1. Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves?
Seneca High School is a mid to large size high school in Louisville, Kentucky.Seneca's tradition of quality education has existed since 1957. Famous alumni include national news anchor Diane Sawyer, Louisville’s “Mayor for Life” Jerry Abramson, and NBA great, Wes Unseld. In 2010-11, the community reacted in surprise when Seneca was identified by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) as a “persistently low achieving” (PLA) school. The Seneca High School campus is located in a safe, residential setting in the desirable East End of the city. The community was asking: How could this happen to a “good” school in a “good” part of town?
Analysis of student achievement data and leadership practices revealed that over time, Seneca’s teaching staff and pedagogy remained steady, while the student body and culture had changed. A majority of policies and practices were not student-centered and did not reflect the increasing diversity and needs of students. The tradition of Seneca was to be Louisville's "Best Kept Secret" - a school with a strong Advance Program that could overcome the lower test scores of regular program students by depending on the middle to upper class honors and advance students. However, approximately six years ago, all high schools in Jefferson County were allowed to open an advance program.This diluted the former powerhouses of advance programs, Seneca included. After the KDE leadership audit, Seneca was exposed as catering to this group of students and not having systems in place to support the other students who now comprise over 90% of our student body (our identified advance program students only total around 9%).
In the last three years the student population has become incredibly academically, racially, and socially diverse - a reflection of the exponentially increasing diversity of the community. The community surrounding Seneca has changed socioeconomically in the last few years. There is a high rate of unemployment, and a growing population of students living in low-income hotels, or with extended families due to loss of income and homes. A high rate of new immigrants exists, and Catholic Charities often place new residents in the community surrounding Seneca or in our resides areas.
Our students’ needs have become increasinglymore challenging as our English Language Learners (ELL/ESL) population and our Free and Reduced lunch rates of studentshave increased. We are approximately 45% Caucasian, 41% African Americanand 11% Hispanic. The remaining 4%associate themselves primarily as Asian or mixed race.We are approximately 53% Male, 47% Female. Approximately 13% of our students are in the Exceptional Child Education program (ECE). Another 17.6% of our students speak English as their Second (or third or fourth) Language. According to Infinite Campus data, 76.7% of our students are on free or reduced lunch status. This last statistic is a huge step away from Seneca's traditional standing in the community.Such diversity can create unique challenges; however, the current staff at Seneca embraces the differences we see in our students and promote them as an asset rather than a challenge. Our school has made great strides in the last two years in providing all students with an environment of high expectations.
In January of 2011, the district appointed a new principal at Seneca and turnaround efforts began. The new principal’s first major task was to tell 38% of the teaching staff that they would not return to Seneca in 2011-2012. Additionally, 2 of 3 assistant principals were re-staffed. Careful selection of new and remaining staff members and administrators consisted of formal interviews with questions based on the previous leadership’s deficiencies report. The interview committee sought visionary, innovative, culturally responsive teachers and leaders.
At its peak, there were 2,000 students on Seneca’s campus. While enrollment had decreased prior to the application of the PLA label, this new status certainly affected public confidence, and therefore enrollment, for the following school year. In 2011-2012, Seneca’s total enrollment was 1,381 students. Through the hard work, dedication, and commitment of Seneca’s leadership, staff, students, and parents, this downward trend reversed in just one school year. Today, Seneca serves almost 1,500 students in grades nine through twelve, surpassing district projections. The school includes students engaged in Liberal and International Studies, Education, Human Services (which now includes Pre-Law and Pre-Veterinarian programs), Marine Corps JROTC, Urban Agri-science Technology, Advance Program, students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program, and special needs students (including the Hearing Impaired/Oral Program.
Together, leadership and staff re-created the mission, vision, motto, and belief statements of the school to signify unity, a change in direction, and a commitment to student achievement. Symbolic changes had to occur. The school mascot, officially changed from “Redskins” to “Redhawks” in the nineties, had not been a prominent or consistent image since that change occurred. The new principal recognized the identity crises and developed and promoted one mascot image on all publications and communications. Suddenly, students knew what a Redhawk looked like. Teachers and students referred to themselves as Redhawks, and we began to unite as a school family. “Operation Beautification” launched immediately: The front of the school was painted. Lockers were painted. College banners were hung. The dress code policy changed to allow students to wear actual school colors: red and gold. A nice new marquee was built flashing the good news at Seneca to all who pass. Classroom assignments were changed to allow teachers of the same content to be near one another; this change invited daily collaboration and collegiality among teachers. These symbolic changes are now evident throughout the school and reflect messages of school pride and high expectations for all.
The staff of Seneca High School is extremely dedicated to student achievement and the success of the school. Teachers now collaboratively work, plan, and analyze student data in professional learning community (PLC) teams. One hundred percent of Seneca’s faculty is Highly Qualified, and eighty-six percent of teachers hold Master’s degrees. Diversity, as compared to many schools, is also reflected in the racial make up of our teaching staff: Asian/Pacific Islander = 1%, Hispanic = 2%, African American = 18%, White = 79%. Male teachers make up 43 percent of the staff, and females comprise the other 57 percent. These diverse perspectives enhance our focus on culturally responsive teaching and more closely represent the student population we serve.
While Seneca High School has seen many positive, productive changes in the last three years, challenges beyond diversity exist. Full implementation of rigorous standards based teaching and learning, broadening effective intervention efforts across content areas, implementation of school wide literacy strategies, and managing the increasing student population remain areas for continued planning, growth, and professional development. Some negative public perception persists as a result of PLA identification. We are working to rebuild our standing in the community and increase partnerships with the alumni and local businesses.The Instructional Leadership Team has developed and implemented a plan for continuous improvement that is shared with stakeholders and regularly monitored for effectiveness. Seneca’s leadership, staff, and students must continue to produce evidence that we are moving further away from a “PLA” and ever closer to a highly functioning PLC in order to fulfill our mission of ensuring ALL students are successful.
2. Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students.
The mission of Seneca High School is to prepare all students for college and career goals as measured by state academic standards. We are committed to providing an environment and system of support to ensure all students are successful. Our vision is: Seneca High School is a positive, caring community where staff members and students are committed to becoming an exemplary model for success in a global society. This mission and vision are the driving force behind every decision made at Seneca.We are working to increase the academic performance of every student, to transform school culture, and to make data informed decisions. Our staff strives to be an effective professional learning community (PLC) where students’ individual learning needs are understood and addressed in each classroom. Seneca High School teachers collaborate weekly in teams during common planning periods to: identify essential learning targets for all students; determine how students will demonstrate competency in the state standards; provide interventions for those students who need more help; and provide enrichment to those students who master the content.
With student achievement as our primary goal, Seneca's program offerings push students to succeed at the highest level. Students are placed in one of three levels: honors, advanced, or AP. In addition, ECE students are placed in collaborative environments whenever possible.Students begin being indoctrinated with the phrase, "No excuses, just results" quickly at Seneca. It is a phrase used by teachers and staff to push students (and one another) to see beyond the obstacles that lie before them--everything from socioeconomic challenges, to troubles at home or with friends, learning problems, or gaps in their own learning. And as students become accustomed to hearing it, they use it to motivate and inspire each other. “Failure is not an option at Seneca High School because we expect students to learn” is another common mantra of the principal in her addresses to staff, students, parents, and community members. Implementation of standards-based grading helps address the challenges of students who struggle. When students see that there will be no penalty for stumbling in the learning process, such as a low formative assessment grade or a missed assignment, and that anything less than their best effort will be returned to them to "re-do," they realize they can be successful in courses that may have been a challenge for them in the past.At the same time, standards-based grading also takes away the cushion of "just giving credit" for completed work and holds both teachers and students to the rigorous level of the national standards.Students and staff speak the language of the new standards, in learning targets, on assessments, and in discussion of assessment results. Students know if they are "red" for a standard, they need to work diligently in class, after school or in intervention to overcome this deficit to become "green."
Guided by our mission, student achievement is our top priority. Programs that assist students in meeting or exceeding academic benchmarks include: Seneca College (an ACT preparatory strategy), HIP (Hawks Intervention Program), and “Lunch and Learns” (where teachers use their lunch period to work with students on missed assignments, test re-dos, or standards recovery instruction). We also offer additional academic courses in English and Math for senior students who did not meet ACT benchmarks as juniors in order to prepare them for College and Career Readiness Goals. Most recently, we added an intervention/enrichment period on Fridays to provide additional instructional time for students in need of intense remediation or engaging enrichment opportunities.
Seneca’s Hawks Intervention Program, or HIP, is an after-school system of support designed to move students toward proficiency on specific standards. If a student struggles with a particular concept during class, their teacher may target the student for a HIP session based on assessment results. When this occurs, the teacher notifies our intervention team and the student is scheduled for a HIP session. The teacher will then notify the student at least two days prior to the session. Once the student is notified, they are then expected to attend the session to recover the standard. Each HIP session is designed to focus on one key standard from class in a small group setting. This allows the instructor and the students to work in a more focused environment. Each HIP session lasts an hour after school. Students are provided with snacks during the HIP sessions, and transportation is available if needed. At the end of each HIP session, the student is provided with the opportunity to recover the standard by re-taking the original assessment on that topic. This new score on the assessment will then be substituted for the student’s original score. Seneca staff members choose to take a proactive approach in helping students master all the key standards in each course, as directed by our mission, and HIP is a crucial part in this effort.
While our mission focuses on student achievement, it includes an environment and system of support for students. One of the programs we have for supporting students’ social and academic needs in a positive and caring way is our HAWKS advisory program. The HAWKS advisory program embodies both the mission and the vision of Seneca High School. Every staff member, including the principal, serves as an advisor to a small group of students on Wednesdays. During HAWKS Time, advisors implement lessons that focus on items related to college and career readiness and positive relationships. The advisor is a fierce advocate for all of their advisees. As an advisor, teachers aim to be the one adult in the building that students can go to and talk about issues, whether they are academic or social. This relationship exemplifies the positive, caring community spoken of in our vision statement.
Our entire staff, including leadership team members, participates in regular professional development that emphasizes best practices (including differentiated instruction and data informed instructional decision-making) and culturally responsive teaching strategies. Our goal is to help all students – regardless of race, gender, socio-economic status, disability, or academic level – achieve at high levels.
3. Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years.
Seneca High School has made tremendous improvements over the past three years. We have gone from students having little school pride to having students who know the mission and fight song of the school and who have taken genuine strides to make this school and themselves better. Over the last three years, we are much more intentional about where we are going as a school and how we teach. We are also more intentional about individualized and differentiated instruction to allow for EACH one of our students to have the opportunity to learn and master the standards.