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Oak Park High School F.O.L. 2010 Chapter I – School Profile

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Demographic Data

Community Oak Park High School (OPHS) is a relatively small (1,310 students) suburban high school located in Eastern Ventura County, just over the county line bordering Los Angeles. OPHS is the only comprehensive high school in our District of just under 3,800 students. The District also includes two alternative high schools, Oak View High School (OVHS) and Oak Park Independent School (OPIS). Traditionally, there has only been one feeder middle school, Medea Creek; this has changed dramatically, as we have become a District of Choice (DOC). The majority of the residences in Oak Park are single-family homes, though there is also a significant number of apartment complexes. Over the last five years, the local population of Oak Park has aged, and so the number of school-aged residents has dramatically decreased. In an effort to prevent district-wide declining enrollment, the Oak Park Unified School District (OPUSD) declared itself a DOC. As a result of this decision, our school has gone from a purely neighborhood school to a regional one. Figure 1 highlights the changing population of OPHS. Inter-district transfer students come to us from a variety of areas, most notably Las Virgenes Unified, Conejo Valley Unified and Simi Valley Unified School Districts.

Figure 1


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We are not a Program Improvement School, nor do we qualify for federal Title I funds. Due to the financial difficulty faced by the State and our District, the OPUSD has had to become very prudent with its expenditures and has cut all spending from the general fund to essentials only. Fortunately, due to this tight spending policy, the District maintains an unqualified budget; we are therefore free of county fiscal oversight. In order to support our school, both financially and materially, OPHS depends greatly on Friends of Oak Park Schools (a local parent foundation) and on our Parent Faculty Club (PFC) for support. Over the last several years, Friends of Oak Park Schools has sponsored a district-wide science specialist. At OPHS, this position helps to organize teams of students to compete in science programs, including the Edison Challenge (an environmental competition). This science specialist also helped to create a robotics club and a rocket club. It is a moral imperative both in our school and in our district to make learning as authentic and hands-on as possible. These programs help to make science meaningful and relevant to our students. Our PFC supports our school in countless ways. They have established a line item in their budget for staff development. Due to a lack of state funds, our school has relied on PFC to send staff to conferences and other professional development opportunities. Additionally, PFC now finances a half-time college and career counselor to supplement the full-time position already in place. At OPHS, we believe in supporting the whole child, and this includes preparing students to move beyond high school, whether to a college, a university or a job. The Oak Park College and Career Center (CCC) is a place for our students to go and to explore who they are as individuals and what their future might look like. Several of our teachers are working with Moorpark College (our local community college) to articulate our programs. Once articulation agreements are signed, our high school students can earn college credits for the high school class. At this point, we have articulated Architecture, Computer and Business Applications, and Accounting. Over the next several years, we anticipate adding several more programs to this articulation. Research indicates that all students graduating OPHS need to be computer literate in order to be successful in higher education and in the job world. To this end, students at OPHS are required to take a course demonstrating computer proficiency. Most students take our introductory Computer Applications course. At the completion of this course, all students have the option of taking Microsoft Certification Exams in any of the Microsoft Office suite of products. Moreover, any student passing a Microsoft Certification Exam will earn 2.5 course credits per exam from Moorpark College. OPUSD and OPHS engage in highly beneficial partnerships with local business. A local real estate agent funds our auto-dialer phone and bulk email communication systems. Through this technology, we are able to maintain effective, on-going communication with our students and their families. Our newest partnerships are with the Dole Corporation and the Four Seasons Hotel. Our district’s food services program works with


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these organizations to provide healthy and tasty lunch menu items for our students and staff. WASC Accreditation History OPHS and our community are very proud of our history of WASC accreditations. We have earned six-year terms of accreditation over the last three cycles. In 2004-2005 and again in 2008-2009, our school applied for and received California Distinguished School status. We hope to renew our National Blue Ribbon School status in the near future. We value the deep self-study processes that these programs provide, as they help us to review and redefine our practices to continuously support the achievement of our students. School Purpose OPHS is a comprehensive high school that serves students from grade 9 to grade 12. We pride ourselves on being a highly academic college preparatory school. It is at the core of our beliefs that all students can achieve at high levels, given the proper support. In fact, a Brown University study found that schools that do a better job of preparing students to graduate and pursue higher education share four key strategies: increasing academic rigor, creating networks of timely support, changing school culture to one of high college expectations and access, and using data effectively. OPHS and the Oak Park community deeply value education. This value is passed on to our students and is reflected in the rate of students going to college. 96.3% of last year’s graduating class will attend some form of college after graduation (Figure 2).

Figure 2


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Although not all of our students continue on to a two or a four-year college, we prepare all students to be lifelong learners. This includes not only preparation for college, but also career preparation. Over the last six years, we have created our Regional Occupational Program (ROP) and have expanded the service of our CCC. Additionally, over half of each graduating class for the last four years has matriculated in a four-year university directly after graduating from OPHS (Figure 3). For the last four years, at least 78% of each graduating class completes the UC/CSU a-g requirements upon graduation (Figure 4).

Figure 3


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Figure 4

While we are a highly rigorous school that believes in encouraging each student to reach his or her academic potential, we never forget that we are dealing with individual human beings that come to us with strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We understand that the teenage years can be fraught with emotional uncertainties and turmoil. With this awareness, we have invested significant resources, human and financial, to develop a strong counseling program at OPHS. In addition to traditional high school counseling, we offer a successful Peer Counseling program, a Safe School Ambassadors (SSA) program and Peer Mediation. Each year, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) trains our Peer Mediators. Our Peer Counselors/Advanced Peer Counselors (Adv. PC) coordinate an Acceptance Week, focusing on tolerance and understanding of individual differences. Because our counseling programs are so well respected, the ADL has selected us as a “No Place to Hate” school for several years in a row. Academic achievement is important to us, but never at the expense of the overall well-being of each student! Mission Statement The mission of Oak Park High School is to ensure a quality educational experience, which will develop the intellectual, personal, social, and cultural foundations of our students and instill in them a desire to achieve excellence.


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The Global Learning Goals The Global Learning Goals for OPHS have been developed (and revised in the 2008-2009 school year) with the idea that our primary role as educators is to create a learning environment where students become self-directed learners. In order to attain this goal, students must demonstrate a mastery of academic content, exhibit high levels of thinking and produce high quality work. In addition, students should display the individual and collective personal qualities that contribute to an effective learning community. To reach this goal the school community is charged with the task of taking students from where they are, adding value to what they already know and building on what they are able to do. As a result, graduates will become: 1. Academic Achievers who:

• Know (define, memorize, record, name, recognize) the content required to meet the academic standards

• Understand (discuss, relate, clarify, explain) the content required to meet the academic standards

• Demonstrate growth in meeting the academic standards 2. Critical Thinkers who:

• Apply complex problem-solving strategies to meaningful tasks • Analyze, integrate and evaluate significant concepts within various contexts • Transfer learned skills to new situations • Synthesize information from multiple sources to identify complexities and

discrepancies 3. Quality Producers who:

• Adhere to high quality standards in their academic and personal pursuits • Utilize technology to complement their work • Demonstrate creativity and original thinking • Display connections between disciplines

4. Self-Directed Learners who:

• Set, pursue and accomplish realistic, yet challenging goals for themselves • Exhibit self-motivation, self-discipline and self-evaluation • Develop and apply effective personal learning strategies and work habits • Overcome obstacles through the effective application of learned skills

5. School Community Contributors who:

• Demonstrate high personal standards of behavior • Accept individual and group responsibility • Display honesty and integrity • Contribute time, energy and talent to improve the quality of life in the school


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Enrollment By gender we are 47% female and 53% male (Figure 5). 9 10 11 12 Grand Total Female 163 142 146 160 611 Male 184 200 160 153 697 Grand Total 347 342 306 313 1308 Figure 5

We have no significant ethnic subgroups, as defined by the State (10% of the student population). Figure 6 outlines a breakdown of our enrollment by ethnicity. Grade Ethnicity 9 10 11 12 Grand Total % of Total White 272 273 250 258 1053 80.5% Asian-Chinese 25 18 17 17 77 5.9% Hispanic 16 20 10 18 64 4.9% Asian-Asian Indian 12 7 3 3 25 1.9%

Black or African American

6 7 1 7 21 1.6%

Asian-Japanese 4 3 8 3 18 1.4%

Asian-Korean 4 4 7 3 18 1.4% Asian-Other 2 4 2 1 9 0.7% Asian-Vietnamese 3 1 4 1 9 0.7%

Filipino 3 1 4 0.3%

Declined to state 2 1 3 0.2%

Pac Islander-Other 1 1 1 3 0.2%

American Indian/Alaskan Native

2 2 0.2%

Pac Islander-Hawaiian 1 1 2 0.2%

Grand Total 347 342 306 313 1308 100.0%

Figure 6

Second Languages and Language Proficiency Numbers English is the primary language of 85% of our students. The second most common primary language is Hebrew (3.1%) and then Mandarin (2.9%). (Figure 7) Language 9 10 11 12 Grand Total % of Total English 296 294 253 268 1111 84.9% Hebrew 8 9 11 12 40 3.1% Mandarin (Putonghua)

12 8 8 10 38 2.9%


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Language 9 10 11 12 Grand Total % of Total Farsi 7 4 6 5 22 1.7% Spanish 6 6 4 4 20 1.5% Russian 3 4 3 2 12 0.9% Korean 3 1 5 2 11 0.8% Cantonese 3 2 2 2 9 0.7% Other 3 3 3 9 0.7% Vietnamese 3 1 3 1 8 0.6% Japanese 2 3 5 0.4% Italian 1 3 4 0.3% Armenian 1 1 1 3 0.2% French 2 1 3 0.2% Gujarati 1 1 1 3 0.2% Hindi 2 1 3 0.2% Arabic 1 1 2 0.2% Urdu 2 2 0.2% German 1 1 0.1% Polish 1 1 0.1% Punjabi 1 1 0.1% Grand Total 347 342 306 313 1308 100.0%

Figure 7

Of all the students who do not identify English as their primary language, we only have seven students designated as English Learners. (Figure 8) Language Proficiency 9 10 11 12 Grand Total % of Total

English Only 292 288 251 266 1097 83.9% Initially Fluent English Prof

28 36 37 40 141 10.8%

Reclassified Fluent English Prof

20 13 15 5 53 4.1%

To Be Determined 4 3 2 9 0.7%

English Learner 3 1 3 7 0.5%

Early Advanced 1 1 0.1%

Grand Total 347 342 306 313 1308 100.0% Figure 8


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Special Programs The largest of our special needs programs is GATE, with an identified 17.9% of our students fitting into this group. Our school has a relatively small percentage of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch (2.4% combined). (Figure 9)

Program Female Male Grand Total % of All Students

504 plan 16 35 51 3.9% Free Lunch 6 9 15 1.1% Reduced Lunch 9 8 17 1.3% English Learner 1 3 4 0.3% GATE 104 130 234 17.9% Occupational Therapy 1 1 0.1% RSP 42 67 109 8.3% SDC 5 10 15 1.1% Title3 Immigrant 6 7 13 1.0% Vision 1 1 0.1% Programs Total 190 270 460 35.2% Student Grand Total 610 697 1307 100.0%

Figure 9

Attendance Between 2006 and 2008, we had a jump in our truancy rates. Since then, we have improved our communication of attendance policies to students and parents, and re-stated how crucial attendance is to achievement. It is unclear why there was such a jump in reported truancies. However, in those two school years, we transitioned to our new student information system. We hypothesize that there were some configuration issues.

School Year

Student Population

# of Truancies

Truancy Rate

2005-06 1,302 14 1.08% 2006-07 1,327 327 24.64% 2007-08 1,343 213 15.86% 2008-09 1,289 14 1.09%

Figure 10

Suspension and Expulsion Data (Student Discipline) Compared to many high schools, we are very fortunate to have few discipline issues. The single most frequent reason to suspend a student has involved defiance (48900k). We believe in progressive discipline and try to resolve discipline issues without suspension; if a student is out of class on suspension, he/she is not progressing toward proficiency in the academic standards. Based on this philosophy, we first attempt to discipline students through detentions, campus cleanup and Saturday schools. On the rare occasion that these measures fail, we resort to suspension. For less serious issues between students, we refer the disputants to Peer Mediation, a program led by our Adv. PCs. We do have students abusing illegal substances (2008 Healthy Kids Survey - CHKS). Aligning our discipline policy with our philosophy that we are here to educate the whole student, we offer students an alternative to suspension for a first-time drug-use offense.


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Students and their parents may opt to participate in drug counseling and random drug screenings. If a student and his/her family complete the counseling obligation and remain drug-free for one year, we do not suspend the student or otherwise put a record in the permanent cum file. This policy is not available for drug sales or for repeat offenders.

2006 2007 2008

Ed Codes Ed Code Text Number of Expulsions

Number of Suspensions

Number of Expulsions




48900(a)(1)

Related to physical injury to another person 12 3 1 11

48900(a)(2) Related to use of force or violence 5 7 7

48900(b)

Related to firearms, knives, explosive devices, etc. 2 1 1 1

48900(c)

Related to possession or sale of controlled substances, alcohol, or intoxicants. 4 9 1 7

48900(d)

Related to sale of controlled substances, alcohol, or intoxicants. 1

48900(e)

Committed or attempted to commit robbery or extortion 2

48900(f)

Caused or attempted to cause damage to school property or private property 3 1 1

48900(g)

Stole or attempted to steal school property or private property 4 4 7

48900(h)

Related to possession or use of tobacco products 2 5 1 1

48900(i)

Committed an obscene act or engaged in habitual profanity or vulgarity 2

48900(k)

Related to disruption of school activities or willful defiance 33 12 5

48900(l)

Knowingly received stolen school property or private property 1

48900(r)

Related to bullying and bullying through electronic means 1

48900.2 Related to sexual harassment 4

48900.4

Related to harassment, threats, or intimidation 4 2 3


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2006 2007 2008

Ed Codes Ed Code Text Number of Expulsions






Overall Total: 71 52 4 44

Violence/Drug Total: 30 33 4 30

Violence/Drug Rate (Violence/Drug Total / Enrollment): 2.26% 2.46% .31% 2.33%

Total of Persistently Dangerous Expulsions Only: N/A N/A N/A

Figure 11

School Facilities The OPHS campus was built in 1980. Since then, it has continuously grown as the student population has grown. As a result, the campus has become a mixture of permanent buildings and portable bungalows. The District has recently passed two bond measures. The first measure was to update our school’s technology. With these funds, the District’s goal is to convert all classrooms into “21st Century Classes” and to provide a new computer for every teacher (typically Macintosh). Many teachers also have an interactive white board (SmartBoard), a document camera, and response devices (Senteo). Senteo response devices allow students to answer a teacher’s questions with a remote control, thereby providing instant feedback to teachers on who understands a concept and who does not. The second bond measure is to renovate facilities. With this funding source, all of our science labs will be renovated in the summer of 2011. In addition, our Pavilion (multi-purpose room) has been renovated with stadium seating and state-of-the-art sound. Over the next few years, all of our facilities will be assessed and updated so that they can strongly support the innovative teaching and hands-on, experiential learning required to be successful in the 21st century. OPHS struggles to maintain the cleanliness of the campus. Over the last several years our school’s population has increased from 1,000 students to over 1,300 students. We have also added numerous community and student activities that we host. Furthermore, over 20 new classrooms and a multi-purpose room have been added. These additions have not been supported by additional custodial personnel. Student and parent surveys support the fact that we must do a better job with cleanliness on our campus. In terms of safety, we are in need of a new articulated fire alarm system, which is planned for the summer of 2011. The District just received the federal Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grant. We are one of 31 districts nationwide who received this money in 2009. Approximately $600,000 will be allocated over the next three years to build our Chinese


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language and culture program in grades K-12. The instruction of modern languages and its associated culture has been a moral imperative for our school and district for the last several years. We believe that students need to be fluent in a second language and have an understanding of other cultures to be successful in today’s global society. A language lab will be built at OPHS to support the instruction of all modern languages. Staff Our faculty is highly experienced and well-educated (Figure 12). Female Male TOTAL Doctorate 2 (6.9 %) 2 (5.9 %) 4 (6.3 %) Master's Degree +30 8 (27.6 %) 8 (23.5 %) 16 (25.4 %) Master's Degree 8 (27.6 %) 8 (23.5 %) 16 (25.4 %) Bachelor's Degree +30 10 (34.5 %) 11 (32.4%) 21 (33.3 %) Bachelor's Degree 1 (3.4 %) 3 (8.8 %) 4 (6.3 %) Less than Bachelor's 0 (0.0 %) 2 (5.9 %) 2 (3.2 %) None Reported 0 (0.0 %) 0 (0.0 %) 0 (0.0 %) Total Staff 29 34 63 Avg. Years of Ed. Service 18.9 15.5 17.1 Avg. Years in the District 11.4 10.9 11.1

Figure 12

We do not have any teachers teaching outside of their credentialed area. One of our teachers just completed National Board Certification. Staff Development Staff development in OPUSD is done through a passport system. All teachers must complete 21 hours of professional development throughout the school year, though many of our teachers go far beyond 21 hours. The first seven hours are required to be completed on the first day back after summer vacation. The remaining 14 hours are at the employee’s discretion, but must meet the professional development criteria outlined through the District’s moral imperatives and goals. Staff development must be completed outside the contractual workday. Co-Curricular Activities It is our belief that students who participate in extra-curricular activities and athletics are much more likely to be successful at school. To this end, we have an active Associated Student Body (ASB) and an inter-scholastic sports program. We strongly encourage students to join student-led clubs. Each September, we hold a Club Faire for all clubs to set up a booth and welcome fellow students to join. We have over 30 active clubs on campus and 16 multi-level sport teams, which represent a broad spectrum of interests. We are proud that over 80% of our students participate in at least one extra-curricular activity.


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Student Performance Data

API Scores and State Rankings OPHS is very pleased with its API scores over the last several years (Figure 13). Our API scores have allowed us to be ranked in the top 10% of schools statewide. Within decile 10, we are currently ranked 9 of 10 for similar schools. While these scores are only one indicator of a school’s performance, it is important validation for our staff, students and parents that our academic program is aligned to the academic standards, and that our students are achieving.

Figure 13

California Standards Tests (CST) The following is our CST scores for the 2008-2009 school year. Students identified as strategic (Basic proficiency; 446 students, or 34%) are highlighted in yellow. Our intensive group (Below Basic, Far Below Basic proficiency; 298 students, or 23%) is highlighted in red. All students in these groups have been individually identified. Teachers and counselors of these students are notified of individual students’ CST scores at the beginning of each school year and work with these students in the appropriate subject matter. (Figure 14) CST Subtest Proficiency

Level 9 10 11 Grand Total

% of Students

CST - Integrated 3 Science 5 1 1 1.9% 4 7 7 13.5%


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CST Subtest Proficiency Level 9 10 11 Grand

Total % of Students

3 30 30 57.7% 2 1 10 11 21.2% 1 3 3 5.8% CST - Integrated 3 Science Total 1 51 52 100.0% CST - U.S. History 5 157 157 49.4% 4 96 96 30.2% 3 47 47 14.8% 2 6 6 1.9% 1 12 12 3.8% CST - U.S. History Total 318 318 100.0% CST-Algebra 1 5 14 1 15 9.4% 4 63 24 3 90 56.3% 3 21 16 5 42 26.3% 2 2 6 3 11 6.9% 1 2 2 1.3% CST-Algebra 1 Total 100 46 14 160 100.0% CST-Algebra 2 5 16 6 22 8.1% 4 13 51 12 76 28.1% 3 4 49 43 96 35.6% 2 16 48 64 23.7% 1 2 10 12 4.4% CST-Algebra 2 Total 33 124 113 270 100.0% CST-Biology 5 168 1 169 56.1% 4 72 72 23.9% 3 50 2 52 17.3% 2 6 6 2.0% 1 2 2 0.7% CST-Biology Total 298 3 301 100.0% CST-Chemistry 5 1 66 67 26.3% 4 2 88 90 35.3% 3 1 84 85 33.3% 2 12 12 4.7% 1 1 1 0.4% CST-Chemistry Total 4 251 255 100.0% CST-EarthSci 5 173 1 174 49.7% 4 111 2 2 115 32.9% 3 46 1 1 48 13.7% 2 7 1 8 2.3% 1 4 1 5 1.4% CST-EarthSci Total 341 6 3 350 100.0%


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CST Subtest Proficiency Level 9 10 11 Grand

Total % of Students

CST-ELA 5 221 179 157 557 57.0% 4 99 95 105 299 30.6% 3 22 31 41 94 9.6% 2 4 3 12 19 1.9% 1 1 3 5 9 0.9% CST-ELA Total 347 311 320 978 100.0% CST-General Math 5 5 5 6.4% 4 36 36 46.2% 3 25 25 32.1% 2 9 9 11.5% 1 3 3 3.8% CSTGeneral Math Total 78 78 100.0% CST-Geometry 5 51 2 53 20.2% 4 60 18 5 83 31.7% 3 15 48 19 82 31.3% 2 3 20 17 40 15.3% 1 2 2 4 1.5% CST-Geometry Total 129 90 43 262 100.0% CST-Life Science 5 182 182 58.5% 4 70 70 22.5% 3 44 44 14.1% 2 12 12 3.9% 1 3 3 1.0% CST-Life Science Total 311 311 100.0% CST-Summative Math 5 1 16 30 47 28.0% 4 20 43 63 37.5% 3 3 28 31 18.5% 2 1 24 25 14.9% 1 2 2 1.2% CST-Summative Math Total 1 40 127 168 100.0% CST-World History 5 193 1 194 61.6% 4 75 75 23.8% 3 29 29 9.2% 2 9 9 2.9% 1 1 5 2 8 2.5% CST-World History Total 1 311 3 315 100.0%

Figure 14 STRATEGIC STUDENTS / INTENSIVE STUDENTS


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In order to complete statistical analyses of our CST results, we converted proficiency levels to numbers. (Figure 15)

CST Proficiency Level Numeric Conversion Advanced 5 Proficient 4 Basic 3 Below Basic 2 Far Below Basic 1

Figure 15

Using the conversion numbers as noted in Figure 15, we calculated the average CST proficiency levels for our students.

Figure 16 In contrast to GPA analysis, when we disaggregate our overall CST results by gender, males slightly outperform females. (Figure 16)


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Figure 17 The analysis of English Language Arts (ELA) CST proficiency levels indicates that the CST show similar results to our GPA analysis; females outperform males. However, males have largely closed the gap over the last three years. The CST ELA data reflect the same pattern that we see in the SAT I Writing data (Figure 56).

Figure 18


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The analysis of Algebra I CST results shows that both males and females are improving in Algebra I. There is an anomaly in that during the 2006-07 school year, females outperformed males. Over the past four years, we have moved to an instructional model where all students with exceptional needs (GATE, Special Education, 504 Plan) are included in general education, college preparatory classes. Achievement on the CST has remained consistent (Figure 19).

Figure 19

In Figure 19, we notice that in English, our GATE students have dipped slightly in proficiency over the last three years. However, our 504 Plan and Special Education students have shown slight gains. Students with no identified special needs have made the largest gain. With the exception of our Special Education students, our average proficiency is PROFICIENT. Our Special Education students average in the BASIC range and are targeted for strategic interventions by general education and special education teachers.


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Figure 20 In Algebra I, all of our students have shown growth on the CST. However, we are particularly pleased with the steady gains made by our Special Education students over the last three years. California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) For the CAHSEE, our pass rate on both math and English ranges from 97-99% in grade 10 (first attempt). These numbers include our English language learners (ELL) and our students with special needs (Figure 21).


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Figure 21

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) We have made our AYP each year. This includes all Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO), consisting of testing participation rate, API and graduation rates.

Figure 22


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California English Language Development Test (CELDT) At OPHS, we have very few students (seven) classified as ELL. We measure these students’ English proficiency by means of the CELDT test (Figure 8). Since OPHS is the only comprehensive high school in the District, there are no district-wide benchmarks for our courses. Teachers and departments align the curriculum to the State’s standards and frameworks. Two exceptions to this generalization are Algebra I and Spanish I since these two courses are offered at our feeder middle school. In these courses, all students take the same final exam. Reading Assessments In our ninth grade ELA program, we do not use an adopted textbook. Our program is novel-based, supplemented by department-based writing benchmarks. However, all grade nine students take the computer-based Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) test. Based on this assessment, over 90 % of our students are reading at or above grade level. Exam Data Figure 23 shows OPHS Juniors’ readiness for college based on the Early Assessment Program (EAP) exam. The data show that our students perform much better on the math portion of the exam than the English portion. However, it is important to note that 99% of our students complete the English portion of EAP exam. On the contrary, only students in Algebra II or higher complete the math EAP ( Figure 24).


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Figure 23

Figure 24 Our SAT I Scores are consistently higher than the State average and at least 69% of each graduating class takes the SAT. In the graduating class of 2009, although the average scores were higher than ever, about 10% fewer students participated in the exam. We believe that this is due to the difficult economy and more students electing to attend a community college. SAT I Verbal Scores

Year OPHS Average State Average % of Seniors Taking SAT

2004-2005 564 504 209/238 (82%) 2005-2006 566 501 230/294 (78%) 2006-2007 549 499 228/273 (83.5%) 2007-2008 557 494 284/361 (79%) 2008-2009 567 500 207/301 (69%) Figure 25

English Participation

Math Participation

2009 99% 65% 2008 95% 45% 2007 97% 59% 2006 97% 72%


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SAT I Math Scores Year OPHS Average State Average % of Seniors

Taking SAT 2004-2005 583 522 209/238 (82%) 2005-2006 586 518 230/294 (78%) 2006-2007 563 516 228/273 (83.5)% 2007-2008 579 513 284/361 (79%) 2008-2009 590 513 207/301 (69%) Figure 26 SAT I Writing Scores Year OPHS Average State Average % of Seniors

Taking SAT 2005-2006 577 501 230/294 (78%) 2006-2007 569 498 228/273 (83.5%) 2007-2008 572 493 284/361 (79%) 2008-2009 582 498 207/301 (69%) Figure 27 Last year, we had 293, or 32% of our grade 10-12 students, take at least one AP exam. We are proud that 90% of students participating in AP courses take the corresponding exam. We also allow students to take an AP exam even if they do not take the corresponding AP course. For example, we have a 102% participation rate in Biology.

2009 AP Scores

AP Test # of Tests Taken

Students in Course

% of Students Taking Exam

% w/ Score of 3 or better

Biology 58 57 102% 84.5% Calculus AB 31 35 89% 71.0% Calculus BC 41 43 95% 73.2% Chemistry 51 54 94% 66.7% Chinese 4 n/a n/a 100.0% Econ - Macro 35 35 100% 91.4% Econ - Micro 1 n/a n/a English Language 73 73 100% 94.5% English Literature 11 36 31% 90.9% Environmental Science n/a n/a n/a n/a European History 22 22 100% 95.5% French Language 4 6 67% 25.0% Government - US 45 58 78% 88.9% Physics B 38 44 86% 73.7% Psychology 56 64 88% 80.4% Spanish Language 18 19 95% 28.0% Statistics 19 24 79% 63.0% Studio Art - Drawing 14 16 88% 85.7% Studio Art - 2D Design n/a n/a n/a n/a Studio Art - 3D Design n/a n/a n/a n/a


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2009 AP Scores


Students in Course



US History 42 42 100% 100.0% PASS RATE 563 628 90% 81% 5 143 27% 4 181 34% 3 135 26% 2 69 13% 1 37 7%

Figure 28

Figure 29 is the results of the AP tests given at the time of our 2003-2004 WASC review. While our pass rate has decreased slightly from 84% in 2004 to 81% in 2009, our participation rate in the exams has increased dramatically: 76% in 2004 to 90% in 2009. We are very proud that so many of our students who are taking an AP course are taking the corresponding exam and passing. This is validation that our AP courses are aligned to the appropriate standards.

2004 AP Scores


Students in Course



Biology 55 55 100% 89.0% Calculus AB 51 57 89% 84.0% Calculus BC Chemistry 53 58 91% 64.1% Chinese Econ - Macro 49 56 88% 98.0% Econ - Micro 2 50.0% English Language 80 81 99% 91.3% English Literature 30 56 54% 80.0% Environmental Science European History 21 22 95% 100.0% French Language 0 1 0% 0.0% Government - US 43 58 74% 93.0% Physics B 22 40 55% 22.7% Psychology 46 61 75% 84.8% Spanish Language 9 36 25% 33.3% Statistics 25 24 104% 64.0% Studio Art - Drawing 7 20 35% 57.0% Studio Art - 2D Design 7 71.0% Studio Art - 3D Design 2 0.0%


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2004 AP Scores


Students in Course



US History 55 110 50% 90.9% PASS RATE 556 735 76% 84%

Figure 29

Math Course Placement Figure 30 shows the math placement of our grade 9 students. The only students below Algebra I in grade 9 are our students with special needs on an IEP.

Below Algebra I Algebra I Above

Algebra I At or Above Algebra I

2007-2008 1% 71% 28% 99% 2008-2009 1% 53% 46% 99% 2009-2010 3% 54% 43% 97%

Figure 30

Figure 31 indicates the percentage of students from each grade level enrolled in an Algebra I class. Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 11 2007-2008 71% 29% 4% 2008-2009 53% 19% 5% 2009-2010 54% 23% 5%

Figure 31

Report Card Analyses One of the major changes at OPHS over the last few years is the number of permit students now attending our school. We have gone from being a mainly local, neighborhood school to a regional School of Choice. In an effort to ensure that all students at our school are achieving, we have spent time looking at the achievement rates of our permit students (Figure 32).


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Figure 32

Using the gauge of a 5% discrepancy1, there are no significant differences between our local Oak Park students and our permit students. Although this discrepancy is not significant, our permit students have a slightly lower GPA. Figures 34-37 disaggregate GPA in each of the four core subjects (English, math, science and social science) for one grading period (2010, semester 1) for male, female, local and permit students. In the data, there is no significant discrepancy between local and permit students. However, there is a significant discrepancy between males and females in a few subjects.

1 For the sake of this study, we shall use a 5% GPA variation to determine statistical significance. 5% equates to a difference of 0.2 GPA points.


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Figure 33

Figure 34


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Figure 35

Figure 36


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Figure 37

When we disaggregate GPA by gender, there is a GPA discrepancy between males and females in all grading periods for the last three years, with the exception of 2009, semester 1 (Figure 37). This GPA discrepancy between males and females at OPHS is an area that we focus on in our Critical Academic Needs and Action Plan. In addition to the average GPA as an area of comparison, we also looked at the D/F rate, CST scores and SAT scores for each of these groups (Figures 29-32). There are significant differences between males and females in the D/F rate. The permit and local students are earning Ds and Fs comparable to their proportion of the overall demographics of the school. (Figures 38-41)


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Figure 38

We are proud that our D/F rate is consistently under 10%. Furthermore, it has declined steadily over each grading period for the last three years.

Figure 39


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Figure 40

In 2009/2010, males in our school earned approximately 10% more D and F marks than their percent of the school population (Figure 39). In 2009/2010, females earned approximately 10% fewer D and F marks than their percent of the school population (Figure 40).


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Figure 41

Figure 41 compares the percentage of students who are local and the percent of students on permit. It also compares the two populations’ D/F rate. The D/F rate parallels the enrollment percentage. Again, this indicates that the achievement of our permit students is similar to our local students. We also looked at snapshots of our ninth grade classes for the last three years to determine any trends that might be evident prior to OPHS influencing these students. We looked at both English (Figures 43-44) and mathematics (Figures 45-46). The data show that in three distinct ninth grade classes, the females outperform the males. However, there continues to be no evidence of a significant discrepancy between local and permit students.

In addition to looking at multiple ninth classes, we picked two cohorts of students (Classes of 2009 and 2010) and followed their academic progress through three years in both English (Figures 47-48) and math. (Figures 47-53). In both subjects, we looked at our gender groupings and our local versus permit groupings. The achievement gaps remain consistent.


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Figure 42

In each of these three cohorts of ninth grade students, the females outperform the males with up to a 15% discrepancy in GPA (2007).

Figure 43 There is no pattern in examining the achievement of our local students and our permit students.


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Figure 44 Unlike with English, there does not seem to be a consistent discrepancy with grade 9 students’ achievement in math. In fact, by 2010, the males outperform females by 1.5%

Figure 45


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Likewise, there does not seem to be any significant discrepancies between local and permit students in math at the ninth grade level.

Figure 46

Through the three years, the discrepancy between the groups of students grows from 7.25% to 20.25% (Figure 46).


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Figure 47

Between 2007 and 2009, there has been a decline in math grades. Conversely, there has been an increase in the math standardized test scores (Figure 47, Figure 55, Figure 18). This is the result of re-aligning our math assessment to the academic standards. This is discussed more fully in chapters three and four. With the Class of 2009, the males’ GPA declines over three years in both math and English. With the females, the preformance improves in English while declines in math.


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Figure 48

Figure 49


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Both our permit and our local students raise their English performance over three years. However, both groups perform worse in mathematics.

Figure 50

Figure 51


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The Class of 2010 has a very different performance profile than does the Class of 2009. For English, both males and females improve, although the performance gap between the two groups remains. In math, similar to the Class of 2009, the performance of both genders falls.

Figure 52


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Figure 53

In the disaggregation data for local and permit students, the trends are the same as the class of 2009 in English. However, for math, we find an anomoly in the 2009, semester 2 marks, where there is a .26 GPA (6.5%) discrepancy (Figure 53). This is the only data that indicates any signifcant discrepancy between our permit and local students.


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Figure 54

Males out-perform females on the SAT I Reading test with the exception of 2008 (Figure 54). This data contradicts our GPA and D/F data. Figure 55 shows that males significantly outperform females on the SAT I math test.


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Figure 55

Figure 56


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Unlike the Reading and Math sections of the SAT I, females perform better on the Writing section. However, the males from year to year have made progress (Figure 56). In 2009, the males caught up to the females. This trend is not consistent with our GPA and D/F findings. This is an area of interest for us.

Process and Perception OPHS administered student, staff and parent surveys to gauge the perception of our school as we prepare to complete our Focus on Learning report. Staff Survey Findings The following are perceived strengths as identified by the OPHS staff and faculty:

Category Descriptors Curriculum strong at all learning levels, strong college prep, expanded course

offerings, cross-curricular, focused toward graduation requirements, balanced, high quality, rigorous and challenging, 99% graduation rate, 95 % students go to college

Instruction strong (high API), high standards and accountability, differentiated, low student/teacher ratio, focused on academic success, varied instruction and assessment modalities, enthusiastic "aura" to make programs challenging, interesting and fun

Instructors professional, dedicated, collaborative, collegial, expert, innovative, experienced, respectful, enthusiastic, qualified, high morale, bright and talented, empathetic, caring

Counselors tolerance program, academic, social/emotional and career support (Peer Counseling, Safe School Ambassadors, ninth grade transitions), caring, door always open

Administrators innovative, dedicated, professional, open-door policy, respect teachers, give 110 %, good control of student discipline, support for students and teachers

Parents supportive, involved (PFC, Boosters, SSCSSCSSC), goal-oriented Students accepting, caring, goal-oriented, school pride, motivated, pursue

passions, high morale, nice, respectful Technology training, effective use, SmartBoards, Zangle, support, tech grants,

lap tops Climate safe, anti-bullying, innovative, small school, nurturing, strong

relationships (inter-, intra- staff and students), idyllic, positive, respectful, good rapport, facilitate learning, individual attention to students

Facilities adequate, clean 7th Period Support

asset to students

Co-Curricular sports, drama and choir, clubs, involvement, life skills retreat—comprehensive, well-planned, all-inclusive, self-evaluation


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experience at a critical phase in students life Special Ed support students in college prep. environment, high-expectations,

support staff Office Staff supportive, hard-working, involved

The following are perceived areas of need as identified by the OPHS staff and faculty:

Some students are unsuccessful academically because they • are placed in classes without the prerequisite skills to succeed, especially if they

are below grade level in reading and math. • are not receiving sufficient academic support through 7th Period Support or peer

tutoring. • are not receiving timely support, especially when there is poor communication

between school and home. • are unable to effectively balance their academic, co-curricular, work, and/or home

life. • struggle with the transition into the more academic nature of OPHS, especially

ninth graders. Some students are academically disengaged because they

• don't see the connection between their post-secondary goals and the courses they take for graduation.

• are unaware of the college and career options that are available to them after graduation.

• have limited opportunity to explore their interests within the curricular and co-curricular programs.

• are unable to receive the vocational training that they want. • feel socially and emotionally marginalized. • have drug and alcohol problems.

Some students don't think critically because they

• struggle with organizing their thoughts when writing persuasively, informatively and analytically.

• struggle with different reading such as textbooks and technical writing. • are not assessed as critical thinkers. • are not given cross-curricular assignments.

Some students don't graduate from OPHS because they

• can't meet the graduation requirements in four years. • are not exposed to social and cultural diversity.


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Parent Survey Findings

• 82% believe that the GLG and mission statement are appropriate. • 81% believe that the instructional leaders are well-qualified.

• 74% believe that our school’s resources are used effectively. • 90% believe that the courses at OPHS are challenging.

• 75% believe that the classes at OPHS are relevant to post-secondary goals. • 87% believe that the students are receiving good preparation for college.

• 78% believe that there are adequate co-curricular activities for students. • 68% believe that there is a sufficient variety of classes and availability of classes

for students. • 48 % believe that there are opportunities to gain “real-world” experience.

• 92% believe that they are a part of building their student’s four-year plan. • 77% believe that their student finds the classes interesting.

• 78% believe that homework is relevant to the learning goals. The following are common strengths according to the results of each of the three surveys:

• rigorous and challenging coursework • varied course offerings

• college preparation • varied co-curricular offerings for all students

• safe and supportive environment • 7th Period Support

The following are common areas of growth according to each of the three surveys: • lack of “real-world” application

• few links to careers in coursework • students need more academic support services

demographic data - oak park independent data community oak park high school ... inter-district...

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