Minutes of the LHS School Council Meeting
January 22 , 2008, 7:00 PM
LEXINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
School Council Meeting Notes
High School Guidance Conference room
In attendance: Mike Jones, David Colarusso, Marshall Dury, Jeri Zeder, (student), (student), (student), Adam Seitchik, Ellen Hilsinger
Minutes: The minutes from the December 10, 22007 meeting were approved without amendment
Principal's Report
A. Principal Search Process
Advertisement has been posted; Applicants sought to be screened between 2/25 and 3/20. Parent focus groups scheduled with Dr. Ash 1/30 (co-led with Deb Hoard, PTSA president). Focus groups with Dr. Ash and teachers on 1/29 and 1/30. Interviewing committee to be formed including teachers, parents, students. Letter sent to teachers seeking three volunteers for the committee.
B. Outline of Second Semester Agenda
| 1 |
CPR: Coordinated Program Review by DOE. 3 categories: civil rights, SPED, English Language learning. To evaluate whether we're up to date with state and federal guidelines. Documentation requirements to be mailed 2/4. DOE on site review in April. |
| 2 |
Substantial Completion of New Curriculum Guides. To have all departments use the same format, consistent with school wide mission, standards based. |
| 3 |
Standards-Based Assessment Project: Developing assignments based on rubric from school wide assessment. E.g. standards for writing, standards for research/data gathering. |
| 4 |
Establishment of Professional Learning Communities (PLC's): Teachers within a department teaching same courses confer to assess what students are learning. |
| 5 |
Other Transitional Issues: Vito LaMora, former president of the Lexington Education Association wrote a report on the achievement gap in Lexington Public Schools, to be presented next week at school committee meeting. |
Principal Jones’ goal as retiring principal is to see these current initiatives through and help the new principal transition and be brought up to speed.
Discussion of the D.O.E.’s "Time and Learning" Requirement (the 990 hour instructional requirement):
This requirement mandates 990 hours of "structured learning time" for all high schools in MA. LHS’ 1997 plan is no longer current due to changing circumstances at LHS and tightening of D.O.E.’s requirements.
LHS is extraordinary in the number of co-curricular activities (debate team, math team, foreign exchange, literary magazine) which had counted toward instructional hours. DOE no longer accepts co-curriculars unless they meet the definition of independent study. Community service can no longer be counted unless it includes an academic component. Accountability required for summer reading and summer work to get credit.
Dr. Jones created a remediation plan to be submitted to D.O.E. on Feb.4, 2008:
| a |
Summer reading with accountability |
| b |
Community service with academic components. Student faculty senate recommended that homeroom teachers could be a conduit for community service program. Credit could involve a reflective paper on social and civic expectations, following a rubric, or responses to writing prompts. |
| c |
Juniors to add 1 credit (restore 6th chemistry hour/week), seniors to add 2 credits (1 credit if physics restored to 6 hrs/wk, and 1 credit for a senior project, with flexible options, likely 2nd semester.) Juniors and seniors either to have 50 hrs of co-curriculars which meet credit requirements or increase course load to 30 credits. |
LHS Technology Committee Report
Report (distributed at meeting) was presented to Dr. Ash today, and recommends:
| a |
getting computers upgraded to OS X operating system |
| b |
web based student information system for administrative, teachers, and student use, as well as helping with home-school communications and allowing home-access by teachers. General dissatisfaction exists with current Reddiker system. |
| c |
better training for faculty |
| d |
better assistive technology for SPED students
Recommendation constrained by limits on increases in funding |
Other Matters
John Shea will present committee’s findings on web based home-school communication, e.g. posting of homework assignments at Feb. school council meeting
Adjournment.
Respectfully submitted, Ellen Hilsinger
Next meeting: February 25, 2008 |