Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 1

Verdugo Hills High School WASC/CDE Self-Study Report• CAPA• Teacher-generated Tests• PSAT• AP Test Results4. Student work – Engagement in Learning – How does the examination ofrepresentative samples of student work and snapshots of studentengagement in learning demonstrate the implementation of a standardsbasedcurriculum and the school wide student goals (ESLRs)?VHHS teachers use a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs ofstudents and to accommodate individual learning styles and modalities.Classroom teachers, especially those working with EL or special educationstudents, employ nonlinguistic representation, graphic organizers, andmultiple methods of note-taking, multi-sensory lesson, jigsaws, and thinkpair-shareactivities where students can work both independently andcollaboratively. Teachers utilize realia to support student learning andintegrate elements of popular culture to address the Standards.To address all types of intelligences and give each student equal access tolearning, paper and electronic portfolios, media-based projects, PowerPointpresentations and Socratic Seminars are used across the disciplines.Teachers also account for varied learning styles and modalities by usingindividual, small group and whole class activities. Peer editing and problemsolving strategies are employed and assessed with standards-based rubricsthat are both teacher- and student-created. ELD students or those with IEPsand 504s are provided with modified lessons and additional time. Homeworkappears as both nightly practice and long-term skills-based assessments formastery of standards. Homework and in-class assignment assignmentsacross all subject matters focus on both formative reading and writing skills.5. Accessibility of All Students to Curriculum - What have you learned aboutthe accessibility of a rigorous, relevant and coherent curriculum to allstudents? What did you learn from examining the demographics andsituation of students throughout the class offerings? How do the instructionalpractices and other activities facilitate access and success for special needsstudents?Verdugo Hills High School WASC Self-Study Page 90