Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 1

Verdugo Hills High School WASC/CDE Self-Study ReportSUMMARY OF FINDINGS A.5To what extent are leadership and staff involved in ongoing research ordata-based correlated professional development that focuses on identifiedstudent learning needs?All professional development is derived from close analysis of data todetermine student learning needs. Staff and leadership collaborate toprovide the most meaningful staff development available. The OrganizationFocus group believes that current research and data is constantly beinggathered and disseminated by the testing coordinator and other departmentlead teachers to direct the entire staff towards identifying areas ofimprovement in student areas of academics and social behavior.FINDINGSInstruction and Staff DevelopmentStaff and administration at Verdugo Hills High School keep data at the centerof planning for instruction in order to improve achievement for all studentsin the classroom and on standardized tests. The English department haseffectively implemented the District’s Developing Readers and Writerscurriculum, targeting students whose reading levels are significantlydeficient. The math department has actively engaged in research-basedinstructional programs through District-sponsored staff development. Themath department’s pacing plan has been instrumental in driving instruction,follow-up, and remedial efficiency, resulting in improved studentachievement.The entire staff works together to analyze data from standardized testingand overall achievement in order to establish school-wide instructional goalsand programs. Common period 4 conferences for most staff, along withteacher-led planning and execution of weekly common planning time,maximizes the efficiency and reach of professional development. SchedulingPD at the beginning of the day instead of the end has resulted in moreenthusiastic engagement in the PD process.Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 57