Submitted by Greg Keith, Principal
Note: The information in this profile represents SY2012-13 unless otherwise indicated.
School Overview
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School Description
Higley Unified School District (HUSD) is one of only 15 K–12 school districts in Arizona to receive an “A” rating by the Arizona Department of Education. While HUSD has a 94 percent graduation rate and 85 percent of their student body goes on to college, a small group of students seemed to consistently fall behind, lose credits, and drop out of school. To reverse this trend, the district created the Higley Learning Center (HLC), a nontraditional, alternative educational program using Edgenuity curriculum.
HLC serves a diverse array of at-risk middle and high school students. While the majority are eleventh- and twelfth-grade students looking to recover credits and get back on track for graduation, HLC also enrolls pregnant and homeschooled students as well as students with behavioral and disciplinary problems. Typically, high school students attend HLC full time for core and elective instruction. Some high school students spend the morning in traditional schools and arrive for credit recovery at HLC during the afternoon or after school.
Blended Learning Program
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Program Model
Program model: Flex
Model description
Students use Edgenuity’s online courses in four computer labs at a brick-and-mortar school. Each computer lab is led by a content-area expert who helps clarify any questions students have about information provided in Edgenuity’s courses.
Program Description
How much time do students spend on campus in this blended-learning program? How much of this time do students spend learning online or with educational software?
Students attend school Monday through Friday, four hours a day. At school, Edgenuity core and elective courses are provided over three 80-minute blocks. Students are encouraged to spend an additional hour on courses at home and to take advantages of school computer labs that are open on weekends.
Briefly describe the offline components of this blended-learning program.
At school, teachers provide instruction in four computer labs—one for each subject area. In the English lab, students receive 20 minutes of whole-group, explicit instruction before working on their Edgenuity courses. During that time, the instructor leads students in writing assignments that support intervention and deeper learning. In the math science, and social studies labs, while students are on courses, highly qualified teachers circulate and answer questions about concepts and skills. Prior to each course assessment, instructors review students’ notes to check for understanding.
How does this blended-learning program fit into the rest of the students’ school day?
Higley implements a flex model model. Students attend HLC fulltime for core and elective instruction. Some high school students spend the morning in traditional high schools and arrive for credit recovery at HLC during the afternoon or after school.
What are the teachers’ roles and responsibilities in both the online and offline components of this blended-learning program?
Edgenuity courses are provided in four computer labs. Each computer lab is led by a highly qualified teacher who helps clarify any questions students have about information provided in Edgenuity’s courses. While students are using courses, teachers circulate around the classroom carrying iPads that display Edgenuity student achievement reports. The reports help teachers monitor student progress and know exactly when to intervene. Teachers email progress reports to students and parents every Monday, reinforcing successes, challenges, and course expectations.
Teachers also are responsible for providing face-to-face tutoring to help students prepare for Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards High School (AIMS HS) Tests. Teachers pre-teach critical math, science, and language arts concepts before students begin working on Edgenuity’s Writing, Reading, Science, and Math AIMS HS Virtual Tutor courses.
What other adults are involved in this blended-learning program (e.g., paraprofessionals, learning coaches, counselors) and what are their roles and responsibilities?
HLC employs several staff to run its blended learning program.
Greg Keith, the principal at HLC, oversees daily operations. Keith develops student graduation plans and schedules. He also conducts regular meetings with students, parents, and teachers to ensure students are meeting course objectives.
Meghann Sherman, the behavioral specialist, provides therapeutic counseling and support to students with disabilities.
Briefly describe the set-up of physical space for this blended-learning program.
HLC is housed in a small building on the campus of Higley High School. The program is split into four computer labs—one lab for each content area. While students sit in rows at their computer, teachers circulate around the classroom and provide individual instruction to students.
How are students grouped within this blended-learning program?
Students at HLC either attend a morning session or afternoon session. The morning session starts at 7:20 a.m. and goes to 11:20 a.m. The afternoon session starts at 12 p.m. and goes to 4 p.m. Typically, eleventh and twelfth graders attend the a.m. session and ninth and tenth graders attend the afternoon session.
Do students have some element of control over the pacing of their learning? Are students tied to a semester-based course schedule or can they complete courses at any time? Briefly describe any requirements or benchmarks in place to ensure student progress.
Because of the block scheduling of the classes, students can earn one credit per Edgenuity class each semester. This allows students to earn six credits a year. The goal is for students to recover a semester’s worth of credits in one quarter and a year’s worth in a semester.
At school, students choose which courses they want to work on each day. Students routinely use Edgenuity’s dashboard to track their progress against the teacher-assigned benchmark. Color-coded flags notify students when they are behind, meeting, or exceeding their goal.
Describe the academic results of the program, using quantitative data where possible.
Spring 2012 data from the Arizona’s Instrument to Measure Standards High School (AIMS HS) Writing, Reading, and Math Test were obtained from 59 students in grades 11 and 12 who used the program during the 2011 –2012 school year. Data indicated that regardless of subject, eleventh- and twelfth- grade students from HLC outperformed their state peers on the 2012 AIMS HS Tests.
For example:
• 85% of eleventh-grade HLC students passed the AIMS HS Reading Test, compared with 43% statewide.
• 35% of eleventh-grade HLC students passed the AIMS HS Math test, compared with 17% statewide.
• 65% of eleventh-grade HLC students passed the AIMS HS Writing test, compared with 39% statewide.
• 95% of twelfth-grade HLC students passed the AIMS HS Reading Test, compared to 30% statewide.
• 61% of twelfth-grade HLC students passed the AIMS HS Math Test, compared to 17% statewide.
• 79% of twelfth-grade HLC students passed the AIMS HS Writing Test, compared to 22% statewide.
Contact Information
Name: Greg Keith
Title: Principal
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.husd.org