Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 1

Verdugo Hills High School WASC/CDE Self-Study ReportArts and Entertainment Program with career pathways in Animation andFilmmaking and the Digital Arts.The Magnet school hosts a school website that has information on coursesand standards.Counseling OfficeVHHS currently offers independent study on a case-by-case situation. Newstudents who enroll past the fifth week are usually placed on IndependentStudy so that they have a chance at completing at least one class ratherthan fail three. Students can go to the VHHS library and do their courseworkthere and are allowed to participate in VHHS activities such as sports, clubsand dances.In order to support curriculum, the VHHS counseling department offers gradchecks and a four-year graduation plan. They place students in supportclasses such as those available in math tutoring. The counselors meet withseniors four times a year to ensure that students are on track to graduate;they meet with 9th-11th grade students twice a year. Counselors stay intouch with parents/guardians through regular letters and phone calls asneeded; for example, students who receive a D or a fail in a course willreceive a letter from their counselor.One VHHS counselor oversees a peer mentoring/tutoring program for At-Risk 9th graders. The program ensures that students have the academic andemotional support to achieve to the best of their ability.Counselors also recommend seniors for Exploratory Teaching in which VHHSstudents leave campus to work with elementary students at PlainviewElementary.The Counseling Department pays special attention to students who are atrisk of not meeting graduation requirements. Counselors are in regularcontact with students and their parents/guardians making them aware oftheir credit recovery options. Because of district budget constraints, optionssuch as summer school are no longer as viable for many students.Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 84