Principal’s Message from William Appleton

Lancaster High School Mission Statement

Lancaster High School

Accountability Report Card

School Year 2001-2002

School Information

District Information

School Name

Lancaster High

District Name

Antelope Valley Union High

Principal

William Appleton

Superintendent

Dr. Robert Girolamo

Street

44701 32nd St. West

Street

44811 North Sierra Hwy.

City, State, Zip

Lancaster, CA 93536

City, State, Zip

Lancaster, CA 93534-3226

Phone Number

661-726-7649

Phone Number

661-948-7655

FAX Number

661-726-7694

FAX Number

661-948-5446

Web Site

www.lnhs.org

Web Site

www.avdistrict.org

Email Address

Bappleton.avhsd.org

Enrollment

2001-02 2000-01 1999-00

2875

2695

2597

Grades Served

9-12

School Description and Mission Statement

I am proud to represent the staff and students of Lancaster High School in offering you this annual Report Card, which is designed to give a snapshot of the school and its programs. It is our hope that this document will provide a clearer understanding of our efforts to offer quality programs, and a format to report our successes and needs.

Of primary importance are the academic growth of students, their preparation for life-long learning, and their development into effective thinkers and communicators. Students are provided with opportunities for active classrooms and innovative instructional strategies that enhance learning. A sense of community is provided that extends beyond the classroom by encouraging our businesses and parents to be an active part of our educational programs. In this spirit of unity, your continued support is sought in the hope of offering students the most relevant and valuable experiences for continued success.

Grade
Level

Female

English
Learners

Not-English
Learners

Socioeconomically
Disadvantaged

Not
Socioeconomically
Disadvantaged

The mission of Lancaster High School is to empower students to succeed with the choices and challenges of the twenty-first century. The staff at Lancaster High School works to assure all students the opportunity to demonstrate growth in academic achievement, emotional maturity, physical well-being, and social responsibility. The faculty will use the best instructional strategies and curriculum to assist in providing students with a quality education.

Opportunities for Parental Involvement

Contact Person Name

Carolina Lowe

Contact Person Phone Number

661-726-7649 x781

Lancaster High School welcomes parent/guardian involvement and has come to depend on its volunteers. A Parent Advisory Committee meets once a month with the principal to discuss schoolwide issues such as curriculum standards, programs, and policy decisions that would benefit from community input. Similar advisory committees exist for our career academies, the English Language Learner program, and our recently developed II/USP grant committee.

To volunteer to assist our office staff or if you have any questions regarding committee involvement please contact: Carolina Lowe at 661-726-7649 x781

I. Demographic Information

Student Enrollment
The percentage of students is the number of students in a racial/ethnic category divided by the school's most recent California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) total enrollment.

Racial/Ethnic Category	Number of Students	Percentage of Students	Racial/Ethnic Category	Number of Students	Percentage of Students
African-American	537	18.6	Hispanic or Latino	691	24.0
American Indian or Alaska Native	26	.9	Pacific Islander	5	0.2
Asian-American	77	2.7	White (Not Hispanic)	1474	51.3
Filipino-American	65	2.3	Other	0	0.0

II. School Safety and Climate for Learning

School Safety Plan

Date of Last Review/Update	March 2001	Date Last Reviewed with Staff	September 20, 2001
School safety continues to remain a top priority. Issues that revolve around safety include, but are not limited to, school climate, violence on campus, crisis preparedness, school law enforcement relations and alcohol/drug use. Lancaster High School’s Safe Action Plan is updated and reviewed yearly. In this year’s ongoing review special attention is being paid to the Climate Survey conducted at the end the 2001 school year. The survey asked the students about things like teasing, crime, prejudice, conflict resolution, and approaches that would improve the school climate. In addition, our school deputy works with our Project 2000 student committee to gather input regarding school climate issues and assist him in his role in maintaining a safe environment.

School Programs and Practices that Promote a Positive Learning Environment

Creating and enhancing a positive atmosphere for learning is of primary importance to the staff. The scope of concern includes academics, co-curricular activities, extra-curricular activities and athletics. Research shows that students who are actively involved in extra-curricular activities are more successful in their academic studies.

The entire staff, as well as the community, has established a high level of student expectations for academic achievement and behavior. The educational climate at the school is maintained through a progressive discipline plan that provides a variety of intervention strategies to correct misbehaviors that impede students’ progress. Lancaster High School has a conflict resolution program that allows students to resolve interpersonal differences with the assistance of trained peer mediators.

Suspensions and Expulsions
The number of suspensions and expulsions is the total number of incidents. The rate of suspensions and expulsions is the total number of incidents divided by the school's California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) total enrollment for the given year. In unified school districts, a comparison between a particular type of school (elementary, middle, high) and the district average may be misleading. Schools have the option of comparing their data with the district-wide average for the same type of school.

	School			District
	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001
Suspensions (number)	379	357	592	6363	5518	4674
Suspensions (rate)	14.8	13.7	22.0	37.5	31.6	24.9
Expulsions (number)	46	27	32	350	263	334
Expulsions (rate)	1.8	1.0	1.2	2.1	1.5	1.8

School Facilities

Though Lancaster High School is still the newest school in the district we have entered our seventh year and our maintenance, custodial, and grounds crews must work year round to insure that the campus remains in top condition. Last year we added three portable classrooms and this year we anticipate adding an additional ten more to accommodate growth. When we add portable classrooms we increase student capacity but what must be remembered is that the support structures (gyms, locker rooms, theatre, cafeteria, p.e. facilities and fields) were designed to support a student population of 2100. We have grown 11% over the last two years and are currently at 2875. Just as growth in the Antelope Valley impacts all schools, the building of new schools will alleviate some of the overcrowding at LnHS.

III. Academic Data
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR)
Through the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, students in grades 2-11 are tested annually in various subject areas. Currently, the STAR program includes California Standards Tests (CST) in English Language Arts and Mathematics in grades 2-11, and Science and History-Social Science in grades 9-11; and the Stanford Achievement Test, Ninth Edition (Stanford 9), which tests Reading, Language, Mathematics (grades 2-11), Spelling (grades 2-8), and Science and History-Social Science (grades 9-11 only).

California Standards Tests (CST)
The California Standards Tests show how well students are doing in relation to the state content standards. Student scores are reported as performance levels. The five performance levels are Advanced (exceeds state standards), Proficient (meets standards), Basic (approaching standards), Below Basic (below standards), and Far Below Basic (well below standards). Students scoring at the Proficient of Advanced level have met state standards in that content area.

English Language Arts (ELA)
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001
9	---	---	26	---	---	24	---	---	28
10	---	---	29	---	---	26	---	---	31
11	---	---	25	---	---	22	---	---	29

ELA Subgroups (More than 10 Students Per Grade Level with Test Results)
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Stanford 9
Reading and mathematics results from the Stanford 9 test are reported for each grade level as the percentage of tested students scoring at or above the 50th percentile (the national average). School results are compared to results at the district and state levels.

Reading
Percentage of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001
9	31	34	40	33	34	32	34	35	35
10	32	34	36	29	32	32	33	34	34
11	44	40	36	34	31	31	35	36	37

Mathematics
Percentage of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001
9	40	46	47	43	47	46	48	51	51
10	38	39	42	35	38	36	44	46	45
11	53	46	42	39	39	36	45	47	46

Stanford 9 Subgroups (More than 10 Students Per Grade Level with Test Results)

Stanford 9 Subgroups - Reading
Percentage of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile

Stanford 9 Subgroups - Mathematics
Percentage of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile

California Fitness Test
Percentage of students meeting fitness standards (scoring in the healthy fitness zone on all six fitness standards)

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female
9	9.8	14.1	4.9	8.3	9.5	6.9	22.6	20.3	24.9

SAT I
The SAT I Reasoning Test, formerly known as the Scholastic Assessment Test, is one of the tests available from The College Board that students voluntarily take for college entrance. The SAT I is designed to assess many of the skills that are important to a student's success in college. The test may or may not be available to students at a given school. Students may take the test more than once, but only the highest score is reported at the year of graduation.

	School			District			State
	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001
Grade 12 Enrollment	475	404	609	2,115	2,803	4,303	334,852	347,813	357,668
Percentage of Grade 12 Enrollment Taking Test	44.00	35.89	26.60	40.20	30.82	21.82	36.50	36.45	36.70
Average Verbal Score	489	510	475	479	490	482	492	492	492
Average Math Score	482	506	463	478	488	478	513	517	516

Academic Performance Index (API)

The Academic Performance Index (API) is a score on a scale of 200 to 1000 that annually measures the academic performance and progress of individual schools in California. On an interim basis, the state has set 800 as the API score that schools should strive to meet.
Growth Targets: The annual growth target for a school is 5% of the distance between its base API and 800. Actual growth is the number of API points a school gained between its base and growth years. Schools that reach their annual targets are eligible for monetary awards. Schools that do not meet their targets and have a statewide API rank of one to five are eligible to participate in the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP), which provides resources to schools to improve their academic achievement.
Subgroup APIs and Targets: In addition to a whole-school API, schools also receive API scores for each numerically significant racial/ethnic and socioeconomically disadvantaged subgroup in the school. Growth targets are also set for each of the subgroups. Each subgroup must also meet its target for the school to be identified as having met its target.
Percentage Tested: In order to be eligible for awards, elementary and middle schools must have at least 95% of their students in grades 2-8 tested in STAR. High schools must have at least 90% of their students in grades 9-11 tested.
Statewide Rank: Schools receiving an API score are ranked in ten categories of equal size (deciles) from one (lowest) to ten (highest), according to type of school (elementary, middle, or high school).
Similar Schools Rank: This is a comparison of each school with 100 other schools with similar demographic characteristics. Each set of 100 schools is ranked by API score from one (lowest) to ten (highest) to indicate how well the school performed compared to schools most like it.
API criteria are subject to change as new legislation is enacted into law. More detailed and current information about the API and public school accountability in California can be found at the California Department of Education website at http://api.cde.ca.gov/ or by speaking with the school principal

School Wide API

	API Base Data				API Growth Data
	1999	2000	2001		1999	2000	2001
Percentage Tested	75	97	95	Percentage Tested	75	97	95
Base API Score	627	624	631	Growth API Score	---	623	638
Growth Target	9	9	8	Actual Growth	---	-4	14
Statewide Rank	6	5	5	Eligible for Awards	---	No	No
Similar Schools Rank	6	4	9	Eligible for II/USP	---	No	Yes

API Subgroups - Racial/Ethnic Groups

	API Base Data				API Growth Data
	1999	2000	2001		1999	2000	2001
African-American				African-American
Base API Score	495	532	519	Growth API Score	---	533	525
Growth Target	7	7	6	Actual Growth	---	38	-7
Hispanic or Latino				Hispanic or Latino
Base API Score	550	542	574	Growth API Score	---	545	575
Growth Target	7	7	6	Actual Growth	---	-5	33
White (Not Hispanic)				White (Not Hispanic)
Base API Score	681	667	684	Growth API Score	---	670	692
Growth Target	7	7	6	Actual Growth	---	-11	25

API Subgroups - Socioeconomically Disadvantaged

	API Base Data				API Growth Data
	1999	2000	2001		1999	2000	2001
Base API Score	---	525	548	Growth API Score	---	---