After multiple years of not meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, Thomas McKean High School, one of ten Delaware schools that underwent restructuring in 2008/2009, is proud to announce that it is the first comprehensive high school in the state to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress status in year one of restructuring.
After a review of McKean’s 2008/2009 DSTP results, the Delaware Department of Education confirmed that McKean’s scores placed the school above state benchmarks.
Acting Principal, Lisa Ueltzhoffer is quick to point out that McKean didn't turn the bend in one school year. From 2006-2008, McKean administration had been making significant changes to improve their education program to better meet the needs of its students.
The school began by implementing a Ninth Grade Academy. This small learning community model is designed to foster relationships between students and teachers and be more supportive of the progress of individual students. The new model was successful, and the benefits were reflected in the schools’ DSTP scores. DSTP comparison data on McKean’s cohort of 2007/2008 10th grade student’s revealed tremendous growth in their scores from their 9th grade 2007 DSTP to their scores on the 10th grade DSTP 2008. In the area of writing these students showed a 17 percent increase in their scores and in math an 11.5 percent increase in scores. Because of this success, school administration converted the Tenth Grade into the Academy model as well.
While the school continued to show promise and progress, Thomas McKean’s 2007/2008 DSTP scores were still below state standards, and in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act, the school was triggered for restructuring.
“We felt that we were doing many of the right things, but we needed to make more changes to take it to the next level,” Ueltzhoffer said.
One major component of McKean’s restructuring plan was to implement block scheduling. This allowed every teacher 90 minutes of planning time each day.
On making AYP, Ueltzhoffer said, “I am personally grateful for the dedication and resources provided by Innovative Schools, for the leadership of Dr. Sherry Gross, the commitment of the McKean faculty, the drive of McKean students and the support of the District Office Staff. All of our collective efforts over the last three years have resulted in this great accomplishment. As we enter year two of restructuring as a school under “Academic Progress” we are committed to continuing to provide personalized learning experiences for all students and make academic progress to ensure we achieve AYP for a second year and become a “Commendable School” by the ratings of NCLB.”
The school’s instructional mission is to create a personalized learning environment with the utilization of student specific data from DSTP, PSAT, RIT scores and career interest surveys to aide in student placement in course levels. By personalizing the instruction, students will have a stronger sense of belonging and connectedness with the staff and school. The staff will be able to create a learning community that is collaborative and focused on student achievement.
