Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 1

Verdugo Hills High School WASC/CDE Self-Study Reportstakeholders can also access this data by attending Back-To-School Nightand Open House in addition to contacting teachers and schooladministrators.Standards and expected levels of student accomplishment arecommunicated to parents at the beginning of every course through a coursesyllabus. At the beginning of each course, the teacher is required tocommunicate standards and expectations to students and parents alike;therefore, these standards and expectations are spelled out by teachers intheir syllabi that are then sent home for parent review. Content andobjectives for the day are written on the board, or posted in the classroom.Verdugo employs a broad range of methods to communicate studentprogress. Mandatory midterm and final grade reports are sent each term toall parents. This is a very direct and informative way to let parents knowhow their children are doing in all classes. CST reports are mailed home toparents which informs them the level of mastery for testable subjects. Ourschool website is an informative source for a broader sense of studentprogress. Many teachers use the electronic grade book in ISIS which allowsreal time access to grades and attendance. Over the past 3 years, about1500 parents have been issued a password and log -in I.D. which allowsaccess to absences, report cards and individual grades for quizzes instantly.The counseling department at Verdugo plays an integral role in reviewingstudent progress and communicating it to parents. Each counselor isassigned an SLC and stays with those students throughout their entire highschool career; this allows students to form personal relationships with theircounselor. Each counselor receives copies of all progress reports for allstudents in their SLC. Meetings are held when requested by parents orcounselors and all of a student’s teachers are invited to attend and articulatethe student’s progress, problems, and needs in each class.Twice a year, the community is invited on campus: once in the fall for Backto School Night and again in the spring for Open House. This allowsstakeholders to see student work, class progress, and posted standards.Each teacher also gives class-specific presentations about their courses andexpectations. Visiting parents gain valuable insight about each teacher’sprogram, policies, and procedures, and can make appointments forindividual conferences at a later date.Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 143