LANCASTER HIGH SCHOOL

School Accountability Report Card

School Year 2002-2003

School Information		District Information
School Name	Lancaster High	District Name	Antelope Valley Union High
Principal	Mr. William Appleton	Superintendent	Dr. David Vierra
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	plamb@avhsd.org
CDS Code	19-64246-1995844

School Description and Mission Statement

Principal’s Message from William Appleton

It is with great pride that I represent the staff and students of Lancaster High School. I am pleased to offer this School Accountability Report Card, which is designed to give a snapshot of the school and its programs. Although this document is not able to provide significant details into any of the required areas, it should give an indication of our efforts to offer quality educational programs.

The staff works diligently to provide opportunities for all students to gain academic growth, be life-long learners, and develop the skills of effective thinkers and communicators. A number of special programs provide extended opportunities for additional success during and after high school.

A sense of community is continually sought that extends beyond the classroom. Parents and local businesses are encouraged to be an active part in our programs. In the spirit of unity and mutual support, your participation is desired in the hope of offering students the most relevant and valuable experiences for continued success. All comments and questions are encouraged.

Lancaster High School Mission Statement

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

Carol Lowe

Contact Person Phone Number

726-7649 x782

Lancaster High School welcomes parent/guardian involvement. We rely on Parent Volunteers for a number of projects and committees at the High School. A Parent Advisory Committee meets once a month with the principal to discuss school-wide 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 the II/USP grant committee.

To get information on the Parent Volunteer Program, or if you have any questions regarding school committee, please contact Carol Lowe, Parent Volunteer Coordinator, at 726-7649 x782 or a school administrator.

I. Demographic Information

Student Enrollment, by Grade Level

Grade Level	Enrollment
Grade 9	869
Grade 10	773
Grade 11	675
Grade 12	558
Total	2875

Student Enrollment, by Ethnic Group
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	18.7	Hispanic or Latino	691	24.0
American Indian or Alaska Native	26	0.9	Pacific Islander	5	0.2
Asian-American	77	2.7	White (Not Hispanic)	1,474	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, 2002	Date Last Discussed with Staff	September, 2002
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 Safety Action Plan is updated and reviewed yearly. In our ongoing review, attention is given to the Climate Survey conducted in 2001 that asked students about teasing, crime, prejudice, conflict resolution, and approaches that would improve the school climate. Another survey was conducted in January of 2002 that raised school safety as an issue by those polled. Please refer to the section immediately following for information on many programs that Lancaster High School has instituted to enhance school climate, improve school safety, and promote a positive learning environment.

School Programs and Practices that Promote a Positive Learning Environment

In January of 2002, a random survey was presented to parents, students, and staff. In that survey, school safety was an issue raised by those polled. From those survey results, the LINK crew program was initiated and II/USP money was used to train upperclassmen, who in turn trained 80% of incoming freshmen to help transition them to high school and talk about school climate, including sexual harassment, racial issues, and gang tensions. Counselors were assigned to LINK leaders who act as conduits between counselors and freshmen who may need specific help transitioning to high school.

The Comprehensive Guidance Program (CGP) at Lancaster High School is the focal point of the guidance department. Six credentialed counselors with the help of support staff provide proactive classroom lessons to every grade level. The focus of the lessons is personal/social, academic, and career domains. Each of these areas of student development encompasses a variety of desired student learning competencies. Every lesson plan meets Lancaster High School’s ESLR’s, as well as the National Standards for School counseling programs. Pre and post-tests, surveys and questionnaires are used to evaluate the CGP, along with surveys conducted amongst 9^th and 10^th grade students.

Peer Helping and Peer Mediation has been expanded to include peer time in Healthful Living classrooms with a focus on 9^th grade, which is the largest at-risk population on campus.

It is also felt by many members of the staff that the new Air Force JROTC program is helping to foster order in the lives of many of the students. In fact, some of the strongest support for this program has come from parents of at-risk students enrolled in the course.

Lancaster High School has also partnered with the Josephson Institute of Ethics to employ their “Character Counts!” program in its athletics program. Character Counts! promotes strong character and ethics in students, parents, coaches, teachers, and administrators through training in six principles of strong character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and good citizenship. These individuals then go on to model and encourage that behavior for their peers in the school and community at large. The program incorporates a reward program for strong behavior that includes patches for letterman jackets. Parents, students, and coaches are then surveyed at the end of each school year to gauge the effectiveness of the program and determine if any modifications are necessary.

On January 14, 2003, Lancaster High School hosted the AV Youth Summit, a one-day workshop to identify, brainstorm, and develop innovative ways to educate, adopt, advocate, and role model appropriate tolerance and character behaviors on the school. Attendees at the Summit encompassed two hundred 8^th through 12^th grade students, school administration, and community based leaders.

Students were selected from various school, ethnic and leadership clubs from Lancaster High School. Workshops were designed to develop skills in leadership, character, tolerance, conflict resolution, school spirit, and human relations. There were also workshops on the juvenile justice system, community, rules & policies, and action plan processes. The Summit was a coordinated collaborative of the Antelope Valley Human Relations Task Force, Antelope Valley Mentoring Partnership, Antelope Valley Union High School District, Los Angeles Commission on Human Relations, and Murrell’s Service Center. The expected benefits and outcome of the AV Youth Summit will be further reviewed by the students, the schools, and the community based organizations to ensure that a safe and conducive environment for learning exists on every school campus throughout the district.

Suspensions and Expulsions
The number of suspensions and expulsions is the total number of incidents that result in a suspension or expulsion. 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
	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
Suspensions (number)	357	592	267	5518	4674	4006
Suspensions (rate)	13.7	22	9.3	31.6	24.9	20.6
Expulsions (number)	27	32	18	263	334	262
Expulsions (rate)	1.0	1.2	0.6	1.5	1.8	1.3

School Facilities

At Eight years old, Lancaster High School is still the newest school in the district. Our maintenance, custodial, and grounds crews work year-round to insure that the campus remains in top condition. This year we added eleven more classrooms 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 over the last two years and are at 2739 students on Jan 31, 2003. Just as growth in the Antelope Valley impacts all schools, the building of new schools will alleviate some of the overcrowding in district schools.

III. Academic Data

Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR)
Through the California 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). Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less.

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 or Advanced level have met state standards in that content area. Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less.

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

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
9	---	26	31	---	24	28	---	28	33
10	---	29	34	---	26	28	---	31	33
11	---	25	28	---	22	23	---	29	31

CST - Mathematics
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
9	---	---	6	---	---	14	---	---	22
10	---	---	9	---	---	11	---	---	21
11	---	---	7	---	---	10	---	---	18

CST - Science
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
9	---	---	51	---	---	65	---	---	33
10	---	---	24	---	---	32	---	---	31
11	---	---	13	---	---	23	---	---	28

CST - History/Social Science
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
9	---	---	17	---	---	17	---	---	24
10	---	---	21	---	---	20	---	---	24
11	---	---	23	---	---	23	---	---	32

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

Grade Level	Male	Female	English Learners	Not-English Learners	Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Migrant Education Services
9	28	35	6	33	17	37
10	29	39	3	35	17	39
11	29	27	0	29	20	30

CST - Subgroups - Mathematics
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	Male	Female	English Learners	Not-English Learners	Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Migrant Education Services
9	6	5	3	6	3	7
10	13	5	14	9	10	9
11	9	6	11	7	8	7

CST - Subgroups - Science
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	Male	Female	English Learners	Not-English Learners	Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Migrant Education Services
9	56	47	50	51	48	52
10	27	21	0	25	18	26
11	18	8	9	13	16	12

CST - Subgroups - History/Social Science
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	Male	Female	English Learners	Not-English Learners	Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Migrant Education Services
9	57	48	67	51	50	52
10	27	22	6	25	16	25
11	18	8	0	13	17	12

CST - Racial/Ethnic Groups - English Language Arts
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	African- American	American Indian or Alaska Native	Asian- American	Filipino- American	Hispanic or Latino	Pacific Islander	White (not Hispanic)	Other
9	16	0	27	53	26		40
10	18	33	57	26	27		44
11	15	14	39	47	16		35

CST - Racial/Ethnic Groups - Mathematics
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	African- American	American Indian or Alaska Native	Asian- American	Filipino- American	Hispanic or Latino	Pacific Islander	White (not Hispanic)	Other
9	1	0	20	16	4		8
10	6	0	21	0	5		12
11	0	0	9	7	1		11

CST - Racial/Ethnic Groups - Science
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	African- American	American Indian or Alaska Native	Asian- American	Filipino- American	Hispanic or Latino	Pacific Islander	White (not Hispanic)	Other
9	27		100	40	48		62
10	19		36	18	17		29
11	7		11	17	11		14

CST - Racial/Ethnic Groups - History/Social Science
Percentage of students achieving at the Proficient or Advanced level (meeting or exceeding the state standard)

Grade Level	African- American	American Indian or Alaska Native	Asian- American	Filipino- American	Hispanic or Latino	Pacific Islander	White (not Hispanic)	Other
9	30		100	50	50		62
10	18		33	22	18		29
11	7		16	23	12		15

Stanford 9 (SAT 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. Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less.

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

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
9	34	40	32	34	32	32	35	35	34
10	34	36	36	32	32	31	34	34	34
11	40	36	36	31	31	32	36	37	37

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

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
9	46	47	50	47	46	49	51	51	52
10	39	42	41	38	36	38	46	45	46
11	46	42	43	39	36	36	47	46	47

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

Grade Level	Male	Female	English Learners	Not-English Learners	Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Migrant Education Services
9	30	34	6	34	19	36
10	33	40	3	38	17	41
11	37	36	0	38	26	38

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

Grade Level	Male	Female	English Learners	Not-English Learners	Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Not Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	Migrant Education Services
9	52	47	25	52	33	55
10	41	42	23	43	26	45
11	48	38	39	43	34	44

SAT 9 - Racial/Ethnic Groups - Reading
Percentage of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile

Grade Level	African- American	American Indian or Alaska Native	Asian- American	Filipino- American	Hispanic or Latino	Pacific Islander	White (not Hispanic)	Other
9	20		27	37	24		41
10	20		57	30	25		49
11	18	14	43	67	22		45

SAT 9 - Racial/Ethnic Groups - Mathematics
Percentage of students scoring at or above the 50th percentile

Grade Level	African- American	American Indian or Alaska Native	Asian- American	Filipino- American	Hispanic or Latino	Pacific Islander	White (not Hispanic)	Other
9	28		80	68	44		61
10	21		64	40	35		54
11	25	14	83	40	33		50

California Fitness Test
Percentage of students meeting fitness standards (scoring in the healthy fitness zone on all six fitness standards)
Note: To protect student privacy, scores are not shown when the number of students tested is 10 or less.

Grade Level	School			District			State
Grade Level	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male	Total	Female	Male
9	14.5	9.5	19.6	16.7	12.1	20.9	22.7	21.0	24.6

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. The growth target for a school at or above 800 is to remain at or above 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, equal to 80 percent of the school's target, 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 Web site 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		From 1999 to 2000	From 2000 to 2001	From 2001 to 2002
Percentage Tested	75	97	95	Percentage Tested	97	95	92
API Base Score	627	624	631	API Growth Score	623	638	615
Growth Target	9	9	8	Actual Growth	-4	14	-16
Statewide Rank	6	5	5
Similar Schools Rank	6	4	9

API Subgroups - Racial/Ethnic Groups

API Base Data				API Growth Data
	1999	2000	2001		From 1999 to 2000	From 2000 to 2001	From 2001 to 2002
African-American				African-American
API Base Score	495	532	519	API Growth Score	533	525	503
Growth Target	7	7	6	Actual Growth	38	-7	-16
Hispanic or Latino				Hispanic or Latino
API Base Score	550	542	574	API Growth Score	545	575	567
Growth Target	7	7	6	Actual Growth	-5	33	-7
White (Not Hispanic)				White (Not Hispanic)
API Base Score	681	667	684	API Growth Score	670	692	672
Growth Target	7	7	6	Actual Growth	-11	25	-12

API Subgroups - Socioeconomically Disadvantaged

API Base Data				API Growth Data
	1999	2000	2001		From 1999 to 2000	From 2000 to 2001	From 2001 to 2002
API Base Score		525	548	API Growth Score		558	524
Growth Target		7	6	Actual Growth		33	-24

API-Based Awards and Intervention Programs
California program data are based on API growth data from the previous academic year.
***The II/USP Program was not funded for the year 2002.

California Programs				Federal Programs
	2000	2001	2002		2000	2001	2002
Eligible for Governor's Performance Award	NO	NO	NO	Recognition for Achievement (Title 1)
Eligible for II/USP	NO	YES	***	Identified for Program Improvement (Title 1)
Applied for II/USP $	NO	YES	***	Exited Title 1 Program Improvement
Received II/USP $	NO	YES	***

IV. School Completion (Secondary Schools)

California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE)
Beginning with the graduating class of 2004, students in California public schools will have to pass the California High School Exit Exam to receive a high school diploma. The School Accountability Report Card for that year will report the percentage of students completing grade 12 who successfully complete the California High School Exit Exam.

These data are not required to be reported until 2004 when they can be reported for the entire potential graduating class. When implemented, the data shall be disaggregated by special education status, English language learners, socioeconomic status, gender and ethnic group.

Dropout Rate and Graduation Rate
Data reported regarding progress over the most recent three-year period toward reducing dropout rates include: grade 9-12 enrollment, the number of dropouts, and the one-year dropout rate listed in the California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS). The formula for the one-year dropout rate is (Grades 9-12 Dropouts/Grades 9-12 Enrollment) multiplied by 100. Graduation rate data will be reported after the California State Board of Education approves a graduation rate formula.

	School			District			State
	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001	1999	2000	2001
Enrollment (9-12)	2559	2597	2695	17103	17646	18893	1659030	1703492	1735576
Number of Dropouts	30	22	33	380	358	426	46470	47282	47899
Dropout Rate	1.2	0.8	1.2	2.2	2.0	2.3	2.8	2.8	2.8

V. Class Size

Average Teaching Load and Teaching Load Distribution
Data reported are the average class size and the number of classrooms for each range of students, by subject area, as reported by CBEDS.

Subject	2000				2001				2002
Subject	Avg.	1-22	23-32	33+	Avg.	1-22	23-32	33+	Avg.	1-22	23-32	33+
English	26.90	41	16	30	25.82	43	14	35	26.52	45	17	35
Mathematics	26.40	27	38	15	23.92	48	33	6	25.21	46	28	17
Science	31.50	1	37	22	29.62	4	41	15	31.30	4	27	30
Social Science	35.63	1	7	40	36.02	0	8	43	33.76	2	14	55

VI. Teacher and Staff Information

Teacher Credential Information
Part-time teachers are counted as '1'. If a teacher works at two schools, he/she is only counted at one school. Data are not available for teachers with a full credential and teaching outside his/her subject area.

	2000	2001	2002
Total Number of Teachers	99	103	108
Full Credential (full credential and teaching in subject area)	73	70	74
Teaching Outside Subject Area (full credential but teaching outside subject area)			3
Emergency Credential (includes District Internship, University Internship, Pre-Interns and Emergency Permits)	26	54	61
Teachers with Waivers (does not have credential and does not qualify for an Emergency Permit)			0

Teacher Evaluations

The evaluation of teachers is a positive process designed to assist professional educators with improving skills related to delivery of instruction. It also addresses matters associated with interpersonal relationships with students, parents, and colleagues. The process includes the establishment of responsibilities, assessment of student performance, maintenance of a suitable learning environment, and assistance for improvement where indicated.

Each certificated evaluator at LnHS updates her/his skills through continued training. We currently have several Peer Coaches and Beginning Teacher Support and Assessment (BTSA) Teachers who, along with administration, continue to support and help teachers improve their instructional delivery.

The District provides numerous in-service opportunities for all staff throughout the course of the year. This information is included in the District’s in-service catalog and is also available online as a resource for teachers. This District-sponsored in-service series is in addition to a number of conferences that are attended by annually by many staff members. These conferences include topics such as cognitive coaching, layered curriculum, co-teaching and collaboration, and technology and curriculum integration. Staff members have several different funding sources available to cover the costs of professional development activities.

Substitute Teachers

Recognizing the importance of instructional delivery, it is critical to employ the most qualified substitute teachers possible. The continuity and quality of the school program depend on the ability of substitutes to maintain the highest level of instruction. To this end, the District has made available a pool of qualified individuals from which substitute teachers are selected. Our school site has been provided three (3) permanent, roving substitutes who appear for work daily and who are assigned as needed. Teachers too, during their preparation periods, provide period substitute duties for their peers on a rotational basis.

Despite the availability of roving substitutes and our faculty’s assistance with period-substitute duty, our school and District continue to experience a great need for additional, qualified substitute teachers.

Counselors and Other Support Staff
Data reported are in units of full-time equivalents (FTE). One FTE is defined as a staff person who is working 100% full time. Two staff persons working 50% of full time also equals one FTE.

Title	FTE
Counselor	6.0
Librarian	0.20
Psychologist	2.0
Social Worker	0.0
Nurse	0.60
Speech/Language/Hearing Specialist	0.20
Resource Specialist (non-teaching)	1.20
Other	6

Academic Counselors
Data reported are in units of full-time equivalents (FTE). One FTE is defined as a staff person who is working 100% of full time. Two staff persons working 50% of full time also equals one FTE. The ratio of pupils per academic counselor is enrollment as reported in the most recent California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) data collection divided by the number of academic counselors.

Number of Academic Counselors (FTE)	Ratio of Pupils per Academic Counselor
6	456

VII. Curriculum and Instruction

School Instruction and Leadership

The Curriculum provided for students at Lancaster High School meets all State and local guidelines. An emphasis is placed on aligning the curriculum and instruction with the State standards to more accurately reflect student learning. Relevant instruction continues to provide students with fundamental skills and extended learning opportunities. Students participate in the learning process by working in teams to problem-solve, taking responsibility for much of their own learning through active participation, discovery, investigation, research, and communicative skills. At the same time, students prepare for assessments used by the State to determine a level of academic achievement.

Teachers continually increase their ability to address the varied learning styles of all students. The 2-hour block of instructional time presents a unique opportunity for students to experience varied activities within each lesson. Teacher training related to a layered-curriculum or differentiated teaching has provided teachers with techniques that help meet the varied learning abilities and styles of their students.

Academic departments meet regularly to discuss and plan curriculum and instruction, which enables them to fully provide the best for students. Teachers also work within cross-curricular and vertical teams to plan instruction that demonstrates a relationship between subject areas and to offer a sequential and progressive pattern of learning.

Instruction is designed to meet the needs of all students. Advanced placement classes provide a rigorous, college level curriculum; Special Education classes give service to students needing remedial or extended instruction. The developing Advanced Placement College Prep program, open to all students, gives students college level experiences and prepares them for post-high school educational success. A special education inclusion program offering collaborative and co-teaching models, a learning lab, and reading and math seminar classes, in addition to several SDC programs, places special needs students into the least restrictive learning environment to best meet their educational needs.

Understanding that a successful school requires a very strong and united effort from all staff members, there are many opportunities to use the multiple leadership skills present. Responsible for instructional leadership, fiscal stability, student academic growth, facility maintenance, and a safe learning environment, the administrators work diligently to provide a smooth running educational organization. The administrative staff supports the efforts of teachers who work closest to the students. Teachers also fill leadership roles including department chairs, technology experts, and special program leaders. Teachers are encouraged to seek and develop leadership positions, contributing their skills to the improvement of the educational success of students. Various teams of faculty members serve the educational community of LnHS, including technology committee, career academies, and advisory councils. Veteran teachers also serve as mentors and support providers for those teachers in the beginning years of their career. A full Beginning Teacher Support program, a pre-intern/Internship program and a Peer assistance review are in place to assist all levels of professional development. Regular assessments of teacher performances are made through numerous snap-shot and full observations, as well as formal evaluations.

Continual reviews of student performance are made. Various assessment tools, from teacher made tests, to district proficiency exams, to state and national testing (STAR, CAHSEE, SAT I, PSAT, ACT, ASVAB, GSE, AP) help provide an understanding of student success and weaknesses. One area, based on student assessments, determined in need of improvement is Reading. In effort to improve student reading ability, LnHS has initiated remedial reading programs. Additional programs are being developed to ensure students are reading in all academic classes. With the funding from the State’s Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools Program (II/USP), an additional emphasis is being placed on basic reading skills. A renewed focus on underperforming students is evident through collaborative department meetings, SAT-chats, and tutorial programs. Special needs students are provided with appropriate IEP accommodations and modified instruction to meet their specific needs, many within general education classes.

Schools that do not meet their API 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. As such, Lancaster High School volunteered itself (schools with a 5 are given the option) as an II/USP school for its 2002-2003 school year and has received $539,000 in funding for its academic program. LnHS worked with the school facilitator to make the single site plan. Four core subject (science, history, math, and English) areas were emphasized with support in supplies and teacher training time. Department training was held over the summer and the external evaluator, through the department chairs, facilitated training. English and reading skills were emphasized with the purchase of new grammar books, EL materials, and corrective reading aids. Three teachers were trained in teaching reading to lower-ability students. An EL Coordinator and a Reading Coordinator were also instituted. A ½ time counselor was hired to support the Comprehensive Guidance Program in its focus on “bubble kids” who show a particular proclivity towards academic improvement.

Lancaster High School recently completed our 3-year revisit by WASC to continue our 6-year WASC accreditation cycle.

Professional Development

Professional development opportunities for all staff are offered in the district’s Professional Development Catalog. On campus there is a Sing School Site Plan that addresses professional development. Through our II/USP funding, we have had the opportunity to meet in vertical teams with the elementary district in Math and English, teachers have received training in essential standards and their implementation, more specifically a team of English teachers has been trained in the Language! Program, and currently instruct our most at-risk students. Other teachers have attend CLAD and SADIE training. Non-instructional days were provided for teacher training in areas of curriculum alignment, Standards based instruction, improved instructional strategies, and use of technology to assess student data, among other topics. School administrators are participating in a state approved AB-75 training. Through a Carl Perkins grant, the CAMP program teachers have participated in a number of workshops and seminars on CAMP related topics.

Quality and Currency of Textbooks and Other Instructional Materials

Lancaster High School maintains a complete supply of textbooks, library materials and additional instructional materials. LnHS adheres to the district’s seven-year textbook-adoption cycle with members of respective departments serving on the textbook selection committees. In recent years, English, foreign language, social studies and science departments have adopted new books. The District has spent approximately 2.5 million dollars for textbooks across the District during that time. These books are in addition to supplementary materials that the school site provides for enhanced learning. LnHS utilizes a computer program for both issuing and receiving student textbooks. Students are held responsible for loss or damage of their individual textbooks.

There is a district-wide process for the selection of textbooks and instructional materials following the State Department of Education’s seven-year adoption cycle. We continue to purchase classroom sets of Freshman and Sophomore core subjects to try to lighten the backpack load of our students and to cut down on the wear and tear of textbooks traveling between home and school. Textbooks chosen have been Board approved based on their alignment with the state standards.

The school has also completed the installation of a Digital High School grant. With this money, the school was able to replace its outdated Macintosh computers (which were actually older than the campus!) with up-to-date PC computers. Currently, every classroom has a computer and printer, and they are each connected to the Internet and district email through on-site servers. Many classrooms have more than one computer as we have moved computers that were not obsolete out of labs and offices when they were replaced by newer equipment. An additional five full computer labs are also available for student use; these labs are Internet accessible, and they contain both scanners and printers. In total, the campus now possesses 720 computers, 208 printers, and 7 servers.

A total of seven portable computer labs have been added to the campus as well. These rolling carts contain 20 laptop computers and 4 of the carts have printers. Because the carts are Internet accessible, the students may access the campus’ student server for the saving of work if they choose to use that method instead of the computer’s 3½-inch floppy drive; students can also access this server from home via the Internet. The portability of these laptop carts has allowed LnHS to open up rooms for classroom use—as opposed to making them computer labs—in light of its increased student enrollment. These carts also allow teachers to plan lessons around equipment that can be physically located to their classrooms, increasing the effectiveness of the learning environment. Records show that virtually every computer cart has been in use every day that they have been available for checkout.

Digital High School money has also been used for other resources. Approximately 40% of classrooms now have digital projectors; teachers are reporting that these projectors have a positive impact on teaching and the school continues to search for funding to get more of these tools into classrooms. In order to best utilize the student laptop carts, all laptops on the campus now have wireless Internet and network access. The aging television studio was also re-outfitted with required equipment, and the size of the school’s technical support staff was increased to care for the increased amount of digital equipment on the campus.

Instructional Minutes
The California Education Code establishes the required number of instructional minutes per year for each grade. Data reported compares the number of instructional minutes offered at the school level to the state requirement for each grade.

Grade Level	Instructional Minutes
Grade Level	Offered	State Requirement
9	65,119	64,800
10	65,119	64,800
11	65,119	64,800
12	65,119	64,800

Total Number of Minimum Days

Eleven instructional days are minimum days. These days are used for final exams, Back-to School Night, and STAR Testing.

VIII. Postsecondary Preparation (Secondary Schools)

Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Courses Offered
The Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs give students an opportunity to take college-level courses and exams while still in high school. The table below shows the number of classes offered and the enrollment in various AP and IB classes. The data for Fine and Performing Arts includes AP Art and AP Music.

Subject	Number of Courses	Number of Classes	Enrollment
Fine and Performing Arts	1	1	16
English	2	7	156
Foreign Language	2	2	27
Mathematics	2	4	92
Science	4	5	76
Social Science	3	7	194
Behavioral Science	1	1	13

Pupils Enrolled in Courses Required for University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) Admission (Grades 9-12)
The percentage of pupils enrolled in courses required for UC and/or CSU admission is calculated by dividing the total number of pupils in courses required for UC and/or UC admission (duplicated count) by the total number of pupils in all courses (also a duplicated count) for the most recent year.

Number of Pupils Enrolled in all Courses	Number of Pupils Enrolled In Courses Required For UC and/or CSU Admission	Percentage of Pupils Enrolled In Courses Required For UC and/or CSU Admission
15852	9680	61.1

Graduates Who Have Passed Courses Required for University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) Admission
The percentage of graduates is the number of graduates who have passed course requirements for UC and/or CSU admission divided by the school's California Basic Educational Data System (CBEDS) total graduates for the most recent year.

Number of Graduates	Number of Graduates Who Have Passed Course Requirements For UC and/or CSU Admission	Percentage of Graduates Who Have Passed Course Requirements For UC and/or CSU Admission
507	144	28.4

SAT I Reasoning Test
Students may voluntarily take the SAT test for college entrance. 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
	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002	2000	2001	2002
Grade 12 Enrollment	404	609	558	2694	4303	4404	347813	357789	365907
Percentage of Grade 12 Enrollment Taking Test	36	27	34	32	22	23	36	37	37
Average Verbal Score	510	475	462	490	482	477	492	492	490
Average Math Score	506	463	452	488	478	474	517	516	516

College Admission Test Preparation Course Program

Lancaster High School’s Comprehensive Guidance Program (CGP) provides opportunities for students to participate in two types of test-prep programs. The first, a SAT computer program, is available at all times in the Career Center. Students may access the program during snack, lunch and after school or with their teacher’s permission, during class time. A second program, group sessions, is conducted by counseling interns on an as-needed basis. In addition, the CGP plan provides yearly parent nights for all students to attend where college information is presented and questions are answered.

Degree to Which Students are Prepared to Enter Workforce

Lancaster High School students begin preparing for the world of work from the moment they enter the 9^th grade and continue until the culminating Senior Project in their final year. At each grade level they explore the connections between what they learn and the “real world.” Students in the AVUHSD are instructed in the value of work ethics including responsibility, respect, trustworthiness and fairness.

Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRs) were developed at our site as a foundation of all instruction.

Lancaster High School prepares its graduates to be:

Life-long learners with the ability to

Practice self directed learning
Plan for possible careers
Access needed information and databases
Work both collaboratively and individually
Accept responsibility for their actions

Effective communicators with the ability to

Speak effectively
Read critically
Write clearly

Analytical thinkers with the ability to

Distinguish fact from opinion
Solve problems logically
Utilize information from a variety of sources
Use technology as a tool

Responsible citizens with the ability to

Respect different viewpoints and reasoning processes
Understand the principles of democracy
Work with a diversity of people
Contribute to the betterment of their school and community

As a district, we are working toward making our curriculum more rigorous, relevant, and reality based. One of the programs the district instituted last school year is the senior project as a graduation requirement. Students select an area of interest to research, find a mentor, and compile research. Eventually, they must make their presentation to a panel for evaluation. An accompanying class titled Senior Seminar has been implemented to assist all students in meeting individual requirements for the senior seminar. It is our hope that through these efforts, students will find greater success earlier in their chosen careers.

Our School-to-Career preparation includes our Careers in Arts and Multimedia Production (CAMP) Academy for students interested in pursuing that career track. We also offer an Aviation Career Pathway and Air Force Junior ROTC Program led by Captain Carlson, Sergeant Hood and Chief Melvin.

The Regional Occupation Program (ROP) is another program that prepares students for the workforce. On our campus we offer Careers with Children, Aviation Maintenance Technology, Careers in Fashion Merchandising and Aviation Electronics.

IX. Fiscal and Expenditure Data

Average Salaries (Fiscal Year 2000-2001)
Statewide data categories used for comparison are determined by type (Elementary, High, and Unified) and enrollment, as defined in Management Bulletin 02-04. The statewide average for principals is aggregated by district. There is no statewide average calculated for Common Administration Districts.

Category	District Amount	State Average For Districts In Same Category
Beginning Teacher Salary	31683	35124
Mid-Range Teacher Salary	57668	57212
Highest Teacher Salary	77089	71349
Average Principal Salary (High)	98640	99782
Superintendent Salary	140520	138750
Percentage of Budget for Teacher Salaries	39.23	38.23
Percentage of Budget for Administrative Salaries	5.56	5.12

Additional Compensation for Administrators

No additional compensation.

Expenditures (Fiscal Year 2000-2001)

District	District	State Average For Districts In Same Category	State Average All Districts
Total Dollars	Dollars per Student (ADA)	Dollars per Student (ADA)	Dollars per Student (ADA)
$112,621,538	$6,230	$6,534	$6,360