Quincy Public Schools

Quincy High School

Improvement Plan

2023 - 2024

Think for yourself.  Work together.  

Share with the world and be aware of self and others.

                        
Keith Ford, Principal        

Edward Smith, Assistant Principal

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Principal’s Path                                                                                 p. 3

1. Data Reflection                                                                p. 6
2. Goals Reflection                                                                p. 7

1. Initiative 1: Closing the Opportunity Gap                
2. Initiative 2: Social Emotional/Equity                        

3. VOCAL Reflection                                                        p. 17

2. School Improvement Plan                                                        p. 19

1. NEASC School Growth Plan                                                

1. Vision of the Graduate                                        
2. Curriculum Plan                                                        
3. Student Support/Intervention Process                        

2. Department Goals and Action Steps                                p. 25
3. Professional Development Plan                                            p. 39
4. Extended Day Offerings                                                p. 41
5. Family Engagement and Communication                        p. 44

  III.  School Demographics                                                             p. 47

  IV.  Facilities                                                                                                   p. 50

   V.   Budget                                                                                p. 52

  VI.  Appendix                                                                                p. 53

1. Spring 2023 MCAS Data
2. 2023 Accountability
3. Spring 2023 VOCAL
4. Staffing: Support Services
5. School Council Members

1. Principal’s Path

Dear Members of the Quincy School Committee,

The Quincy High School community is pleased to submit this School Improvement Plan for the 2023-2024 school year.  This year, through clear expectations, courageous conversations, observations, and implementations, we will continue to build upon a culture that unites us as one team empowering us to succeed through efficient, effective, and equitable practices.  Our teaching and learning expectations will remain the same: to hold each other Accountable, create a sense of Belonging, build upon an outstanding Curriculum, and reinforce our Community, better known as ABC2.

As a community, we continue to make collective progress towards accreditation through the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).  Our Self-Reflection report based on surveys of students, families, and staff, including supporting evidence of how we align with each principle that makes up each standard, has been written, voted on, and approved by our staff.  We hosted a Collaborative Conference with a panel from NEASC in December 2022 with the goal of identifying areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. Throughout this academic year, we will leverage the strengths and opportunities in preparation for the Decennial Visit in the Fall of 2024.

This plan has been developed in conjunction with the Collaborative Conference Team’s recommendation from the December 2022 NEASC visit as well as Quincy High School’s Self Reflection report.  The three priority areas identified from our December 2022 NEASC visit include developing the vision of the graduate, curriculum planning, as well as a tiered monitoring system of support.  Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, we will refine the vision of the graduate including transferable skills and the knowledge, understandings, and dispositions necessary for future success. In addition, curricula in a consistent format that includes units of study with guiding/essential questions, concepts, content, and skills will be integrated into the school's vision of the graduate.

Furthermore, we will create protocols and procedures for student referrals that consist of identifying student’s academic/behavioral concerns, reviewing interventions, establishing appropriate action plans, and leveraging data and benchmarks to monitor student progress in line with expected targets as part of our tiered monitoring system.     

Each department developed goals to maximize the full potential of our learners so they flourish both academically and socially.  In order for each department to achieve its goal, the approach will continue to be data-driven with effective professional development planning and execution, collaboration, goal setting, and meaningful student support.  We will continue to collect relevant data, analyze our findings, make appropriate recommendations, and implement the necessary strategies to increase student engagement and achievement, while improving our school’s culture and climate.

We are excited to launch our One School, One Book reading program for the 2023-2024 school year.  This program is designed to create a shared reading experience within our high school community, and allow teachers, families, and students to have conversations about what they are reading.  Reading the same book together allows students, as well as their families, teachers, staff, and the community at large to develop a wider viewpoint by hearing and sharing a variety of thoughts and opinions about this universally shared text.

In addition to our reading program, we also launched an advisory period which occurs monthly during our half days. Our advisory period is an opportunity for teachers and students to connect outside of the academic pressures that normally occur during class. During each half day throughout the year, teachers and students will participate in activities that are designed to highlight the richness and diversity of QHS. From community building, to health and wellness focused areas, as well as DEI awareness, the advisory period is designed to be an incredible experience, building a sense of community with everyone. We selected topics of interest to explore during advisory periods based on the Culture and Climate survey conducted last winter.  

Our extensive extended day offerings provide students with the opportunity to connect both academically and socially with their peers.  The goal of our extended day offerings is to establish common interests that foster student engagement outside of the regular school day.  We are excited to add new clubs such as Chess Club, Cyber Security Club, Electronics Project Club, Muslim Students Association Club, and our QHS Step Club.  

Lastly, our family engagement and communication plan enables awareness, participation, and connectivity between students, their families, and the QHS community.  We continue to build upon an established means of school-to-home communication using platforms such as Aspen, Google Classroom, Naviance, and School Messenger. The addition of the SMORE newsletter allows for a more effective means of communication with easy to read, translatable announcements and updates.  We will continue to provide families with details regarding student activities and accomplishments through “The President's Community Bulletin.”  Social media sites managed by the Athletics, Student Council, Student Support Services Team, Student Class Officers, as well as our Administrative team, aid us in communicating important information to families on upcoming events and highlights student achievements.  

The entire Quincy High School community is excited to work together to ensure this plan comes to fruition.  We are thankful for your ongoing support and consideration of this 2023-2024 School Improvement Plan.

Keith Ford, Principal

1. DATA REFLECTION

This year, Quincy High School again has a faculty data and assessment team made up of teachers from multiple content areas whose primary focus will be to analyze the school accountability system as a whole and analyze this year's accountability data for staff presentations and planning for next year's targets.  Future plans for the team include assessing the Views of Climate and Learning (VOCAL) survey and making recommendations to the Principal and faculty on school climate and culture at Quincy High School.

QHS students improved on the 2023 ELA MCAS from 5% to 12% of students Exceeding Expectations.  There was a decline of students Meeting Expectations from 54% to 44%.  QHS students increased on the Writing Domain from 50% to 51%.

QHS students improved by decreasing the number of students earning Not Meeting Expectations on the 2023 Math MCAS from 9% to 7%.  The percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations went from 48% to 46%.

On the 2023 Biology MCAS, 50% of students are meeting or exceeding expectations which is two percentage points higher than 2022 and three points higher than this year's state average.

On the 2023 ACCESS test, of 134 students that were tested, 106 were "Included in Made Progress" reports, 17 of whom did make progress which is 12% of students (down from 28% in 2022).

On the 2023 Views of Climate and Learning (VOCAL) survey, the QHS School Environment Rating for All Students went down from 46 to 45.

2. GOALS REFLECTION

Initiative 1: Academic - Closing the Opportunity Gap Initiative: 

During the 2022-2023 school year, Quincy High School will identify the needs of low-performing students and implement strategies to improve student outcomes as measured by each department’s specific goals and action steps.

Art Department Academic Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the Visual Arts Department will apply strategies to promote better student outcomes through district-wide collaboration to gather resources specific to arts education, create and/or improve assessment tools, and revise lesson plans.  This will be evidenced by a continual reduction of at least 2% of students earning a 69% or lower each term.  This will result in a 6% decrease in students earning a 69% or lower from quarter one to quarter four.

Goal Reflection: Did Not Met/Not Measurable. This goal did not take into account the number of half year courses offered in the department and therefore the data was not available to compare the first and the fourth quarter grades.

CVTE Department Academic Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the CVTE Team will design and develop a new Writing Prompt ~ “My Career Vocational Education Experience”, including Rubrics for Quincy’s CVTE Career Portfolio Initiative. As a result of this new Writing Prompt, 10% of seniors will achieve an advanced score of Four,  85% of seniors will achieve a proficient score of Three as a final score in their Portfolio.

Goal Reflection: Met All seniors completed the writing prompt, “My Career Vocational Education Experience.”  Using the rubric, all seniors achieved a proficient score on their Senior Portfolio.

Early College High School Academic Goal: QHS Early College High School Pathway Academic Support Team will increase ECHS student enrollment 10% by June 2023.  (From a base of 94 students in October 2022)

Goal Reflection: Met. As of the start of the 2023-24 Academic year, we are happy to announce that the ECHS enrollment has grown from 94 students to 120 students.

ELE Department Academic Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the ELE Department will focus on the connection between attendance and academic performance.  The department’s goal is to decrease the number of students failing academic courses by 2% each quarter.

Goal Reflection: Did Not Meet One of the factors that impacts the achievement of the goal is an inconsistent number of students.  Overall, when data is focused on a subgroup of students enrolled September to June, this goal was met.

English Department Academic Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year the English Department will provide 100% of their students a minimum of two opportunities to submit written work utilizing structured feedback.  85% of our students will earn scores a full letter grade higher than their grades on other assignments. This will also produce a 2% increase in the Writing Domain on the 2023 ELA MCAS.

Goal Reflection: Did Not Meet, Progress Made Progress was made towards this goal and the school increased from 50% to 51% in the Writing Domain of the 2023 ELA MCAS.  The Department did provide 100% of students a minimum of two opportunities to submit work utilizing structured feedback but data was not accumulated to measure whether 85% of students earned a full letter grade higher on other assignments.  Logistical hurdles in terms of getting all students to revise these assignments caused a number of teachers to have to make these revisions optional.  As a result, what data we have represents far less than our full student complement, and what data we do have is consequently skewed as it is overly-influenced by the progress of students who were self-motivated enough to complete the work on a voluntary basis.

Library Academic Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the Librarian will apply strategies to promote better student outcomes as evidenced by a 25% increase of collaborative lesson/project planning with colleagues (From a base of 20 collaborative lessons in 2021-2022).

Goal Reflection:  Due to changes to the library staffing, the initial goal was not achieved. However, with the library now consistently staffed, there is a renewed effort to expand knowledge and utilization of library resources. This strategic approach aims to gather essential data and enhance the potential for accomplishing the stated goal, or it may involve revising and refining the original goal for more effective outcomes.

Math Department Academic Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the Mathematics Department will identify and remediate potential knowledge gaps that may exist due to the disrupted learning of the past three school years and increase the percentage of students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations on the 2023 Mathematics MCAS by 2% from a base of 48% in 2022 (MCAS Achievement report PE305)

Goal Reflection: Did Not Meet.  The percentage of students Meeting or Exceeding Expectations went down from 48% to 46%, however, progress was shown by a decrease in the number of students Not Meeting Expectations from 9% to 7%.  In addition, the math department worked diligently to identify and remediate potential learning gaps that may exist due to the disrupted learning of the past three school years.

Music Department Academic Goal: During the 2022-2023 school year, the Music Department will identify the overall music literacy needs of our students through an assessment of their playing and singing abilities at the beginning of the 2022 school year. Based on the needs demonstrated during this assessment, we will structure the music curriculum, such as the repertoire performed at concerts, with the goal of improving music literacy. The results of these efforts will be measured in a final assessment at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, with the goal of seeing a 2% increase in scores since the initial assessment.

Goal Reflection: Partially Met:  We had hoped to have a formal assessment model, the Music Fundamentals and Literacy Assessment, in place to evaluate our students; however we were not able to get that formal assessment in place in time for last year. It is now active and we intend to implement it this year. At the same time, we used more informal assessments, such as playing and singing assessments, to evaluate our students' progress this past year, and this information has certainly helped inform our repertoire selection for concerts this year. This part of the goal has been met.

Science Department Academic Goal: For the 2022-2023 school year, the Quincy High School science department will decrease the percentage of students “Not Meeting Expectations” by 3% on the 2022 Biology MCAS (Base of 13% in 2022 on Report PE305).

Goal Reflection: Did Not Meet, Progress Made. The percentage of students Not Meeting Expectations went down from 13% to 12%.  Additional progress was shown by an increase in the number of students Exceeding or Meeting Expectations from 46% to 50%. (PE303)

Social Studies Department Academic Goal:  In each unit of study- Students will improve their ability to: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of historical topics and texts using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.*  This will be evident through the students’ valid and accurate use of content specific evidence and documents, and increasing use of social studies content specific vocabulary to support their clearly stated claim and by a 2% increase (Base of 50%) in the Writing Domain on the 2023 ELA MCAS. (Report CU306). *College and Career Readiness (CCR) anchor Writing Standard 1 in the 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework

Goal Reflection: Did Not Meet, Progress Made  Progress was made towards this goal and the school increased from 50% to 51% in the Writing Domain of the 2023 ELA MCAS.

Special Education Department Academic Goal: Over the course of the 2022-2023 school year, the Special Education department will implement academic skill building activities and practice across all content areas to decrease the percentage of special education students “Not Meeting Expectations” by 2% on the 2022 ELA, Math, and Biology MCAS exams. (From a base of 16% for ELA, 27% for Math, and 37% for Science)

Goal Reflection: Met in Math and Science. Did Not Meet in ELA.  The number of special education students “Not Meeting Expectations” decreased in Math from 27% to 15%, decreased in Biology from 37% to 31%, and increased in ELA from 16% to 30%.

World Languages Department Academic Goal: Teachers in the World Language Department will promote better student outcomes as evidenced by a continual reduction of at least 2.5% of students earning a 69% or lower each term.  This will result in a 7.5% decrease in students earning a 69% or lower from last year to this year.

Goal Reflection: Did Not Meet, Progress Made:  This goal was not fully met at the departmental level. Several individual teachers did meet the goal, as noted through data shared in teachpoint, but there is insufficient data to say that it was met globally. District data showing students who received a D or lower in all four quarters shows an increase of those who went from the range of 63-69 to a failing grade over the course of the year. The number of students in this set (32 total) who received a grade of 50 also rose from Q1 to Q4. For the second half of the goal, we will need to pull data from the district on final World Language grades of 69 or lower in June of 2022 and 2023.

Initiative 2: Social Emotional/Equity Initiative: 

During the 2022-2023 school year, Quincy High School will continue to implement social emotional learning strategies, incorporate restorative justice practices, and utilize curriculum initiatives and programs to foster an inclusive and equitable environment for students, staff, and families as measured by each department’s specific goals and action steps. 

Art Department Social Emotional/ Equity Goal: The Visual Arts Department will implement social-emotional learning and community building strategies, at least once per quarter, to improve student engagement in all Visual Arts classes . This will be evidenced by a 3% increase on the Overall Rating for School Engagement (Base of 43%) on the 2023 VOCAL survey.

Goal Reflection: Completed, Did Not Meet  While the Visual Arts Department implemented social-emotional learning and community building strategies, at least once per quarter, the Overall Rating for School Engagement declined from 43% to 42% on the 2023 VOCAL survey.

Culture and Climate Committee Social Emotional/Equity Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the Culture and Climate Committee will conduct two surveys in order to assess the current climate at Quincy High School, to identify areas for growth based on stakeholders’ concerns and needs, and to establish tailored culturally responsive practices that will result in a sustainable cultural shift at Quincy High School.

Goal Reflection: Partially Met, Significant Progress Made  The Culture and Climate Committee conducted a survey in order to assess the current climate at Quincy High School and used that to identify areas for growth and to begin to establish culturally responsive practices - including increasing student voice and involvement, building staff practices, and increasing staff diversity - to move towards a sustainable culture shift at Quincy High School. After giving the first survey, the Committee members decided that moving forward, the student body would be re-surveyed every 2 years instead of twice a year. The Culture and Climate Committee is continuing with the goal of establishing practices to create a sustainable cultural shift at Quincy High School in 2023-2024.

CVTE Department Social Emotional/Equity Goal:  To support our high school’s School Improvement Plan (SIP) Goal of Social Emotional Learning, the CVTE Team will implement two Character Development Strategies, including but not limited to, Empathy, Ethics, and Growth Mind Set into our CVTE curriculum by June 2023.

Goal Reflection: Met  All teachers introduced at least two of the social/emotional activities.  These activities included case studies in Ethics and Empathy;  the understanding and implementation of affirmations and how that impacts students' success.

Early College High School Academic Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the ECHS team will implement five (5) additional social emotional/equity activities into ECHS student’s college readiness curriculum to better prepare students for post-secondary education and health/wellness.

Goal Reflection: Met ECHS focused on individual check-ins to provide additional support to students to ensure that we were meeting their social emotional/academic needs. Additionally, the ECHS counselor and transition coach held open discussions for students to express their concerns and needs regarding the program and how it could be enhanced to better the overall experience.

ELE Department Social Emotional/Equity Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the ELE Department will implement three (3) social emotional learning strategies across all courses to increase student participation and engagement.  This will be evidenced by a 3% increase on the Overall Rating for School Climate by the EL student subgroup (Base of 53%) on the 2023 VOCAL survey.

Goal Reflection: Completed, Did Not Meet  While the EL Department did incorporate three social emotional learning strategies across all courses, the VOCAL survey data showed a decline from 53% to 35% on the Overall Rating for School Climate by the EL student subgroup.

English Department Social Emotional/Equity Goal:  During the 2022-2023 the English department will conduct at least one Restorative Justice Circle per term as a means of facilitating conversations among all students.  Teachers will choose from a variety of Restorative Circle Templates including but not limited to Community Building, Conflict Resolution, Teaching and Learning, or Equity Circles and conduct post surveys to assess the effectiveness of each circle.

Goal Reflection: Met  The use of circles in English grew naturally out of the common instructional practice of the Socratic Seminar approach used by many teachers in the department.  Resultantly, our use of circles tended to divide into two camps, Community Building and Teaching and Learning.  Informal surveying of the staff suggests that, used for these purposes, the circles were effective ways to make class discussion even more student-centered and helped foster a sense of a community of learners.

Library Social Emotional/Equity Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, in order to support the diverse population we teach, the librarian will create an in-school and social media (Instagram) display for at least three heritage months throughout the year. Evidence of this goal will be shown through a 5% increase of students who believe “Students from different backgrounds respect each other in our school, regardless of their race, culture, family income, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.” is always or mostly true on the 2023 Views of Climate a Learning (VOCAL) survey. (From a base of 80%)

Goal Reflection: Completed, Did Not Meet  While the librarian did create an in-school and social media (Instagram) display for at least three heritage months throughout the year, the efforts were not shown through measured data on the 2023 VOCAL survey and declined from a base of 80% to 76%.

Math Department Social Emotional/Equity Goal: During the 2022-2023 school year, the math department will utilize curriculum initiatives to foster an inclusive and equitable environment for students by providing an opportunity to review and rehearse new knowledge for students.  This type of activity “encourages the brain to strengthen the new neural pathways by making the learner search their memory for information.” (Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain). This goal will be evidenced by all teachers creating and implementing one new review game/collaborative activity each term.

Goal Reflection: Met: The math department achieved their social emotional/equity goal by providing an opportunity to review and rehearse new knowledge for students.  This is evidenced by the artifacts accumulated on the shared QHS Math Drive.

Music Department Social Emotional/ Equity Goal: During the 2022-2023 school year, the Music Department will seek to build community and belonging amongst the music students and staff. We will accomplish this by working to enhance our common spaces visually by adding 5-8 pictures, awards, and/or achievements that reflect student accomplishments in the music program. We will assess this goal by surveying the students and asking for their input at the beginning of the year. The same survey will be sent out again at the end of the 2022-2023 school year with the goal of a 5% improvement in how students feel that their sense of community and belonging have improved throughout the year.

Goal Reflection: Somewhat completed, Did Not Meet Last year we were busy enhancing our common spaces, such as practice rooms and music classrooms, and this aspect of our goal has been completed successfully. We were not able to distribute the survey last year. We intend to implement this step of our goal during this school year now that our common spaces have been enhanced accordingly.

Science Department Social Emotional/ Equity Goal:  By the end of the 2022-2023 school year, student feelings of inclusion, confidence, and preparedness will increase by 10% within their science classroom as evidenced through student responses on the “QHS Science Check In” Google Form survey completed twice per term.

Goal Reflection: Did not meet. According to the data collected through student responses to the “QHS Science Check In” surveys, feelings of inclusion, confidence and preparedness in science classrooms did not increase by 10% over the course of the school year.  Results from “QHS Science Check-In” surveys shows that students consistently felt somewhat confident in science (average of 6.9 out of 10), experienced some levels of stress and anxiety (average of 4.5 out of 10) and rated their sense of belonging at an average of 7.5 out of 10.   The majority of data came from Q1 and Q2 surveys and results show that over the course of this time, there was a slight decrease in students’ confidence in science (~7%) as well as their sense of belonging in the classroom (~6%).  Students’ stress and anxiety levels showed a 10% increase between Q1 and Q2; however, that went back down between Q2 and Q3.

Social Studies Department Social Emotional/ Equity Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, the social studies department will utilize curriculum initiatives for all students to feel a greater sense of belonging in social studies.  This goal will be evidenced by all teachers implementing two (2) formal Social Emotional Learning activities during each academic term.

Goal Reflection: Met  All teachers in the Social Studies department administered at least two formal SEL activities in all of their classes each academic term.  Many activities were done weekly. A variety of SEL activities, templates and information are shared among the department in the Social Studies SEL Google drive.

Student Support Team Department Social Emotional/Equity Goal:  The student support team (counselors, school psychologist, adjustment counselor, deans, health interventionist, physical education and health teachers) will continue to work on addressing the social-emotional needs of all students by fostering the primary principle of relationships and building a culture of care through Restorative Justice Education and incorporating practices and strategies to build students’ social/emotional skills. This goal will be evidenced by implementing six (6) Open Parachute lessons throughout the year.

Goal Reflection: Met. Throughout the course of the 2022-2023 school year the Student Support Services Team successfully presented six (6) Open Parachute lessons throughout the year.  This was done with the cooperation of the English Department (grade 12 classes), Social Studies Department (grade 11 classes), Science Department (grade 9 Advanced Biology classes), CVTE Department (Freshman Seminar classes and Electrical Technology 1 classroom), and Physical Education/Health Department (grade 10 Health classes).  Additionally, three (3) Open Parachute lessons were provided to parents via Screencastify by School Psychologist Amy Finlay through our Monthly Newsletter and President’s Community Bulletin in the Spring of 2023.

Special Education Department Social/Emotional Goal:  Over the course of the 2022-2023 school year, the Special Education department will increase the sense of community and engagement with the students, families, and staff it supports.  This will be evidenced by an improvement to a 4.0/5.0 average score on the year-end survey conducted by the Special Education Department (From a base of 3.79/5.0 on the pre-school survey).

Goal Reflection: Met For the 2022-2023 school year, the Quincy High School Special Education department focused on strengthening the sense of community and engagement it has with its families.  A survey was distributed, via email, at the end of the school year to any family of a student on an Individualized Education Plan.  The survey asked families to rate the special education department in Communication and Collaboration, Reliability, Availability, Connection, and responsiveness on a scale of 1-5 (1 being lowest, 5 highest).  The families that completed the survey rated the department as a 3.83 in Communication and Collaboration, 4.16 in Reliability, 4.37 in Availability, 3.83 in Connection, and a 4.45 in reliability.  This averages out to a 4.14 average score.  The Quincy High School special education department considers itself as achieving their Social/Emotional goal.

World Languages Department Social Emotional/Equity Goal:  During the 2022-2023 school year, teachers in the World Languages Department will focus on improving the school climate in all classes and assess through the use of climate surveys once per quarter.  Results will be used to focus and improve on specific areas for growth which will be evidenced by survey results in Q2, Q3, and Q4 that show numeric improvement of at least 5% on the lowest scoring question from the previous quarter.

Goal Reflection: Met  On average, the increase in student disagreement with the statements in the climate survey improved by 13% between two quarters, with the biggest source of student discomfort being speaking in class. Based on current teacher reporting of their results, each individual teacher has met the goal. However, several teachers are using this as their 2-year goal in the evaluation process and have not uploaded all data from last year. This has been noted as necessary on formative assessments with the expectation that it will be completed.

3. VOCAL REFLECTION

There were many positive takeaways from last year’s VOCAL survey especially in the area of Engagement. Based on the feedback we received, we are helping our students to develop coping strategies and mindfulness practices to reduce school and academic stress.

The VOCAL survey results, taken by our tenth grade students, provides feedback from one educational cohort that we use as an indicator for assessing our community and climate. We will continue to leverage this data, as well as administer a schoolwide QHS survey to all students and staff on a biannual basis.  The data from the schoolwide survey will enable us to identify and explore topics of discussion that both educate and provoke conversations amongst students and staff.  Based on the survey  results of our schoolwide QHS Culture and Climate survey conducted last winter, we launched an advisory period which occurs monthly during our half days. During each half day throughout the year, teachers and students will participate in activities that are designed to focus on the following areas:

• Community Building
• Hispanic Heritage Month
• Mental Health Awareness
• Substance Awareness
• Study Habits
• Black History Month
• Women History Month
• Arab American Heritage Month
• Asian American and Pacific Islander Month

Below are responses from the Culture and Climate Survey conducted last winter.

2. School Improvement Plan

1. NEASC SCHOOL GROWTH PLAN

PRIORITY AREA 1 - VISION OF THE GRADUATE

Statement of Need  A formal Vision of the Graduate statement needs to be developed and effectively communicated (Standard 1, Principle 2).

Vision of the Graduate Goal(s)  By June of 2024, Quincy High School will develop a vision of the graduate that includes transferable skills and the knowledge, understandings, and dispositions necessary for future success. The school will create and implement a plan to develop the school's vision of the graduate to drive student learning, professional practices, learning support, and the provision and allocation of learning resources.

By December 2024, the school will develop a formal process to assess and communicate individual learner progress toward achieving the vision of the graduate and an annual report on whole-school progress.

PRIORITY AREA 2 - CURRICULUM PLAN

Statement of Need  Students in the same courses need to know that they will be receiving the same units of study with guiding questions, concepts, content, and skills. Students should have a clear understanding of curricular expectations regardless of section.

Statement of Goal  By December 2024, all Quincy High School courses will have a written curriculum in a consistent format that includes units of study with guiding/essential questions, concepts, content, and skills and integrates the school's vision of the graduate according to NEASC Principle 2.2, Foundational Element 2.2a.

PRIORITY AREA 3 - STUDENT SUPPORT/FORMAL INTERVENTION PROCESS

Statement of Need  It is important that all students feel valued and included in the school community.  Protocols and procedures do not formally exist for referrals for students who need tiered intervention support or Scientific Research Based Interventions (SRBI).  The school has an established Student Support Team (SST) that meets weekly; however, there has yet to be a clearly articulated process for referral, review, implementation of the intervention, and progress monitoring.  There are no formal tiered intervention and/or interventionists for struggling students.

Statement of Goal  By December 2024, Quincy High School will establish protocols and procedures for student referrals by developing a uniform process for identifying and supporting students who need intervention support or SRBI.  The school will develop a process for review, implementation of intervention, and progress monitoring for students.

2. Department Goals and Action Steps

Art Department Goal: During the 2023-2024 school year, the Visual Arts Department will provide opportunities for students to highlight growth and achievement in the area of understanding the relationship of artistic ideas and works to societal, cultural and historical contexts. This goal will be evidenced by visual arts students earning an 80% or higher average on the departmental self-assessment twice per year. *2023-2024 is the baseline year for self-assessment data collection.

CVTE Department Goal:  During the 2023-2024 school year and fall of 2024, 100% of the CVTE Team will have a written curriculum in a consistent format and continue to provide students a variety of additional curriculum enhancements and educational opportunities.  These curriculum enhancements complement our CVTE programs.

ELE Department Goal: During the 2023-2024 school year, the ELE Department will focus on teaching strategies to increase student academic performance.  Each teacher will choose 5 strategies from the book 50 Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners and implement them into their lessons.  This goal’s success will be measured by the increase in students’ grades by 2% per semester.

English Department Goal:  The English department will eliminate many of the ways bias creeps into assessment and will positively impact students’ SEL by lowering anxiety around test-taking. This will be accomplished through the implementation of departmentally agreed upon practices associated with Grading for Equity across 100% of its classes during the 2023-2024 school year.  This will result in a 5% average increase in Final Grades across all English courses (from a base of 83.5%).

Math Department Goal:  By December 2024, 100% of Quincy High School mathematics courses will have a written curriculum in a consistent format that includes units of study with guiding/essential questions, concepts, content, and skills and integrates the school's vision of the graduate according to NEASC Principle 2.2, Foundational Element 2.2a.

Music Department Goal: During the 2023-2024 school year, the music department will focus on implementing assessments to measure student progress toward proficiency in music literacy along with evaluating students’ sense of community and belonging within the music department as a whole. Throughout the year we provide students with numerous opportunities to highlight their growth and achievement in these areas through concerts, recitals, and other performances. By the end of the 2023-2024 school year, we expect a 2% increase in scores demonstrating our student’s achievement in these areas since the initial assessment.

Science Department Goal:  During the 2023-2024 school year, the Quincy High School science department will increase the combined percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations by 2% over the 2023 Biology MCAS results (base of 49%).  Achievement of this goal will be attained by building curriculum maps that align methodologies across content areas to include shared practice MCAS questions (used on both formative and summative assessments), literary texts and sentence-frame worksheets to assist students with reading comprehension, as well as extensive practice and utilization of scientific vocabulary and procedures throughout the school year.

Social Studies Department Goal 2023-2024:  By December 2024, 100% of Quincy High School Social Studies courses will have a written curriculum in a consistent format that includes units of study with guiding/essential questions, concepts, content, and skills and integrates the school's vision of the graduate according to NEASC Principle 2.2, Foundational Element 2.2a.  In each curriculum unit, students will improve their ability to decode and understand specific academic social studies vocabulary in order to effectively compare the point of view of two or more authors regarding the same topic.

Special Education Department Goals: Over the course of the 2023-2024 school year, the special education department will research, review, and refine the Strategies for Learning curriculum and expectations to improve student’s self-impression as a contributing learner at Quincy High School.  Evidence of this goal will be measured by a three point average increase from fall to spring on student self-assessments.

Student Support Department Goal:  During the 2023-2024 school year, the student support team (counselors, school psychologist, adjustment counselor, health interventionist, and health teachers) will incorporate practices and strategies to build students’ social/emotional skills utilizing Restorative Justice practices, the Open Parachute Platform, and community partners such as the NAN Project and Walker Therapeutics.  The team will also establish protocols and procedures for student referrals by developing a uniform process for identifying and supporting students who need intervention support or Scientific Research Based Interventions (SRBI). Evidence of this goal will be measured by a 3% increase on the Overall Rating for School Climate Engagement (Base of 41%) on the 2024 VOCAL survey.

Wellness Department Goal: In the 2023-2024 School Year, the QHS Wellness Department will implement opportunities for students to increase their overall physical and social/emotional wellness through structured lessons in the health classroom as well as practicing those skills in a physical education setting. Our focus will be on transferable skills, knowledge, and understanding necessary for future success by educating students on the topics of stress management, decision making, relationship building/boundary setting and overall self care practices. All lessons will be aligned with the SHAPE America National Health and Physical Education standards as well as the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.  This goal will be evidenced by 80% of students passing their health and physical education courses for the year.

World Language Department Goal: During the 2023-2024 school year, all teachers will align curriculum to the 2021 MA World Language Curriculum Frameworks by designing and developing written curriculum guides in a consistent format for all courses that include units of study with concepts, content, and skills and integrates the school’s vision of graduate to improve student outcomes as evidenced by a 50% increase of students who earn the Seal of Biliteracy in a World Language (from a base of 12 students).

B.  Professional Development Plan

C. Extended Day Offerings  

D.  Family Engagement and Communication

III.  School Demographics   as of 12/4/23

Core Academic Class Sizes (General Education)  As of 12/4/2023        

• 90% of core academic class sections have 25 or fewer students, no change from the 2022-23 school year.  
• The 32 class sections with 26 or more students are:

• 7 ELA: Honors & AP classes for Gr. 10, 11, 12
• 8 Mathematics: Grades 11 & 12 Honors & Advanced
• 8 Social Studies: 3 AP sections, plus Gr. 11 & 12 CCP, Honors & Advanced
• 9 World Language: Spanish, French & Italian, all levels/grades

2022-2023 SSDR Incident Data

IV.   Facilities

2022-23 Improvements

• 10 new computers were installed for staff.
• The interactive sign at the front of the building has been fixed and working properly.
• The main large pendant light fixtures in the Rotunda Entrance have been replaced.
• All house lighting in Adams Hall has been replaced.
• Cafeteria and hallway lighting has been upgraded to LED lighting
• Upgrades were made to the audio systems in the cafeteria and gymnasium.

V. Budget

                                                                                                   Amount available

                                                                                                          in 2023-2024

TEXT/LEARNING MATERIALS

(textbooks and learning materials/supplies needed

to support classroom instruction)                                                                        $ 30,000

SUPPLIES

(pens, pencils, rulers, paper,glue, photocopy paper, etc.)                                                   $ 42,433

ACTIVITY STIPEND ACCOUNT                                                                 $ 40,200

OTHER: (art supplies, science supplies, library, etc.)

Art Supplies                                                                                                   $ 6,600

Science Supplies                                                                                           $ 4,500

Library                                                                                               $ 3,000

SPECIAL FUNDING

(gifts, grants, partnerships, PTO, etc.)

Perkins Grant for Chapter 74                                                                                 $ 86,000

P.A.C.. (approximate)                                                                                            $ 20,000

QCSP Mini-Grants                                                                                                $  3,850

MA DESE Early College High School                                                                           $75,000  

TOTAL                                                                                            $ 281,583

VI.  Appendix

1.   Spring 2023 MCAS Data

B.  Spring 2023 Accountability Data

C. Spring 2023 VOCAL Results (Grade 10)

D.  Staffing: Support Services

 2.0          Nurse

13.0        Special Education Teachers (Resource Room/Inclusion)

  0           Special Education Teacher (Substantially Separate)

 9.0         Guidance Counselors/Chairpersons

 5.0          ELL Teachers/ELL Tutors

 0.1         Speech and Language Instructor

 1.0         School Psychologist

 0.1         Occupational Therapist

 1.0          Librarian

E.  School Council Members

A school council is a representative, school building-based committee composed of the principal, parents, teachers, community members and, at the secondary level, students, required to be established by each school pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 71, Section 59C.  https://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/advisory/schoolcouncils/

Chair/Principal:          Keith Ford                                         /s/  Keith Ford                         

Co-Chair:                          Jeffrey Bretsch                                           /s/   Jeffrey Bretsch                                  

Teacher:                      William Reardon                                          /s/   William Reardon                                         

Parents:                                Courtney Perdios                                     /s/ Courtney Perdios               

Tere Rodriguez                                        /s/  Tere Rodriguez               

Community

Member:                    Amy Sorenson-Alawad                        /s/  Amy Sorensen-Alawad