Country School Director

 Imagine that you went to one of the best high schools in Oregon. I am not sure what that feels like, but our KVCS students do. The KVCS high school is full of high performing students. Our “A” students work extremely hard; I see posts about them on facebook being teased for always having their books. I suspect our average kids are being pushed to make progress at a pace that is painful, frustrating and even discouraging at times. Working so hard to get a “C” in an AP science course is not fun. I know the work load is tremendous but the results are excellent. Given the statistics below, I am confident that we are giving all of our students, whether they are “A” students or “C” students, a leg up in life because they work harder than most kids and the test results show they know more. Here is some of the data.

  KVCS highs school students scored very well on standardized tests:

•  KVCS ranks in the top 4% of Oregon High Schools for pass rates on the State Math and Reading tests. Only in the top 10% for pass rates on the State writing tests.
•  In science, 29% of our high school students scored in the top 5% on the nationally normalized tests called the Plan and Explore. 71% of these students were in the top 50%. So 2/3 of our students are scoring better than half the students in the USA.
•  About 1/2 of our students are in the top 30% in all subjects on the nationally normalized tests except math where 45% of students are in the top 30%.

 You can research pass rates on this website: http://www.schooldigger.com/go/OR/search.aspx

 Other interesting statistics from schooldigger.com:

•  KVCS ranked 14th of 311 (top 4%) Oregon High Schools for pass rates on the state reading and math tests. Philomath was ranked 97^th. Dallas was ranked 147^th. Central was ranked 173^rd.
•  KVCS ranked 31^st (top 10%) of 307 Oregon High Schools for pass rates on the state Writing test. Philomath was 108th, Dallas was 246th, and Central was185th.

 I try to limit the imposible things that I ask for to one or two per week.  Often the staff at KVCS deliver on those.  I am very greatful.  The folks work very hard and much goes on behind the scenes.  This is a sample of the aditions we implemented this year. 

• Implemented a new math program in the K-8.
• Changed the method of math instruction to allow continuous progress at all grade levels.
• Implemeneted Advanced Placement program including 3 new classes.
• Added grade 11.
• Added college guidance program.
• Welcomed two new teachers.
• Operated the office with one less person.
• Added a conflict resolution coach to effect middle school behavior.
• Purchased and operated our own buses.
• Negotiated a new charter.
• First Junior review and review of high school on line portfolios.

We are still a school on the move and have another good year in the works.

As the school year approaches completion of the first half, the staff is seeing the effects of the very hard curriculum on students and families.  Our high school design is intended to give all student access to the highest achievement possible for the abilities they have. We are also working to get students to find the value and joy in achieving their best.  The work to push kids is starting to affect the students and even families.  Nearly all students are working harder than in the past and at the limits of their abilities.  For many students this is the first time they have had to work to be successful in their classes.  For many families this is the first time school work is intruding on family activities.  As a staff we have to figure out what the limits are.  Questions and considerations have been:  Should we require homework over the break?  Should we allow students to choose lower levels of achievement even though we know they are capable of working at the higher level?  Are we doing enough to accommodate students with special needs?  What if we push too hard and students leave the school?

 As a staff we have been discussing all of these implications and variables.  We feel pulled between the effects on family that we are causing, the joy of achievement, and the need push students forward academically.  We know that families need time together, that life is not all about work, and not all students are able to understand the joy of achievement their age.  In this post, I have provided some background information to answer these questions.  The first is how our own students are doing this first term of school followed by some achievement data in Oregon and then nationally.

 Our junior level students are applying themselves very well to the difficult curriculum without much visible stress. Part of their success is likely due to major adjustments they already made to KVCS during the previous two years.  Also as they turn the corner and can see the light at the end of the tunnel, the payoff for the hard work becomes ever more obvious and motivating.  I can see their organizational skills in balancing the workload are being tested but that they appear engaged and are working very hard.

 The students in our 9th and 10th grades are just beginning to make the adjustments needed to approach the curriculum.  We know high school is very hard and causes adjustments that affect everyone in the family, and 9th and 10th graders pretty much have to study all the time.  I have parent reports from students achieving all A’s in their classes that they are obsessed with their homework and won’t go on bike rides or rest. I think these students are finding the joy in achievement and also have some special gifts.  Students achieving B and C grades seem to have some balance with sports, studying, and rest.  We also have some disappointed students achieving lower grades than they want.  They have not yet found the tools, strategies, and balance to successfully deal with the dedication and effort required.

 Unfortunately, we are working in one of the lowest academically performing states in a nation that is (at best) average in the world.  Statistics indicate Oregon ranks very low in the United States and low average worldwide.

 How are KVCS students doing so far this academic term?  We have 12 students in the 9th and 10th grades taking Advanced Placement (AP) Biology.  Currently 3 have a grade of A, 3 have a grade of B, 3 have a grade of C, and 3 have an incomplete.  Biology is the hardest class for our 9th and 10th graders, and achieving a C in this class is very respectable!  The material is difficult and the pace is fast.  The material and pace are dictated from the College Board that sponsors the year-end test for college credit.  If we change the pace or material, the students may not do well on the test in May.  Even our most gifted students are working very hard, and their families have been making adjustments to accommodate the time necessary to study at this level.  As I talk with students who would like to have a higher grade, I find they are not spending the same amount of time and effort as students with higher grades.

 Why do we need to push?  How is Oregon doing?  A recent article in the Willamette Week (on-line link below) reported that the Governor considers education in Oregon a failure because only 16% of 9th graders will go on to complete college by age 25.  This is startling to me.  I feel our C students should be able to complete college.

 Another state statistic comes from our 4th grade testing.  On the grade 4 NAEP assessments, among all 50 states (plus the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education schools, 52 jurisdictions in all), only 16 states had lower overall average scores than Oregon.  In other words, 67% of states/jurisdictions had a higher average score than Oregon.  We have one of the lowest state scores in 4th grade.  I could not find statistics for high school.  However, I think being on the safe side we can assume things are not fixed by high school.  Our teachers are already working on how to get the middle school students ready for AP classes!

 On a national level what happens to students who attend college?  According to a 2006 study from ACT, only about 50% of high school graduates across the country are prepared for post-secondary education.  Approximately 33% of students enrolling in college have to take a remediation class, and these students are also the most likely to drop out of college.

 How do we compare to other countries?  In statistics provided by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (on-line link below), 15-year-olds were compared to each other across countries.  The United States scored 33rd in reading, 27th in math and 22nd in science.  I think the list is interesting and worth a look.

 In an academic nutshell, Oregon is low among states in a country that is — at best –average among nations.  The need to increase achievement is clear, and I truly hope students and families will stick with the difficult curriculum and the changes at home needed to accommodate this level of effort.  Given the direction the school is going, it is obvious that we have chosen to make the high school curriculum hard.  I personally would rather advocate that your child makes it through college even if sacrifices have to be made at home.  And I also believe we must provide the education necessary to complete the next level rather than simply lowering the requirements just to keep enrollment up.  I understand that families need to weigh the benefits and costs of engaging at this level of difficulty, and I respect and support the decisions families make either way.

  On-Line References

 Willamette Week, “Our Educational System is Failing” http://wweek.com/editorial/3634/14219

 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):

http://www.geographic.org/country_ranks/educational_score_performance_country_ranks_2009_oecd.html

If you can possibly imagine me jumping up and down in pure joy, go ahead and do it now!  Those who actually know me are not likely to believe this could ever happen.  However, that is how I feel this week.  One our students has just completed his first math book this year.  He finished a typical year of math in only 57 days!  At that pace he could complete three years in one year!  No one is forcing him to do this, and he might find something else more interesting to do next week, but 57 days to complete one year of math is a very remarkable achievement.

 We have so many students working to their potential for the first time.  Using grade level assessments, our students have been placed at the math level that matches their ability.  At my house we actually have a couple of kids doing math homework with some teeth gnashing as an accompaniment.  Students are able to work at a pace that fits their abilities, and many students are on track to do two years of math this year.  We have quite a few students on fire with desire to do math!

 Last week at lunch we had a discussion with a 10th grader about the plan she has hatched to enable her to take two years of Advanced Placement Calculus at the KVCS.  Her plan is to complete 10th and 11th grade this year and finish the 12th grade over the summer.  I asked her, “Did you tell your parents about this?”  As it turns out, she didn’t, although she said was planning to . . .  And, of course, a few questions arise for the school like, “Can we stay ahead of her?” and “What have we done?”.

 We have a group of students doing 9th grade math at twice the speed!  Our high school math is centered on large, week-long problems that are solved in groups, and I frequently see them working at the tables outside of Mr. Sprague’s room.  One day they made a life-size diagram using the toys on the playground to solve one of their weekly problems.  These kids are gaining confidence and, even though they have a long way to go and a great deal of work ahead of them, they are debating the merits of M.I.T. and the University of Pennsylvania.

 So what are we going to do with these high flying kids?  We are gearing up for 2 years of Advanced Placement Calculus and another year of AP Statistics.  Maybe these classes can slow them down. 

 I see so many kids with the internal desire to take on this challenge.  I know they are not all aware of the great economic chase from China and India and all the hype about USA falling behind.  I think they step up to the challenge for the joy of the accomplishment.   I am grateful to be able to share in that joy!

At the beginning of the year I often get asked, “How is the school year going?”  We have such an amazing and experienced staff that I can always answer, “Great!”  In fact, this year school started much more smoothly than in years past.  During the first few years, opening KVCS was chaos (or close to it) every time.  In recent years, though, start-up has happened with very little impact on parents and students in spite of making major changes each summer.  New buildings, new staff, and new students always add a new dimension to school.  Often the extraordinary effort to get us ready and working goes unnoticed.  I want this blog post to point out some of efforts that are a great contribution to the school and to my own peace of mind.

The first efforts that come to mind are from staff members we want our students to emulate.  These employees willingly step forward to take on a new job at school without knowing exactly what is involved, and often the jobs are new to the school entirely.  They require enough resolve and courage to learn something brand new with the sources of help unidentified.  There is no one to help them with the new job because no one at the school has done that job before.  An example of this is Cindy Simmons who has taken on the paperwork side of operating school buses.  School buses are heavily regulated and the responsibilities impact our precious children and the ability to operate a rural school.  Another example is Ronnie Simmons who has taken on the mechanical and personnel side of operating school buses.  Again, the job is new and the responsibilities are very high.  One more example is Melody Castle who has taken on our college guidance and internship program.  Again the job is new, help is outside of our school, and the stakes are high for our kids.  This time their physical lives are not involved but their future opportunities certainly are.  I have a great appreciation and admiration for the people willing to take these personal risks to learn new jobs.

We also have and jobs that need to be done and involve great sacrifices of personal time.  These people always show up when there is work to be done and stay until the job is finished.  I am not going to be able to name all of the people because we have so many, but here are some examples of extra sacrifice taken to get us started up this fall.

I will start out with Cindy and Ronnie driving to Idaho to retrieve our school buses.  I know this was physically demanding and took many hours under the pressure of time to get the job done.

Another example is Alan Sprague and crew working on our computer system for the middle school and high school.  We have about 60 computers in that network, and we are using the technology as key learning tools for many of our subjects.  Alan and the crew spent many days implementing new configurations that allow us to use these computers without worry.  One of these “days” was — literally — nearly a whole day (21 hours).  This was high-value work under time pressure to ensure we had an operating system on Day One of school.

The next example is the setup of the two new classrooms.  These names repeat and a few more come into play.  First, Ronnie Simmons organized and made sure the new buildings went into place in time for us to use the rooms.  This was fine in the beginning but Ronnie was also involved in running a camp for our kids as well as retrieving the buses, and he spent many hours away from his family getting these modular buildings ready.  Then Jamon, Tamarra, and Alan got the furnishings for those rooms.  Jamon rented and drove a moving truck on multiple days to get our great finds from OSU surplus into the new rooms.  Alan and Tamara did so much moving and assembly that I could not keep track.  And Ronnie managed student crews throughout this time to help get things going.

I would like to mention one more effort.  Our wait list piled up to about 25 students this summer, and we approached the District to allow more students into KVCS.  So in August, we enrolled about 17 new students.  The new enrollment was a great gift for sure.  However, the pile of paperwork from gaining that many new students at one time is a huge!  This ripples through the office and into offices at many school districts.  Again, Cindy and Melody along with Suzanne, who is new in the office, step up to move this huge pile.  I know this effected Janet Skaugset and Cheri Haynes at the district office.

We have a great staff of people, and the efforts are tremendous on so many levels.  I am grateful to get to work with these self-sacrificing and self-motivated people.