoolwide Graduation Yes Yes Yes

Met Student Group Graduation Rate N/A No No

Met Overall Graduation Rate Criteria N/A No No

Source: DataQuest

Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) AMOs measure the growth targets of certain subgroups of students. The data used to calculate AMOs is similar to what is used to calculate AYP, CAHSEE and CAPA for grade ten. Some interesting insights can be found in these data.

AMOs - English Language Arts ● Asian and White students regularly score at proficient or above in ELA by 90% or more. ● African American student performance on the ELA has been very erratic; jumping from lows of 30%

to 40% at or above proficient, to highs of 62% to 66% at or above proficient. The irregularity in this data may be due, in part, to small sample sizes.

● Latino students trended up to about 70% at or above proficient in 2009-2010. However, since then these students have shown downwards trends in those scores.

● Socioeconomically disadvantaged (SED) students have generally scored between 40% - 60% proficient or above in the last six years. SED students scored at 50% proficient or above since 2009 with the exception of one year, 2012, when they scored 40%.

● English Language Learners have generally scored 50% proficient and above in the past 8 years. However, in 2011 and 2012 there was a marked drop in scores and only 21.7% in 2011 and 42.9% in 2012 were at proficient or above. By 2013, this number had climbed back to 52.2%.

● Students with disabilities generally score between 30% - 42% proficient and above. In 2013, 51% of students with disabilities scored at proficient or above.

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Source: SchoolCity Inc.


27

AMOs - Mathematics ● African American students have traditionally scored between 30% - 40% proficient or above on

mathematics tests. Two important years that produced outliers to this pattern were 2008 and 2010, when these students scored 58.8% and 60% respectively.

● 90% or more of White and Asian students have scored at proficient or above since 2004 in mathematics.

● Latino students have consistently scored between 50%-60% proficient and above. In 2012 there was a noticeable drop to 41.9% in mathematics.

● Between 2007 and 2010, Socioeconomically disadvantaged students showed a general upward trend in proficiency, from 22.7% - 57.9%. However, in 2013, the number of at or above proficient students dropped again to 47.2%.

● The percentage of students with disabilities at proficient or above has remained fairly stable between 35% and 40%. In 2010 and 2013 these numbers increased to 46.7% and 49.1%.

● English language learner students reached a high of 84.9% proficient and above in 2003 and have averaged around 64% since. However, in 2012 only 30.4% of the ELL students were at proficient and above in mathematics.


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Advanced Placement Program Paly has a robust and well-established AP program. Currently, we offer 20 different AP courses. Here are some key AP data points.

● In 2009-2010, the state average for AP scores of 3, 4 or 5 was 58%. The Paly average in the same year was 73%. The percentage of Paly students in who scored a 4 or a 5 was 62%.

● In 2010-2011, the state average for AP scores of 3, 4, or 5 was 58.2%. In the same year at Paly the average was 95%. The percentage of Paly students who scored a 4 or a 5 was 83%.

● In 2011-2012, the state average for AP scores of 3, 4, or 5 was 58.9%. In that same year at Paly the average was 94%. The percentage of Paly students who scored a 4 or 5 was 81%.

● In 2012-2013, the state average for AP scores of 3, 4, or 5 was 58%. In that same year at Paly the average was 95%. The percentage of Paly students who scored a 4 or 5 was 82%.

● In 2013-2014, the state average for AP scores of 3, 4, or 5 was 59.7%. In that same year at Paly the average was 96%. The percentage of Paly students who scored a 4 or a 5 was 84%.

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AP EXAM RESULTS

2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

Palo Alto High

State Palo Alto High




State

Grades 11 + 12 Enrollment

870 961,300 893 973,732 920 980,182 938 976,904 972 N/A

Number of Exam Takers (Students)

521 245,513 531 263,896 591 282,682 626 299,779 645 354,211

Total Number of Exams Taken

1,080 1,149 1,298 1,342 1,380 668,440

Exams Scr = 1 18 94,124 17 98,056 24 101,579 12 107,151 15 122,737

Exams Scr = 2 55 93,285 45 103,786 50 112,178 47 127,713 41 146,229

Exams Scr = 3 155 103,432 137 114,288 173 123,260 176 136,321 164 165,575

Exams Scr = 4 323 87,651 345 94,324 356 102,569 404 108,895 421 134,672

Exams Scr = 5 529 69,651 605 72,656 695 81,170 703 80,004 739 99,227

Source: DataQuest and College Board School Summary Report

Advanced Placement Enrollment Enrollment in AP courses prepares students for university-level work. 972 students enrolled in AP classes in 2014. The total number of AP tests taken by all Paly students was 1,380.

One issue that has arisen is the overall ethnic makeup of our AP students. Some ethnic subpopulations are under-represented while others are over-represented in our AP classes. This issue is of great concern and Paly is committed to working towards AP course enrollment that mirrors the demographics of our general population.


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This chart shows the percentage of each ethnic group that enrolled in at least one AP course in a given year. For example, in 2011-2012, 50% of all students who identify as American Indian or Alaskan natives at Paly enrolled in AP, 60% of all Asian students enrolled in at least one AP course, while only 12% of all African American students enrolled in an AP course. In 2013-2014, only 6% of African American students and 21% of Latino students enrolled in an AP course.


SAT/ACT Results Paly has a tradition of superior student scores on both the SAT and ACT exams. The percentage of students at Paly who take the SAT and ACT is far above the county and state averages. Paly students also outperform both the county and state averages. During the three school years from 2010-2011 through 2012-2013, over 92% of Paly students who took the SAT scored 1,500 or better. During this same time, over 89% of Paly students who took the ACT scored 21 or better.

Palo Alto High School’s SAT and ACT results for the class of 2014 were consistent with previous years. Paly’s mean score for reading on the SAT was 643 (national mean 497), and for math 668 (national mean 513). The writing mean was 646 (national mean 487). On the ACT, the class of 2014 had a composite average of 28.9, compared to the national composite average of 20.9 (Source: Paly 2014-2015 School Profile).

SAT & ACT RESULTS 2010-11

Grade 12

Enrollment Percent Tested

SAT SAT Total > = 1,500 Percent

Percent Tested ACT

ACT Score > = 21

Percent

Palo Alto High 414 82.13% 92.4% 32.85% 89.71%

Santa Clara County 19,709 49.41% 67.1% 17.27% 75.85%

Statewide 486,549 37.95% 48.25% 16.96% 56.46%

Source: DataQuest

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Percen

tage)

Year)

Percentage)of)10th012th)Grade)Students)Enrolled)in)an)AP)class)based)on)Ethnicity)

Asian"

African"American"

White"Non*Hispanic"

Filipino"

La@no"

Amerrican"Indian"or"Alaskan"Na@ve"

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Grade 12 Enrollment

Percent Tested SAT

SAT Total > = 1,500 Percent

Percent Tested ACT

ACT Score > = 21

Percent

Palo Alto High 464 84.05% 92.8% 42.46% 93.4%


Statewide 493,947 39.31% 46.67% 17.62% 56.68%

Source: DataQuest


Grade 12

Enrollment Percent Tested

SAT SAT Total > = 1,500 Percent

Percent Tested ACT

ACT Score > = 21

Percent Palo Alto High 463 79.27% 93.5% 41.25% 93.72%


Statewide 496,859 40.36% 46.44% 18.31% 56.95%

Source: DataQuest

National Merit Scholars and Recognition Paly has an impressive number of students who qualify as commended scholars, semifinalists, finalists, or scholarship winners every year. Our school, district, and community are very proud of these scholars.

NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARS 2012 2013 2014

Class Size 477 486 481

Commended Scholars 83 69 86

Semifinalists 31 40 31

Finalists 30 38 28

Scholarship Winners 3 4 3

Source: Palo Alto High School - School Profile

STUDENT PERFORMANCE DATA (TESTING)

CST – California Standards Test As they often do on standardized tests, Paly students performed very well on past CST exams. Many of our students perform at proficient and advanced levels while very few perform below or far below basic.

English and History From 2011-2013:

● 80% or more of Paly students scored at proficient and advanced for all grade levels in the English Language Arts (ELA) CST.

● 10% or less of Paly students scored below or far below basic in ELA. ● Participation rates for ELA tests have been high: between 88.3% and 97.4%.

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● 70%-80% of Paly students scored proficient or above on the CST World History exam. ● 84%-87% of Paly students scored proficient or above on the CST US History exam.

Math and Science From 2011-2013:

● 81%-86% of Paly 10th grade students scored proficient or above on the CST Life Science exam. ● 86%-92% of Paly 9th grade students scored proficient or above on the CST Biology exam. ● 67%-86% of Paly 10th grade students scored proficient or above on the CST Chemistry exam. ● 68%-76% of Paly 11th grade students scored proficient or above on the CST Physics exam. ● Most students tested in Algebra 1 were 9th graders. Of these students, 64%-73% tested at proficient

or advanced. ● Of 9th grade students who took the Geometry test, 97%-99% scored at proficient and advanced. Of

the 10th grade students, 48%-64% scored at proficient and advanced. ● The majority of the students who took the summative math test were 10th and 11th graders. Of the

10th graders, 96% - 100% scored proficient or advanced. Of the 11th grade students, 93%-96% scored proficient or advanced.

● The majority of the students who took the Algebra 2 exam were 10th and 11th graders. Of the 10th grade students, 92%-95% scored at proficient or advanced. Of the 11th grade students, 22%-36% scored below or far below basic.

CST ELA 2011 2012 2013

Year in school 9th 10th 11th 9th 10th 11th 9th 10th 11th Number of Students Tested 454 446 428 486 443 407 491 474 435

% of Proficient and Advanced 87 78 83 85 80 80 87 81 83

% of Below and Far Below Basic 7 10 10 7 10 11 8 8 8

CST WORLD HISTORY

2011 2012 2013 Year in school 9th 10th 11th 9th 10th 11th 9th 10th 11th

Number of Students Tested 451 3 4 486 2 7 490 4 5

% of Proficient and Advanced 80 NA NA 69 NA NA 79 NA NA

% of Below and Far Below Basic 8 NA NA 10 NA NA 8 NA NA

CST U.S. HISTORY


Number of Students tested 454 446 413 486 443 386 491 474 431



Source: DataQuest for all CST Tables

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CST ALGEBRA 1 2011 2012 2013


% of Proficient and Advanced 64 10 NA 71 14 NA 73 18 NA

% of Below and Far Below Basic 14 54 NA 12 37 NA 12 73 NA

CST GEOMETRY 2011 2012 2013


% of Proficient and Advanced 99 64 81 97 60 NA 99 48 27

% of Below and Far Below Basic 0 13 8 0 15 NA 0 24 53

CST ALGEBRA 2 2011 2012 2013




CST SUMMATIVE MATH 2011 2012 2013


% of Proficient and Advanced NA 100 96 Na 100 94 NA 96 93

% of Below and Far Below Basic NA 0 1 NA 0 1 NA 0 3

CST LIFE SCIENCE 2011 2012 2013




Source: DataQuest for all CST Tables

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CST BIOLOGY 2011 2012 2013


% of Proficient and Advanced 86 36 NA 92 36 NA 86 38 83

% of Below and Far Below Basic 4 36 NA 1 19 NA 3 21 8

CST CHEMISTRY


Number of Students Tested 1 315 15 326 18

398 97

% of Proficient and Advanced NA 81 40

86 45

67 76

% of Below and Far Below Basic NA 4 13

1 39

5 8

CST PHYSICS


Number of Students Tested

4 349

14 319 32* 11 240

% of Proficient and Advanced

NA 76

100 75 6 8 68

% of Below and Far Below Basic

NA 7

0 7 70 63 8

*Conceptual Physics was added as a 9th grade course choice in 2013 Source: DataQuest for all CST Tables


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Early Assessment Program (EAP) The EAP measures student readiness for college work. This test focuses on mathematics and English skills for students. Its goal is to help students understand if they should take additional courses in high school to be fully ready for university-level work and avoid spending time in remedial courses in college. Paly and the district have worked hard in recent years to encourage students to take the EAP. Paly hopes that college readiness assessment will continue as California transitions to Smarter Balanced testing.

EARLY ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (EAP)

2009-2010 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013

Early Assessment of Readiness for College: English

Student Participation 96% 100% 85% 97%

Ready for College 41% 53% 39% 52%

Ready for College – Conditional N/A N/A 13% 13%

Did Not Demonstrate College Readiness on This Assessment

52% 47% 48% 35%

Early Assessment of Readiness for College: Math (Total for Algebra II and Summative High School Math)

Student Participation 73% 68% 67% 73%

Ready for College 69% 62% 63% 63%

Ready for College – Conditional 19% 23% 26% 24%

Did Not Demonstrate College Readiness on This Assessment

12% 15% 10% 14%

Source: DataQuest

38

CAHSEE – California High School Exit Exam An overwhelming number of Palo Alto High School students pass the California High School Exit Exam (CASHEE) during their sophomore year (see chart below). Over the last four years, well over 95% of Paly students passed the CAHSEE on the first attempt. The percentage of Latino and African American students who pass the CAHSEE on the first attempt differ slightly from those of Asian and White students. We see our achievement gap reflected in these percentages.

Students who fail either or both parts of the CAHSEE in their sophomore year are provided opportunities for tutoring and access to an online CAHSEE. By graduation, we have only one or two students each year who have not passed the CAHSEE.

Source: DataQuest

Source: DataQuest

California High School Exit Exam

English

CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM – ENGLISH 2012 2013 2014

Category # Tested

# Passed

% Passed

# Not Passed

% Not Passed

# Tested

# Passed

% Passed

# Not Passed

% Not Passed

# Tested

# Passed

% Passed

# Not Passed

% Not Passed

All Students 473 454 96 19 4 493 477 97 16 3 504 488 97 16 3

Asian 102 100 98 2 2 136 135 99 1 1 134 134 100 0 0

Hispanic or Latino 47 37 79 10 21 65 55 85 10 15 50 44 88 6 12 Black or African American

13 8 62 5 38 17 14 82 3 18 21 14 67 7 33

White 261 260 100 1 0 250 248 99 2 1 271 269 99 2 1

Two or more races 40 40 100 0 0 16 16 100 0 0 19 19 100 0 0

English only 342 334 98 8 2 355 349 98 6 2 347 337 97 10 3

IFEP 27 27 100 0 0 45 45 100 0 0 67 65 97 2 3

RFEP 86 75 87 11 13 72 62 86 10 14 70 68 97 2 3

ELL 11 11 100 0 0 11 11 100 0 0 11 10 91 1 9 Not Economically Disadvantaged

417 409 98 8 2 440 429 98 11 3 451 442 98 9 2

Economically Disadvantaged

45 36 80 9 20 40 35 88 5 13 34 27 79 7 21

Unknown 11 9 82 2 18 13 13 100 0 0 19 19 100 0 0 Students receiving Special Education Services

44 28 64 16 36 56 44 79 12 21 60 48 80 12 20

Mathematics

CALIFORNIA HIGH SCHOOL EXIT EXAM – MATHEMATICS

2012 2013 2014

Category # Tested

# Passed

% Passed

# Not Passed

% Not Passed

# Tested

# Passed

% Passed

# Not Passed

% Not Passed

# Tested

# Passed

% Passed

# Not Passed

% Not Passed

All Students 470 449 96 21 4 482 467 97 15 3 505 486 96 19 4

Asian 100 99 99 1 1 135 135 100 0 0 133 133 100 0 0

Hispanic or Latino 46 35 76 11 24 62 51 82 11 18 50 42 84 8 16 Black or African American

13 8 62 5 38 16 14 88 2 13 21 15 71 6 29

White 262 259 99 3 1 244 242 99 2 1 272 269 99 3 1

Two or more races 39 38 97 1 3 16 16 100 0 0 20 19 95 1 5

English only 341 332 97 9 3 347 342 99 5 1 348 337 97 11 3

IFEP 27 26 96 1 4 45 45 100 0 0 66 66 100 0 0

RFEP 85 75 88 10 12 70 64 91 6 9 69 63 91 6 9

ELL 10 NA NA NA NA 11 7 64 4 36 14 12 86 2 14 Not Economically Disadvantaged

415 406 98 9 2 431 421 98 10 2 448 440 98 8 2

Economically Disadvantaged

44 33 75 11 25 38 34 89 4 11 37 29 78 8 22

Unknown 11 10 91 1 9 13 12 92 1 8 20 17 85 3 15 Students receiving Special Education Services

43 24 56 19 44 50 38 76 12 24 62 47 76 15 24

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CELDT Testing Paly had no Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students in the 2003-2004 school year. By 2013-14, 26 Paly students were classified LEP and attended Paly on a district waiver. The majority of these students scored at the Early Advanced and Advanced levels, but two scored at the Beginning level. These results raise concerns about these students’ abilities to engage and successfully participate in the full school curriculum.

CALIFORNIA ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT TEST (CELDT) – PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL

2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Students Tested (all grades) 17 12 26

Advanced 4 24.0% 2 17.0% 8 31.0%

Early Advanced 9 53.0% 9 75.0% 11 42.0%

Intermediate 3 18.0% 1 8.0% 4 15.0%

Early Intermediate 0 0 0

Beginning 1 6.0% 0 3 12.0%

Source: DataQuest

Algebra Enrollment Paly offers multiple lanes of algebra: Algebra 1 (regular lane), Algebra 1A (advanced), Algebra 1.1 (Algebra 1 - first semester in one year), and Algebra 1.2 (Algebra 1 – second semester in one year). Many students finish Algebra 1 in middle school before they reach Paly. Additionally, we have offered Algebra 1, Algebra 1.1, and Algebra 1.2 in our Opportunity program. Some Special Education students also take Algebra classes for an MP grade.

TOTAL ALGEBRA ENROLLMENT 2011-2012

9th Graders 10th Graders 11th Graders 12th Graders Algebra 1 170 44 8 7 Algebra 1A 236 8 3 0 Algebra 1.1 42 15 11 2 Algebra 1.2 0 12 7 0





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Student Behavior and Discipline The physical and emotional safety of students is a top priority at Paly. The school maintains firm guidelines for student behavior on campus and at school events. The site discipline team includes three campus supervisors, three assistant principals, the dean of students and the principal. At the beginning of the school year, each student is provided with a planner that includes the student handbook, which addresses student behavior, school rules and consequences.

Suspensions at Paly generally fall in one of three categories: 1) Caused, attempted, or threatened physical injury; 2) Possession, use, sale or furnishing a controlled substance, alcohol, intoxicant; or 3) Disruption and/or defiance.

A review of the suspension and expulsion data for Paly reveals the following: ● Expulsions are rare at Palo Alto High School. ● From 2011-2012 to 2012-2013, suspensions decreased by 40%. ● The number of suspensions at Paly is low for a comprehensive high school. ● Within this small rate, the suspensions that most concern us are:

○ Physical injury ○ Drugs and alcohol ○ Stealing ○ Defiance

In our 2009 WASC self-study, we found only one area with an increase in suspension numbers over the last four years: drugs and alcohol. The relatively higher number of suspensions in this area reflected, in our experience, an increase in the number of students who attend school events under the influence of alcohol. In response to this trend, the school initiated the use of breathalyzers in 2007-2008. At first they were used on a case-by-case basis to confirm whether a student had been drinking, but today the school has implemented a policy of breathalyzing every student who enters a Palo Alto High School dance.

We have made strong efforts to raise awareness and help students understand consequences for past “traditional” practices such as pranks, streaking, and excessive class rivalries (especially during spirit week). The 2013-2014 school year began with a couple of seniors streaking on the first day of school. Streaking has

41

been a serious problem for many years at Paly, though it was usually limited to one week in May (known as “streak week”). For the first time in the history of this issue, the principal took disciplinary action against the students and also used the opportunity to educate the community about her stance on such behaviors and their unintended consequences. Simply put, streaking would no longer be tolerated at Paly. Despite some pushback from the student body and some parents who believed that streaking was a harmless act of stress relief, the principal’s stance was supported by the district office, the Paly staff, and other student and parent groups, and was carried through the rest of the school year.

In the spring of 2014, the principal and school resource officer visited all senior classes to talk about streaking, sober graduation, and any other topics that the students wanted to discuss. The principal held informal but honest conversations with all senior students, which led to the class of 2014 being the first class to decide to discontinue the “tradition” of streaking. The actions of our principal and the class of 2014 have undoubtedly created a much safer environment for both students and staff at Paly.

2011-2012 EXPULSION / SUSPENSION REPORT Number of

Students Expelled Expulsion

Rate Number of

Students Suspended Suspension

Rate 0 0.0 47 2.4%

Number of Offenses Committed and Description: 13 - Caused, attempted, or threatened physical injury 13 - Possession, use, sale, or furnishing a controlled substance, alcohol, intoxicant 12 – Disruption, defiance 5 – Robbery or extortion 3 – Property theft 2 – Received Stolen Property 2 – Possession of controlled substance 2 – Committed assault or battery on a school employee 1 – Caused physical injury 1 – Obscene acts, profanity and vulgarity 1 – Used force or violence

Source: DataQuest

2012-2013 EXPULSION / SUSPENSION REPORT

Number of Students Expelled

Expulsion Rate

Number of Students Suspended

Suspension Rate

0 0.0 29 1.5%

Number of Offenses Committed and Description: 11 - Possession, use, sale, or furnishing a controlled substance, alcohol, intoxicant 10 – Disruption, defiance 7 - Caused, attempted, or threatened physical injury 3 – Possession of controlled substance 1 – Caused physical injury 1 – Property damage

Source: DataQuest

42

2013-2014 EXPULSION / SUSPENSION REPORT Number of

Students Expelled Expulsion

Rate Number of

Students Suspended Suspension

Rate 0 0.0 17 0.87%

Number of Offenses Committed and Description: 11 - Possession, use, sale, or furnishing a controlled substance, alcohol, intoxicant 2 - Caused, attempted or threatened physical injury 2 – Obscene acts, profanity and vulgarity 1 – Used force or violence 1 – Sexual harassment 1 – Possession, sale, furnishing a firearm or knife 1 – Received stolen property

Source: DataQuest

SUSPENSION DATA BY ETHNICITY

2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 Asian 4 1 2 Black / African American 9 5 1 Latino 7 6 7 Two or More Races 4 2 0 Native Hawaiian / Other Pacific Islander 3 3 0 White 20 11 6 In-School Suspension 0 1 1 TOTAL 47 29 17


Attendance Attendance is a continual topic of conversation at Paly and in our wider district. Although PAUSD is a basic aid district and does not receive state funding based on Average Daily Attendance (ADA), attendance is an educational priority because it influences both the academic success of individual students and classroom instruction as a whole. At Paly we have focused on consistent attendance being taken in all classes, on making sure appropriate consequences exist for students with attendance issues, and on examining the relationship between student attendance and academic achievement. Over the last several years, Paly has experienced a rise in selective student truancy – that is, unexcused single-period absences. (This is also called “strategic cutting” by staff.)

While daily attendance numbers remain consistently high, the period truancy rate has risen to where approximately 55% of the student body have single-period unexcused absences in at least three or more classes. The school has responded in the following ways:

● Teacher-initiated conversation with student. ● Comprehensive use of classroom-based practice to refuse submission of work that is due on the day

or period of the selective absence. ● Twice-daily phone call home through Infinite Campus when either a day or period absence is noted. ● Teacher-initiated phone call home to highlight and educate parents about the significance of selective

truancy as it relates to stress and skill development. ● Broader use of classroom attendance contracts, with administrative involvement to communicate to

students and parents a more complete understanding of the importance of routine daily class attendance.

43

● Written notification of absenteeism sent home to parents upon the student’s third, fourth, and fifth truancy. ● Monthly attendance reports are printed out and given to grade-level administrators. ● One-on-one conversation between the individual student and the grade-level administrator or

guidance counselor upon the third selective truancy. ● Assignment of Saturday School for students who have four unexcused absences in one particular class.

○ While the number of parent excused period absences have increased with the implementation of Saturday School, it seems to have increased only with our Caucasian students. As a result, Saturday School is predominantly assigned to our Latino and African American students. This creates the perception that only our Hispanic and African American students have attendance issues, which is clearly not the case. The truancy rate for our Hispanic and African American students is similar to that of our Caucasian students. However, it seems as though our parents of Hispanic and African American students are less likely to excuse single-period absences. We are currently investigating ways to resolve this issue.

● Initiating a discussion at Ed. Council of the appropriate pyramid of interventions to be implemented at the classroom level.

● Online attendance monitoring in the classroom so that teachers provide an immediate response to student truancies.

● Teacher access to semester and yearlong attendance records through Infinite Campus. ● Reminders from the Attendance Office to teachers who have not submitted attendance. ● An increase from 48 to 72 hours in the time parents have to excuse an absence.

PAUSD has recognized that consistent attendance is an issue that needs to be addressed throughout the district. To this end, PAUSD has formed the Attendance Collaboration Team (ACT) to meet monthly throughout the 2014-2015 school year. Each school in the district sends a cohort of representatives to engage in the following work:

● Collect data and assess current practices to better understand the scope of the problem. ● Use the data collected to develop strategies that promote school attendance across grades K-12. ● Develop tools and interventions that raise awareness of the importance of school attendance and help

teachers and staff understand how to become more informed and intentional in their attendance work.

ACT’s goals include: ● Develop and align the parent and student handbooks. ● Develop a flow chart or tool that explains PAUSD’s attendance process, to be used in both high

school and middle school. ● Recommend training and services that raise awareness and a shared understanding of the importance

of attendance. ● Identify sustainable procedures that will lead to a system of attendance accountability and support

among teachers, administrations, and all staff.

Attendance – Truancy

TRUANCY INFORMATION 2012-2013

Census Enrollment Cumulative Enrollment Truant Students Truancy Rate

Palo Alto High 1,957 1,993 1,092 55.80

District Total 12,357 12,836 5,483 42.72

County Total 273,701 288,260 66,326 23.01

State Total 6,226,989 6,497,749 1,902,509 29.28

Source: DataQuest

44

This chart shows the number of students with three or more unexcused absences in 2012-2013. By state standards, this could be a full-day absence but could also include a single-period absence on any given day. This chart displays our growing issue with selective student truancy.

Full Day Attendance Information The truancy rate of 55.80% is a large issue that needs to be addressed at Paly. However, when full day absences are analyzed, it is clear that Paly’s truancy rate is much lower than 55.80%. The full day truancy rate in 2011-2012 was only 3.1%. Unfortunately, this rate has risen to a more concerning 9.9% in 2013-2014.

2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Total Students 1,887 1,957 1,944

Number of students with 3 days unexcused 18 (1.0%) 33 (1.7%) 86 (4.4%)



Number of students with more than 5 days unexcused 23 (1.2%) 50 (2.6%) 43 (2.2%)

Total number of students with 3 or more days unexcused 59 (3.1%) 132 (6.7%) 193 (9.9%)


Graduation Our high cohort graduation rate is a proud tradition at Paly. The vast majority of Paly students graduate and continue on to study at institutions of higher learning. However, from 2011-2013 we noticed a slight downward trend in our cohort graduation rate, from 96.4% - 93.5%. Obviously, this is a concern we must address. Our district has also implemented new graduation requirements that mirror the CSU/UC “A-G” college entrance requirements. Paly will work to closely monitor student progress towards graduation and to raise our overall cohort graduation rate.

Because we have very few students who fail to graduate, it is difficult to identify demographic trends from the data. That said, here are some data points from Paly’s dropout information for 2010-2011 through 2012-2013.

● Ethnicity ○ Latino student data is inconsistent. The rate of Latino dropouts rises and falls. ○ In years when Paly has had African American students drop out, the dropout rate has been

higher than the proportional school population of African American students. ○ Both White and Asian students drop out at a rate smaller than the proportional school

populations for these two groups. ● English Language Learners

○ Data is inconsistent with no clear trends. However, it is important to note again that the number of ELL students at Paly is very small.

● Socio-Economically Disadvantaged ○ Students identified as socio-economically disadvantaged drop out at higher rates than the

proportional school population for their subgroup. ● Special Education

○ Special Education students drop out at rates higher than the proportional school population for their subgroup.

45

GRADUATION / DROPOUT DATA 2010-11

Cohort Students

Cohort Graduates

Cohort Graduation Rate

Cohort Dropouts

Cohort Dropout Rate

Palo Alto High 412 397 96.4% 2.4%

Annual Adjusted Grade 9-12 Dropout Rate: Palo Alto High Total – 1.0% District Total – 1.3% County Total – 4.1% Statewide Total – 4.2%

Source: DataQuest

PALO ALTO HIGH DROPOUT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA 2010-11

Cohort Dropout Rate (% of Total School Population)

Ethnicity • Hispanic or Latino of any race – 10.0%, (8.7%) • African American, not Hispanic – 8.3%, (3.6%) • White, not Hispanic – 2.0%, (57.8%)

English Learners 4.5%

Special Education 4.4%

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 7.9%

Female 1.9%

Male 3.0%

Source: DataQuest


Cohort Students

Cohort Graduates


Cohort Dropouts

Cohort Dropout Rate

Palo Alto High 465 439 94.4% 21 4.5%


Source: DataQuest

46

PALO ALTO HIGH DROPOUT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA 2011-12 Cohort Dropout Rate (% of Total School Population)

Ethnicity

• African American, not Hispanic – 15.0% (3.4%) • Hispanic or Latino of any race – 9.4% (9.1%) • White, not Hispanic – 4.0% (54.8%) • Asian, not Hispanic – 3.1% (23.5%) • Two or more races, not Hispanic – 2.4% (6.4%)

English Learners 0.0 (2.4%)

Special Education 13.2% (10%)

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 16.3% (7.5%)

Female 3.9%

Male 5.2%

Source: DataQuest


Cohort Students

Cohort Graduates


Cohort Dropouts

Cohort Dropout Rate

Palo Alto High 478 447 93.5% 27 5.6%


Source: DataQuest

PALO ALTO HIGH DROPOUT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA 2012-13

Cohort Dropout Rate (% of Total School Population)

Ethnicity

• Filipino, not Hispanic – 40.0% (0.9%) • Two or more races, not Hispanic – 9.1% (5%) • Hispanic or Latino of any race – 7.9% (10%) • White, not Hispanic – 5.4% (54%) • Asian, not Hispanic – 2.8% (24.7%)

English Learners 24.1% (3.7%)

Special Education 12.9% (10%)

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged 16.3% (5%)

Female 6.1%

Male 5.1%

Source: DataQuest

47

CSU/UC A-G Eligibility Most Paly students meet the CSU/UC “A-G” college entrance requirements upon graduation. Students formally begin to learn about the CSU/UC “A-G” eligibility requirements in their freshman year Advisory classes (although many students now report learning about them in middle school). One Advisory class is dedicated to students creating a four-year plan of study for Paly, measured against the CSU/UC “A-G” requirements (now Paly graduation requirements). Ninth grade students share and discuss this plan with their Teacher Advisor and their parents or guardians. Students revisit and revise this four-year plan every year in Advisory. Preliminary data from our district office shows overall “A-G” completion rates for 2013-2014 Paly graduates at 84.8%.

During this WASC cycle the Focus Groups spent a great deal of time discussing Paly’s A-G data. After completing a statistical analysis of UC A-G eligibility by focusing on three specific student sub-populations (ethnicity, special education, and socio-economically disadvantaged), we have found statistical evidence that students in these subpopulations meet A-G eligibility less than other student groups at Paly. While this conclusion is comparable to state and national trends, we’re concerned with the evidence of the achievement gap at Paly.

Sources: PAUSD Department of Research and Evaluation / Infinite Campus

64#

66#

68#

70#

72#

74#

76#

78#

80#

#Class#of#2011#

#Class#of#2012#

#Class#of#2013#

Percen

t'of'S

eniors'

Year'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'Mee3ng'A5G'Requirements'

48

Ethnicity Conclusion: A chi-square test of independence indicates a statistically significant relationship between ethnicity and “A-G” status over time.



0"

10"

20"

30"

40"

50"

60"

70"

80"

90"

100"

White" Asian" �Hispanic" African"American"

Percen

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thnic'Po

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n'

Ethnicity'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'Mee1ng'A9G'Requirements'Compared'to'Ethnicity'Popula1on'

Class"of"2011"

Class"of"2012"

Class"of"2013"

0"

10"

20"

30"

40"

50"

60"

70"

80"

90"

White" Asian" �Hispanic" African"American"

Percen

t'of'E

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Ethnicity'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'Not'Mee1ng'A:G'Requirements'Compared'to'Ethnicity'Popula1on'of'Senior'Class'

Class"of"2011"

Class"of"2012"

Class"of"2013"

49

Special Education Conclusion: A chi-square test of independence indicates a statistically significant relationship between SPED classification and “A-G” status over time.



10.5%

11%

11.5%

12%

12.5%

13%

13.5%

14%

14.5%

%Class%of%2011%

%Class%of%2012%

%Class%of%2013%

Percen

t'of'P

opula.

on'

Year'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'That'is'Iden.fied'as'Special'Educa.on'

0"

5"

10"

15"

20"

25"

30"

35"

40"

45"

"Class"of"2011"

"Class"of"2012"

"Class"of"2013"

Percen

t'of'S

pecial'Edu

ca2o

n'Stud

ents'

Year'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'Iden2fied'as'Special'Educa2on'Gradua2ng'with'A=G'Requirements''

50


Socio-Economic Status Conclusion: A chi-square test of independence indicates a statistically significant relationship between Socio-Economic status and “A-G” status over time.


52#54#56#58#60#62#64#66#68#70#72#74#

#Class#of#2011#

#Class#of#2012#

#Class#of#2013#

Percen

t'of'S

pecial'Edu

ca2o

n'Stud

ents'

Year'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'Iden2fied'as'Special'Educa2on''Not'Mee2ng'A<G'Requirements''

6.1$

6.2$

6.3$

6.4$

6.5$

6.6$

6.7$

6.8$

6.9$

7$

7.1$

$Class$of$2011$

$Class$of$2012$

$Class$of$2013$

Percen

t'of'S

enior'C

lass'

Year'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'Iden4fied'as'Low'SES'Status'

51



0"

10"

20"

30"

40"

50"

60"

70"

"Class"of"2011"

"Class"of"2012"

"Class"of"2013"

Percen

t'of'S

eniors'Id

en/fi

ed'as'L

ow'SES'

Year'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'Iden/fied'as'Low''Socio9Economic'Status'Mee/ng'A9G'Requirements''

0"

10"

20"

30"

40"

50"

60"

70"

80"

"Class"of"2011"

"Class"of"2012"

"Class"of"2013"

Percen

t'of'S

eniors'Id

en/fi

ed'as'L

ow'SES'

Year'

Percentage'of'Senior'Class'Iden/fied'as'Low'Socio9Economic'Status'Not'Mee/ng'A9G'Requirements''

52

PERCEPTION DATA RESULTS Over the past 18 months both Paly and the PAUSD conducted a number of surveys and large and small group interviews to collect perception data for this WASC report. Below are bulleted highlights gathered from the different surveys and interviews conducted. The information is organized by major stakeholder groups. Additional information and complete survey data can be found in the appendix.

Student Information from Surveys and Interviews Student perception data includes interviews with these student classes and groups: Robotics, ASB, WASC Student Home Group, Spanish for Spanish Speakers (level 1 and level 2), VTP students, Beginning Journalism, and the Paly Voice Journalism Students. Each of these groups included about 30 students.

Structure of the School Day ● Most students are not supportive of the seven-period day. ● Most students value Advisory. ● Most students are supportive of tutorial and block scheduling. ● Some students acknowledge that work needs to be done around honoring review days before finals.

Co-curriculars and Programs ● Most students are supportive of the many extracurricular choices and opportunities.

Academics ● Most students are supportive of Paly’s many course choices, including electives.

Culture and Climate ● Most students feel Paly values academic excellence and has high expectations for students. ● Most students report that school spirit is high. ● Some students acknowledge pressure and competition to be highly successful academically. ● Most students report a sense of belonging or community within our school.

Student-Adult Relationships ● Most students feel Paly teachers are caring, supportive and available for extra help. ● Most students report that communication with Paly teachers is easy and positive.

Learning Environment ● Most students value the open campus and feel the campus facilities are well-maintained. ● Areas of concern include transportation to and from school for our VTP students, quality of food in

the Student Center, and flooding on campus during the rainy season.

“Systems” ● This category generated the most responses. ● Most students would like to see inconsistent grading practices addressed. Students cite issues of grade

“deflation” and differences among teachers within the same course. ● Most students report an unmanageable homework load and question the purpose of homework. ● Most students report teachers are not consistent within departments in terms of curriculum,

assessments and grading. ● Most students would like to see the school better coordinate course calendars so that tests, quizzes,

projects and essays aren’t due or don’t take place on the same day. 53

● Most students report that the TA system, which includes the College and Career Center, works well for the college application process.

Another source of student perception data was the student survey that was administered in all English classes between September 5th and 22nd of 2014. A total of 1728 Paly students (out of the Paly student population of 1,962) took this survey. The demographic makeup of these students was consistent with the demographics of the school population. Each class also had equal representation in the survey. Results of this survey were discussed at the WASC Focus Group meeting on September 18, 2014. Key points:

● 83% of students feel they can find a trusted adult on campus to go to if they need academic, social or emotional help.

● 86% of students feel they can find a trusted adult on campus to go to if they have questions about their future – for example, about college, career and life after Paly.

● 88% of students agree or strongly agree that teachers have high expectations for them. ● 79% of students agree or strongly agree that teachers have high expectations for all students in their

classes. ● 92% of students report that teachers are available when students need help – for example, before

school, at lunch, after school or in tutorial. ● 67% of students report that grades are updated regularly on Infinite Campus. ● 81% of students agree or strongly agree that teachers explain the learning goals of every lesson

studied, or that students know what they are learning about in all classes. ● 79% of students agree or strongly agree that teachers give feedback that helps students learn or

improve on future assignments. ● Students were asked about the average time they spend doing homework each night. The results:

15% report 4 or more hours, 26% 3-4 hours, 34% 2-3 hours, 19% 1-2 hours, 2% under 1 hour, 1% “I almost never spend time doing homework,” and 2% “I don’t know.”

● 68% of students agree or strongly agree that students at Paly treat each other with respect and care. ● 85% of students agree or strongly agree that teachers and staff at Paly treat the students with respect

and care. ● 91% of students agree or strongly agree that they feel physically safe at Paly. ● 77% of students agree or strongly agree that they feel emotionally safe at Paly. ● 81% of students agree or strongly agree that overall, they like being a Paly student. ● PAUSD SLO #2 - 81% of students agree or strongly agree that they learn about effective

communication through listening, speaking, and writing in class. ● PAUSD SLO #3 - 83% of students agree or strongly agree that students use research skills in class. ● PAUSD SLO #4 - 71% of students agree or strongly agree that different classes help integrate

knowledge among disciplines. ● PAUSD SLO #5 - 87% of students agree or strongly agree that classes ask students to read with

understanding. ● PAUSD SLO #6 - 87% of students agree or strongly agree that students are asked to use critical and

creative thinking to solve problems. ● PAUSD SLO #7 - 87% of students agree or strongly agree that they use technology frequently to

learn and grow as a student. ● 55% of students agree or strongly agree that there is alignment between teachers of the same subject.

That is: if two different teachers teach the same course, what happens in both courses is about the same.

● 85% of students agree or strongly agree that they often collaborate with classmates and peers in classes.

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● 80% of students agree or strongly agree that they are learning how to be good writers and readers at Paly.

● 78% of students agree or strongly agree that there are high social standards (integrity, character, honesty, doing what is right) at Paly.

● 70% of students agree or strongly agree that teachers want students to develop a love of learning.

Student Feedback: PAUSD Strategic Plan/Paly WASC Survey, March 2014 In March 2014, our District Office gave its annual Strategic Plan survey to Paly administrators, teachers, parents and students. This survey was sent out to all stakeholder groups through Infinite Campus and staff email; in some cases, students were given time to complete it during the school day. Administering the survey in this way resulted in a self-selected sample (based on voluntary response) from some stakeholder groups. Decades of research have shown that voluntary response samples skew towards the disenchanted in particular and those with strong opinions in general. Embedded in this survey were a number of survey questions that specifically pertained to our WASC work. 785 Paly students participated in this survey. Student comments on this survey were quite interesting, and were grouped by common themes for analysis.

● Unfair grading policies across courses (number of responses = 26) ○ “Really love the education here in PAUSD, but the grading across the same courses with

different teacher is extremely uneven and unfair.” ○ “Grading and level of rigor is completely inconsistent along various teachers who teach the

same course. There are a number of teachers who I believe are unreliable and inconsistent in terms of teaching and grading. Many students who are incompetent receive high grades for solely completing work, while truly intelligent peers receive the same.”

● Stress/pressure (number of responses =15): ○ Many students described Palo Alto as a stressful environment, and indicated that they felt

intense pressure to succeed. ● Positive feedback (number of responses =14)

○ “None. I just think Paly's doing a good job at what they're doing. Keep up the good work” ○ “I've had a very positive high school experience so far.” ○ “Overall, I think that my experience at Paly has been pretty good academically. My teachers

are generally very supportive and willing to take the time out to help others.” ● Inconsistent teacher quality (number of responses =12)

○ “There are some very good teachers, but there are also some very, very, VERY bad ones. If you get complaints about teachers, PLEASE do not just dismiss them, having a bad teacher really messes things up as a student and your entire future depends on high school years.”

○ “Teacher/teaching quality should be more consistent between classes.” ● Too much homework (number of responses =10)

○ “Paly gives us a ton of Homework already ... I dread every day coming to this school. Then I have about 4-5 hours of homework every night and I am not even taking the most difficult classes.”

○ “ […] there is too much homework in upper lane classes which has a negative impact on students and discourages possible students from taking advanced classes.”

Paly Staff Information from WASC Group Work and Surveys Ideas and comments were solicited from Paly staff, including certificated and classified personnel, during various WASC meetings. Major items:

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Paly Staff Areas of Strength Most staff report that... ● Paly students are a strength. ● The Paly staff are a strength. ● The TA/Guidance program is a strength. ● The availability and diversity of co-curricular activities are a strength. ● The campus facility is a strength. ● The financial support and resources donated to our school are a strength. ● Our community values education. ● Our school values diversity.

Paly Staff Areas of Growth Most staff report that... ● There is a need to build stronger relationships with our parents. ● We need to develop resiliency in our students. ● Cheating and academic dishonesty is a concern. ● Our systems for data collection need improvement. ● They have a great desire for teacher collaboration and connectedness. ● We need to continue our efforts to support our struggling students and eliminate the achievement gap.

Staff Feedback: PAUSD Strategic Plan/Paly WASC Survey, March 2014 90 teachers completed this survey, as did 30 administrators and classified personnel. Because the administrator and classified numbers were small, these two groups were combined together for analysis. Significant staff findings:

● 97% of teachers and 97% of administrators/classified reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” regarding the quality of education received at Paly.

● 75% of teachers and 80% of administrators/classified reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” regarding the level of enjoyment Paly students experience while learning.

● 65% of teachers and 53% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that homework assignments are useful and appropriate.

● 48% of teachers and 53% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that the amount of homework assigned is reasonable.

● 87% of teachers and 93% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that the technological tools provided by the school assist students with learning and communication.

● 84% of teachers and 80% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that teachers use technological tools to communicate effectively.

● 96% of teachers and 97% of administrators/classified reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the breadth and depth of curricular offerings at Paly.

● 85% of teachers and 83% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that students can take the courses they want at Paly.

● 43% of teachers and 47% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that curriculum and instruction are consistent across teachers and courses.

● 92% of teachers and 97% of administrators/classified reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” that teachers challenge students to excel academically.

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● 86% of teachers and 80% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that teachers use a variety of strategies to engage students, emphasize higher-ordered thinking and help them succeed.

● 78% of teachers and 73% of administrators/classified said that individualized teaching and learning for Paly students is “very effective” or “somewhat effective.”

● 47% of teachers and 50% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that grading at Paly is fair across teachers and courses.

● 73% of teachers and 77% of administrators/classified reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with Paly’s response to student conflicts, bullying, and harassment.

● 86% of teachers and 79% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that there are high expectations for all students.

● 87% of teachers and 93% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that Paly is safe, clean and orderly.

● 91% of teachers and 90% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that Paly focuses on continuous improvement.

● 78% of teachers and 86% of administrators/classified reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” that effective help is provided when needed in a subject or course.

● 67% of teachers and 59% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that underperforming students at Paly are well-supported to improve academically.

● 80% of teachers and 17% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that students with special education needs have access to learning supports that allow for full participation in general education classrooms.

● 80% of teachers and 67% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that students feel connected and engaged at school.

● 92% of teachers and 80% of administrators/classified said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that students receive effective college counseling at Paly.

Selected staff comments from the PAUSD Strategic Plan / Paly WASC Survey of March 2014, organized by themes:

● Facilities (number of responses = 4) ○ “Physical Environment is poor this year due to the length and proximity of the current

construction. Has gone from just fine to extremely disruptive over the past two years. I realize that the campus needs updating, but I've been through construction here at Paly before and this has been much more of a distraction.”

○ “Also the heating/cooling system at Paly is terrible and we deserve better. This is a working conditions issue and it needs to be addressed.”

○ “More time and energy would be better spent fixing or replacing the heating and cooling system… Also the staff bathrooms are gross …The ceiling tiles in many classrooms/office areas are loose, hanging down, stained, etc…”

● School Board concerns (number of responses = 4) ○ “We must improve our relationship with the School Board, and by that I mean we must

improve our relationship with the community that the School Board represents. There is a vocal minority in this district [whose] interests the Board serves. There is a silent majority we need to hear more from, and most importantly the Board needs to hear more from. Improving our solicitation of this voice is essential to the work that we do. This is a problem that is becoming a detriment to our progress as a district…. I feel this is one of the biggest issues facing our district right now. We must educate the [community] as much as we educate our kids, and this includes establishing truly representative connections.”

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● Positive comments (number of responses = 3) ○ “It is an honor to be part of this district. They do a lot to reach out to newer teachers/try to

support them.” ○ “The district does a great job of finding funding for a wide variety of programs and services.”

● Bullying (number of responses = 2) ○ “The amount/intensity of bullying of teachers by students and parents needs to be addressed.” ○ “I am concerned not only about student-to-student bullying, but have increasingly felt bullied

by parents.” ● Issues with administration (number of responses = 2)

○ “I am very disappointed at the level of transparency at the district level. There is no clear guidance from the district and there seems to be no clear leadership.”

○ “There is very little trust between the Board, District, and our school.”

Parent Information from Surveys and Interviews Parent feedback was solicited in various ways during our WASC work. First, a volunteer group of around 25 parents served as our parent WASC group. This group provided essential feedback though many important discussions. To make sure we heard from multiple parent groups, we also held a small number of target parent WASC meetings, including one meeting for VTP (Voluntary Transfer Program) parents, as well as a meeting conducted in Spanish for Spanish-speaking parents.

Some of the key issues raised by parents: Supporting ALL students

Parents report that... ● Paly is a big school, some students do well and others struggle. ● “B” students sometimes don’t feel good about themselves. ● Paly helps students learn to self-advocate. ● Not all students access the support that is available to them.

Lack of Consistency Among Teachers and Classes Parents report that... ● Grading policies are an area of concern. ● Teacher autonomy leads to a lack of awareness of what is happening in other classes or at school

(i.e., a sense that their class is the only class that is important).

Communication Parents report that... ● We need to remember that not all parents use a computer. ● They want to be informed, called or emailed. ● Email is not always best way to communicate.

Teacher-Parent Relations Parents report that... ● They fear retribution when talking with their student’s teacher. ● Teachers are not open to having conversations. ● Teacher evaluations should be seen as a positive tool to provide teachers feedback for their own

professional growth. 58

● They often do not feel as though they are part of the learning community. ● Teachers are available for extra help when parents ask.

Definition of Success Parents report that... ● College competition negatively influences our definition of success. ● Paly is a “pressure cooker” that leads to student stress. ● Paly needs to look at what other education institutions are doing around the world to make sure our

students are ready for a global environment. ● There’s a fear of failure at Paly.

Major Findings from Parent Members of the Data Team (09/26/14) ● Vertical and horizontal alignment: Need to develop a plan of action for teachers and their

departments. ● Student stress: Identifying sources of stress and developing plans to reduce stress. ● Achievement gap: Implementing methods and procedures to reduce the gap.

Parent Feedback: PAUSD Strategic Plan/Paly WASC Survey, March 2014 Because parents also took the PAUSD Strategic Plan / Paly WASC survey, we are able to identify other interesting issues from this data regarding the parent perspective. 270 parents participated in this survey.

● 86% of parents said they were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the quality of education received at Paly.

● 65% of parents said they were “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the level of enjoyment Paly students experience while learning.

● 71% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that homework assignments are useful and appropriate.

● 68% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that the amount of homework assigned is reasonable.

● 73% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that the technological tools provided by the school assist students with learning and communication.

● 62% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that teachers use technological tools to communicate effectively.

● 91% of parents reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the breadth and depth of curricular offerings at Paly.

● 83% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that students can take the courses they want at Paly.

● 36% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that curriculum and instruction are consistent across teachers and courses.

● 78% of parents reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” that teachers challenge students to excel academically.

● 59% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that teachers use a variety of strategies to engage students, emphasize higher-ordered thinking and help them succeed.

● 43% of parents said that individualized teaching and learning for Paly students is “very effective” or “somewhat effective.”

● 49% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” grading is fair across teachers and courses.

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● 52% of parents reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with Paly’s response to student conflicts, bullying and harassment.

● 72% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that there are high expectations for all students. ● 89% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that Paly is safe, clean and orderly. ● 70% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that Paly focuses on continuous improvement. ● 58% of parents reported being “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” that effective help is provided

when needed in a subject or course. ● 29% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that underperforming students at Paly are well-

supported to improve academically. ● 67% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that students with special education needs have

access to learning supports that allow for full participation in general education classrooms. ● 76% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that students feel connected and engaged at

school. ● 92% of parents said they “strongly agree” or “agree” that students receive effective college

counseling at Paly.

Selected parent comments from the March 2014 PAUSD Strategic Plan / Paly WASC Survey, organized by themes:

● Uneven teacher quality (number of responses = 1) ○ “…For example, when my child has 6 different teachers, some of whom are excellent, some

of whom are fair, and at least one of whom should not be teaching, how can I answer the questions about "my child's teachers?”

● Positive comment (number of responses = 1) ○ “While we are overall very satisfied with the PAUSD, we see for our children two areas that

could be improved…Our experience is that the teachers are very helpful when we inform them of a problem. But we usually end up in damage control, which is not ideal.”

● Homework (number of responses = 1) ○ “…Both our children are doing a competitive sport outside school… But they always have to

make compromises to meet challenges at school. Homework assignments don't always take into account their sport. Or several teachers expecting 30 minutes or 1 hour of homework on the same day, leaving the kids with difficult situations to meet expectations.”

California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) This State of California survey provides schools with data to be used for improvement. As stated in the preface of Paly’s CHKS Main Report, this survey has three purposes: “(1) fostering positive school climates and engagement in learning; (2) preventing youth health-risk behaviors and other barriers to academic achievement; and (3) promoting positive youth development, resilience, and well-being” (Health and Human Development Program at WestEd, 2014). Students complete this survey on campus but the survey is anonymous and voluntary. Only freshmen and juniors take the CHKS survey, and it is administered every other year at Paly.

During our WASC cycle, focus groups reviewed Paly’s CHKS Main Report from the 2013-2014 survey. Some of the points highlighted by focus groups as especially interesting or pertinent to Paly:

● Many students report feeling safe at school (9th graders 82%, 11th graders 86%). ● Students generally feel connected at school (9th graders 71%, 11th graders 64%). ● 25% of 11th graders report experiencing chronic sadness / hopelessness. ● Reports of alcohol and drug use increase from 9th to 11th grades. ● Most students report earning “mostly A’s” or “A’s and B’s” (9th graders 82%, 11th graders 80%).

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● 0% of Paly students report earning “mostly F’s” and only 1% of juniors report earning “mostly D’s.” ● Truancy increases from 9th to 11th grade. 84% of freshmen report never being truant, but only 47%

of juniors report the same. ● The four most-reported reasons for being absent:

○ Illness (feeling physically sick), including problems with breathing or teeth (9th graders 39%, 11th graders 56%).

○ Didn’t get enough sleep (9th graders 10%, 11th graders 32%). ○ Were behind in schoolwork or weren’t prepared for a test or class assignment (9th graders

5%, 11th graders 26%). ○ Felt very sad, hopeless, anxious, stressed or angry (9th graders 6%, 11th graders 15%).

● 20% of freshmen report using alcohol one time or more, 48% of juniors report the same. ● 5% of freshmen and 10% of juniors report having ever smoked a whole cigarette. ● 1% of freshmen and 2% of juniors report they are current cigarette smokers (in the past 30 days). ● 20% of freshmen and 17% of juniors report that they did not eat breakfast on the day the survey was

administered. ● 13% of 9th graders and 11% of 11th graders report that they have seriously considered attempting

suicide in the past 12 months. ● The following chart highlights other important information from the 2010-2011 and 2013-2014

California Healthy Kids Survey at Paly. These indicators were specifically requested from the district office by our Board of Education as important data points to study.

CHKS RESILIENCE INDICATORS AND SCHOOL CONNECTEDNESS

2010-2011 2013-2014

Percentage who strongly agree or agree Grade 9 Grade 11 Grade 9 Grade 11

I feel close to people in this school. 74 74 77 73

I am happy to be at this school. 84 74 83 71

I feel like I'm part of this school. 68 73 73 64

Teachers at this school treat students fairly. 67 66 71 65

I feel safe in my school. 80 88 81 85

Percentage who believe it is pretty much true or very true

Caring Relationships Grade 9 Grade 11 Grade 9 Grade 11

At my school there is a teacher or some other adult who really cares about me. 70 71 65 70

At my school there is a teacher or some other adult who notices when I'm not there. 72 74 72 67

At my school there is a teacher or some other adult who listens when I have something to say.

81 84 79 82

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High Expectations

At my school there is a teacher or some other adult who tells me when I do a good job.

81 82 75 75

At my school there is a teacher or some other adult who always wants me to do my best.

88 90 88 85

At my school there is a teacher or some other adult who believes I will be a success. 80 82 76 75

Opportunities for Meaningful Participation

I do interesting activities at school. 71 63 74 64

I help decide like class rules or activities. 36 24 34 25

I do things that make a difference at school. 48 37 45 36

I know where to go for help with a problem 81 80 78 76

When I need help, I find someone to talk to. 76 71 71 69

There is a purpose to my life. 83 80 78 75

Percentage who strongly agree or agree

Teachers and other adults at this school treat all students with respect. 68 62 72 63

Teachers and other adults encourage me to work in hard in school, so I can be successful in college or the job I choose.

81 81 84 80

Teachers and other adults work hard to help me with my schoolwork when I need it.

72 74 81 77

Percentage who strongly agree or agree

I have been disrespected or mistreated by an adult at this school because of my race, ethnicity or nationality. 21 18 25 15

There is a lot of tension in this school between different races, cultures and ethnicities. 26 24 28 25

Source: CHKS Main Report

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chapter · 2018-08-31 · chapter i – school and community profile a. community palo alto is a...

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