Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 1

Verdugo Hills High School WASC/CDE Self-Study ReportD-4: To what extent does the assessment of student achievement in relationto the academic standards and the expected school-wide learning resultsdrive the school’s program, its development, its regular evaluation andimprovement, and the allocation and usage of resources?The results from formative and summative assessments, based on academicstandards and the ESLR’s are continually used to evaluate and improveinstruction and determine the allocation and uses of resources.The school’s program is driven by a variety of assessments by which wedetermine student achievement. The assessments are formal as well asinformal. Comparisons are made periodically so as to assess our growth andareas of need. Lessons have been standardized and various assessmentstrategies developed aiming to reinforce standards-based instruction in allareas.MathThe mathematics department currently uses several techniques andstrategies to motivate and drive student achievement. Competitionsamongst math classes in the same subject area, student recognition forstudents who excel and class pass rates are regularly communicated to staffand student body. Item analysis on multiple choice problems are collectedand discussed to see what standards students understand. All assessmentsare spiraled and reviewed based on student performance.ScienceIn science, the modes of student assessment as mentioned in D-2 and D-3are the basis for the department’s academic program. The department looksat test data, finds strengths and weaknesses in order to improve studentperformance. The assessment of test data could lead to different pedagogicstrategies, purchase of new literature, new laboratory and activityequipment and possibly different assessments.Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 155