FUHS meets 22 out of 22 criteria for program improvement (AYP) - School reaches Safe Harbor instead of Program Improvement

Fallbrook Union High School (FUHS) met 22 out of the 22 criteria in the county’s Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) in the 2009-2010 academic year, placing the school in Safe Harbor. The high school district was the only district out of the 18 county districts in Program Improvement to do so.

“In other words, FUHS does not advance to Year 3 of Program Improvement, but rather stays in Year 2,” said John Hayek, assistant principal at FUHS. “Two consecutive years of meeting all 22 criteria would exit the school from Program Improvement status.”

The Fallbrook Union High School District is currently in Year 3 of Program Improvement, though Oasis High School is not in Title I, and Ivy High School is not in Program Improvement.

At FUHS, 647 of the 664 students tested in the English Language Arts (ELA) portion of the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE), with a participation rate of 97 percent. The target percentage rate required was 95 percent. In the mathematics portion of the CAHSEE, the target percentage rate was also 95 percent, and 648 of the 664 students participated, with a participation rate of 98 percent.

In the significant subgroups, participation requirements were also met, with 98 percent of Hispanics, 96 percent of whites, 98 percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged, and 98 percent of English learners participating in ELA testing. In Mathematics, 97 percent of Hispanics, 98 percent of whites, 97 percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged, and 97 percent of English learners participated.

“The whole point is that the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report decides whether a school is in Program Improvement or not. AYP is a part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act,” explained Hayek. “As a school that is in Safe Harbor, we do not advance to Year 3 of Program Improvement, and the school district does not advance to Year 4. The only way to exit program improvement is by obtaining Safe Harbor two consecutive years; we are halfway there.”

“When people look at our school, they may think that its ranking is extremely low for the county, but when we are compared with similar schools, our school is ranked nine out of 10 in California Standardized Tests against similar demographics,” said Hayek, meaning that the school was able to meet nine out of ten requirements looked at during CST testing. “That’s old news, but it’s essentially been undocumented until now. This demonstrates the work being done to serve the overall student population at FUHS, and how the school stacks up against schools with similar demographics.”

Only eight out of 42 schools in the second year of Program Improvement throughout the county of San Diego were able to meet safe harbor. Hayek believes it is the hard work of the high school staff that made the success possible.

“It is important to praise the staff for its efforts,” he said. “We are educating them to go beyond just meeting the standards and making our students proficient. Basic is not good enough for any child. We see how many kids are at basic or below proficiency, as well as those who are right on the cusp. Last year, we identified 30 individuals who needed attention. Just by the teachers knowing who they were and what areas they needed assistance helped them to pass the CAHSEE.”

The high school had to obtain a 90 percent graduation rate in 2009-2010, and the school was able to have 92.48 percent of its seniors graduate.

“We have a lot of great programs – AVID, Agriculture, and AP are all outstanding programs. Families choosing a high school need to make a thorough investigation of the schools,” said Hayek. “If parents want to know what students are doing, ask the teacher. They have contact with their students every day. So when it comes to reports, we may miss the big picture.”

Though the school-wide percent proficient rates were not at 66.7 percent in ELA and 65.1 percent in math, there was a growth rate of at least a point, which allowed for the API criteria to still be met by the high school

School-wide, 65.3 percent of students were at or above proficient levels in ELA, and 59.8 percent were at or above proficient in mathematics.

According to the 2011 Accountability Progress report from San Diego County, the scores at Fallbrook High show that 53.4 percent of Hispanics were at or proficient in ELA, with 50.5 percent being at or proficient in mathematics; 86.8 percent of whites were at or proficient in ELA, with 75.6 being proficient in mathematics; 58.9 percent of socioeconomically disadvantaged students were at or proficient in ELA, with 55 percent being at or proficient in mathematics; and 46.6 percent of English Learners were at or proficient in ELA, with 45.5 percent being at or proficient in mathematics.

The high school had a 2011 Academic Performance Index (API) of 750, which was a four-point drop in the API index 2010.

“While the four-point drop in the API is bad news, clearly, the results of the AYP show that the high school is meeting federal standards,” said Hayek.

According to the Accountability Report, similar schools had a 2010 base API score of 747 and had a 2011 API score of 736.

Three significant subgroups that saw a decrease in scores were the white student population, which saw a decrease of 15 points; the socioeconomically challenged, which saw a decrease of one point; and the students with disabilities, which saw a decrease of 26 points.

“Our Hispanic subgroup improved by 9 points, and our English learners improved by 12 points,” said Hayek. “Our subgroups have to reach 800 points or better to meet the growth requirement, so our white subgroup is still on target. We are still working to meet the socioeconomically disadvantaged student goal.”

“One of our very big weaknesses is students with disabilities, and we are working hard to see where the deficiencies are,” continued Hayek. “We will continue to employ the collaboration model we have used, while offering additional support.”

Regardless to the needs of the FUHS students, Hayek stated that the staff will work to continue to provide them with the support they need.

“The most important thing the community can understand is that we have something for everyone. Look at our AP scores; they compete with those of the top schools in the country,” said Hayek. “Our AYP scores are meeting standards, and are exceeding in doing what other schools cannot do right now. With those two opposite ends of the spectrum, we are still able to serve all our students under one roof. We are capable of doing that.”

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