Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 1

Verdugo Hills High School WASC/CDE Self-Study ReportStandards-based core curriculum is articulated across grade-levels,disciplines, and departments. Members of the English Departments workwith the department chairs as a vertical team to address the strengths andweakness of the students in each grade. The department utilizes anOVERALL PLAN to align reading, writing, and grammar curriculum with thestate standards as well as college requirements for freshmen Englishcourses.Many programs and activities are in place to help students transition intohigh school and then subsequently decide which courses are necessary toachieve graduation as well as their individual goals. For example, counselorsvisit middle schools to share information about high school. Parents andstudents are invited to Back-to-School night in the spring and in the fall togive them the opportunity to speak with teachers and to interact withmembers of the staff such as counselors, coaches, and club advisors.Various faculty members, parents, and community member attend the ELACmeetings on a monthly basis to support and to increase the success of theELD students.The VHHS Governing Council is comprised of faculty, parents, communitymembers, and students. Parents who are on the Governing Council regularlyupdate the website and are in contact with other parents/guardians toensure an open line of communication.As a preview of VHHS, leadership students (Student Government), athleticcoaches, campus club and organization sponsors, coordinators, interestedstaff, and administrators conduct a presentation for eighth graders at ourlargest feeder middle school in the spring before ninth-grade enrollment.Before VHHS counselors visit, all feeder middle schools receive programplanningpackets that include course offerings and other valuableinformation about the freshman year. After students have shared the packetwith their parents/guardians, VHHS counselors visit eight-grade classes todiscuss high school graduation requirements, their personal learning plan,CAHSEE, UC/CSU “A-G” college admission requirements, special campusprograms, the Copernican Block schedules, and extracurricular opportunities.Counselors collect a completed and signed “Ninth Grade Planning Sheet”from each eighth grader for use in planning a fall schedule of classes. MiddleVerdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 101