Improving Scores Show Expo's Impact on Struggling Students
Posted on: Friday, 16 May 2008, 18:00 CDT
By Andrew Wind, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa
May 16--WATERLOO -- Expo High School is designed for struggling students.
Smaller class sizes and a more flexible quarter-based schedule are intended to provide the greater attention students need to succeed. Teachers, known to students by their first names, often act more like parents. It's a victory when some of these students decide to attend school every day, let alone make it to graduation.
So no one at Expo was expecting it to be the top school last month when Waterloo Community Schools announced the annual Swartzendruber Award for Academic Excellence. Expo won because it showed more growth than any other district school this year on standardized tests.
"We still aren't even close to being happy with our test scores," said Principal Kari Gunderson. "Where they are when we get them and where we are able to move them is still not good enough."
But without Expo, many of its 230-plus students would still be struggling at East and West high schools or just drop out. That rings true for many of the seven students in Rachelle Brown's May term botany class.
"I like it here because when you're having problems outside of school, the teachers will sit down and talk to you about it," said junior Nicole O'Connor, adding that teachers treat students with respect and as equals. "They don't look down on you for the mistakes you've made."
Before arriving at Expo, Natiria Whitaker was "getting into trouble" at East High and not receiving the help she needed from teachers to turn around. Now that's all changed.
"I like the teachers, I'm getting good grades and I'm on the honor roll," she said.
The Iowa Tests of Educational Development results suggest a growing number of Expo students are having more academic success.
"We're looking at growth in percent proficient from last year to this year," said Jane Lindaman, the district's director of learning and results. Proficiency means a student did better than at least 40 percent of students at their grade level on the ITEDs.
Math proficiency rose from 46 to 59 percent between the fall 2006 and 2007 testing of Expo's juniors. Science proficiency rose from 53 to 76 percent. Reading proficiency remained steady at 55 percent.
What's behind the success of Expo students who haven't done well in other schools?
"A lot of it is relationships," said English teacher Carolyn Cowell.
"Probably the linchpin of the whole program is the core teacher," added Gunderson. Each core teacher meets with about 12 students every school day. "They're assigned to that core teacher, and that's a pretty sacred relationship here."
Relating to students
Staff members describe the core teacher as a counselor, advocate, disciplinarian and cheerleader for their students.
"They're kind of like mom or pop when you're here," said counselor Marsha Watters. "If you had 40 in your core, it would be hard to do that."
"I think the size is a big thing to students," said Gunderson. "They need a smaller environment."
The ratio of students to teachers makes for small class sizes that allow for a different experience than at larger high schools.
"I've been here two years," said senior Samantha Showalter. "I lost interest in school before I came here. All the other schools were just boring to me. Classes (at Expo) are more interesting, a lot funner to be in."
Junior April Magnuson likes Expo's "hands-on" approach to education. "It's not just out of the book."
For example, her May term botany class has a classroom component and opportunities to learn about plants out in the community. Each student spent 14 hours over nine days volunteering at Petersen & Tietz Greenhouse. This week, they have gone mushroom hunting and visited yards to talk about what specific plants would grow best in them.
During May term, students complete an entire quarter-length class in one month. Classes frequently include field trips, projects or a service component and get students into the community.
Before May term, the school year is divided into four eight-week quarters -- unlike the semesters at East and West high schools. That approach allows for students to start at Expo sooner when they transfer in mid-year.
They can take classes in smaller segments, as well. They receive a half credit per quarter compared to a full credit for every semester class at the other high schools.
Students are also free to decide if they want to attend school on a particular day. But they lose points for skipping school. That moves them down the priority list for choosing future classes.
"We try to make the kids learn from their decisions and own them," said Gunderson. Still, attendance remains a problem at Expo.
"One of our biggest frustrations is attendance," added Gunderson. "We have a lot of kids that just don't want to come to school."
Not all students end up at Expo because they struggle with academics and attendance, though.
"We have students with perfect attendance. We have students who bring advanced classes here," said Watters. Instead, their decision to attend Expo may relate to personal problems with peers at school or other people in their lives.
"I think our mission here is to take the barriers in our kids' lives and help them manage that," said Gunderson. She appreciates the district's support of Expo and other interventions designed to help students at risk of becoming a high school drop-out.
"I'm always really proud of Waterloo, because they just keep plugging away and trying," she said. "Everybody looks for an answer to keep that kid in school."
"What our community needs to realize is our kids are East and West high kids," said social studies teacher Chip Wood.
"The bottom line is those schools, as good as they are, just aren't working for them and what they need at that time," added math teacher Bill Petullo. Expo is able to "take the time to find out who they are, what makes them tick."
The school uses "a shopping bag full of approaches" to address students' educational needs, said Wood.
"It's very hard to fall through the cracks," he noted. "It is possible at Expo, but it's very, very difficult."
Contact Andrew Wind
at (319) 291-1507 or
andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.
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Source: Waterloo Courier
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