Site-Based Team
Northern High School
Site-Based Team

Minutes: Monday, April 14, 2008
3:00-4:30 PM, Distance Learning Center

Members present : Amy DiMaggio, Scott Crocker, Deb Droppers, John Fitzpatrick, Jim French, Leslie Hainrihar, Monica Harris , Bryan Hill, Krista Hovestadt, Mike Huber, Pete Jarrad, Amy Meyer, Stacie Phillips, Kevin Riggs, Pete Schermerhorn, Jerry Swoboda, Tim Tallon, Justin Walker, and Linda Trepanier

AGENDA

Failure data :
Mike Huber and Leslie Hainrihar described to the team the beginnings of their work to identify in which courses students are struggling so we can target those students for appropriate interventions as soon as possible. They are analyzing historical trends over time and will also review data on incoming freshmen to enable us to target those who would benefit from the Summer Math Academy and Northern's new Intervention Room. Leslie said that some of the data is flawed because of changes in course titles and double listings for some, but she and Mike will continue to refine their analysis and will bring the results back to the SBT when finished.

Capacity Assessment Instrument feedback :
Kevin Riggs sated that the results of the Capacity Assessment survey done of staff in early autumn showed results similar to the SAR (Standards Assessment Report) recently completed. Information from both surveys will be included in the new School Profile being done now. He hopes to repeat the CA annually, putting it on Zoomerang from now on to simplify data collection and interpretation.

Administrative Absences report :
Leslie Hainrihar shared with the team data she has pulled on the number of administrative absences this semester. Interest in this topic had originated with teachers on the SBT, who expressed their feeling that the month of March was unusually hard-hit by administrative absences. It felt to staff as if an unusually high number of students had numerous absences in March, and they were concerned, since consistent attendance is strongly related to academic performance. Partial explanations for the elevated number of administrative absences this month included Challenge Day and MEAP testing. Leslie said she is seeking guidelines from staff for approval of field trips as well as alternatives to pulling students out of class.

School Profile :
Leslie shared with SBT the preliminary demographic data and report from Bette Landauer. Leslie stated that much of our focus needs to be on incoming ninth graders to ensure they get off to a solid start at Northern. She is also gathering information on transfer students from other districts so we can better evaluate their possible needs as they enter Portage schools. In addition, Leslie shared with the group a list of suggested data/reports to include in a school profile. At its May meeting, the SBT will work in Profile committees to identify items to include and to start collecting the needed data.

End-of-year celebration :
Jim French asked the team what ideas they had for and end-of-year gathering, and various suggestions were made: a picnic in a local park, a cook-out at an administrator's home, and others. The group reached no consensus, and Jim said he would survey staff to see what they would prefer for this year.

Mastery Manager :
Jim French introduced and discussed a software system called Mastery Manager that is similar to the system developed by Randy Hebner for the mathematics department this year, a program to assist teachers in recording, retrieving, and interpreting data to strengthen our possibilities for departmental collaboration to increase student achievement. He said that, although the program is powerful, it would be of limited benefit until all departments are ready to move in the direction of PLC (Professional Learning Community) structures, models in which departmental collaboration becomes a normal part of teacher work. He indicated that, soon, every department should be ready to move forward on the collaborative model. He noted that (1) teacher anxiety about the use of such data and (2) the need for an effective, easy-to-use system of data collection and retrieval must be in place before we can make true collaboration beneficial for both students and staff. He asked that, before the end of this school year, all departments (1) have a discussion on the readiness of their group to engage this new model beginning in the fall. He reminded the team that, with the State's new emphasis on proficiency rather than on seat time, we need to make this shift toward increased and ongoing collaboration.

During the discussion of the building's school improvement efforts this year, Deb Droppers expressed pleasure at the moves Northern is making in this direction, and she congratulated us on the progress we have made this year. She said she hoped we realize how good we are and how much our work is appreciated by the NHS community. The team thanked her for her support and kind words.

May meeting :
The final SBT meeting of the current school year will be held on Monday, May 12 at 3:00 PM. SBT meetings are always open to interested NHS stakeholders, and we encourage all to attend as their schedule and interest permit.

Respectfully submitted,

Linda Trepanier
SBT facilitator