NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS
REPORT OF THE VISITING COMMITTEE
Windham High School
Windham, New Hampshire
November 2 – 5, 2014
John K. Clements, Chair
Keith McCarthy, Assistant Chair
Ryan Kaplan, Principal
New England Association of Schools & Colleges, Inc.
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100
Burlington, MA 01803
TOLL FREE: 1-855-886-3272 TEL. 781-425-7700 FAX 781-425-1001
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STATEMENT ON LIMITATIONS
THE DISTRIBUTION, USE, AND SCOPE OF THE
VISITING COMMITTEE REPORT
The Committee on Public Secondary Schools of the New England Association of Schools
and Colleges considers this visiting committee report of Windham High School to be a privileged
document submitted by the Committee on Public Secondary Schools of the New England Association
of Schools and Colleges to the principal of the school and by the principal to the state department of
education. Distribution of the report within the school community is the responsibility of the school
principal. The final visiting committee report must be released in its entirety within sixty days (60) of
its completion to the superintendent, school board, public library or town office, and the appropriate
news media.
The prime concern of the visiting committee has been to assess the quality of the
educational program at Windham High School in terms of the Committee's Standards for
Accreditation. Neither the total report nor any of its subsections is to be considered an evaluation of
any individual staff member but rather a professional appraisal of the school as it appeared to the
visiting committee.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Statement On Limitations
Introduction .......................................................................................................................5
School and Community Summary .................................................................................7
School’s Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations ..........................................9
Teaching and Learning Standards ................................................................................10
Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations ................................................11
Curriculum................................................................................................................15
Instruction .................................................................................................................20
Assessment of and for Student Learning .............................................................25
Support of Teaching and Learning Standards ............................................................31
School Culture and Leadership .............................................................................32
School Resources for Learning ...............................................................................39
Community Resources for Learning .....................................................................46
Follow-Up Responsibilities ............................................................................................52
APPENDICES
A.
B.
C.
Roster of Visiting Committee Members……………………………………..53
Committee Policy on Substantive Change ………………………………....54
List of Commendations and Recommendations……………………………55
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INTRODUCTION
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) is the oldest of the six regional
accrediting agencies in the United States. Since its inception in 1885, the Association has awarded
membership and accreditation to those educational institutions in the six-state New England region
who seek voluntary affiliation.
The governing body of the Association is its Board of Trustees which supervises the work of
four Commissions: the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE), the Commission on
Independent Schools (CIS), the Commission on Public Schools which is comprised of the Committee
on Public Secondary Schools (CPSS), the Commission on Technical and Career Institutions (CTCI), and
the Commission on Public Elementary and Middle Schools (CPEMS), and the Commission on
American and International Schools Abroad (CAISA).
As the responsible agency for matters of the evaluation and accreditation of public secondary
school member institutions, CPSS requires visiting committees to assess the degree to which the
evaluated schools meet the qualitative Standards for Accreditation of the Committee. Those Standards
are:
Teaching and Learning Standards
Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations
Curriculum
Instruction
Assessment of and for Student Learning
Support of Teaching and Learning Standards
School Culture and Leadership
School Resources for Learning
Community Resources for Learning.
The accreditation program for public schools involves a threefold process: the self-study
conducted by the local professional staff, the on-site evaluation conducted by the Committee's visiting
committee, and the follow-up program carried out by the school to implement the findings of its own
self-study and the valid recommendations of the visiting committee and those identified by the
Committee in the Follow-Up process. Continued accreditation requires that the school be reevaluated
at least once every ten years and that it show continued progress addressing identified needs.
Preparation for the Accreditation Visit - The School Self-Study
A steering committee of the professional staff was appointed to supervise the myriad details
inherent in the school's self-study. At Windham High School, a committee of five members, including
the principal, supervised all aspects of the self-study. The steering committee assigned all teachers and
administrators in the school to appropriate subcommittees to determine the quality of all programs,
activities and facilities available for young people.
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The self-study of Windham High School extended over a period of eight school months from
February 2013 to November 2014. Public schools evaluated by the Committee on Public Secondary
Schools must complete appropriate materials to assess their adherence to the Standards for
Accreditation and the quality of their educational offerings in light of the school's mission, learning
expectations, and unique student population. In addition to using the Self-Study Guides developed by
a representative group of New England educators and approved by the Committee, Windham High
School also used questionnaires developed by The Research Center at Endicott College to reflect the
concepts contained in the Standards for Accreditation. These materials provided discussion items for a
comprehensive assessment of the school by the professional staff during the self-study.
It is important that the reader understand that every subcommittee appointed by the steering
committee was required to present its report to the entire professional staff for approval. No single
report developed in the self-study became part of the official self-study documents until it had been
approved by the entire professional staff.
The Process Used by the Visiting Committee
A visiting committee of fourteen evaluators was assigned by the Committee on Public
Secondary Schools to evaluate the Windham High School. The Committee members spent four days in
Windham, New Hampshire reviewed the self-study documents which had been prepared for their
examination, met with administrators, teachers, other school and system personnel, students and
parents, shadowed students, visited classes, and interviewed teachers to determine the degree to
which the school meets the Committee's Standards for Accreditation. Since the evaluators represented
a variety of roles from public schools, diverse points of view were brought to bear on the evaluation of
Windham High School.
The visiting committee built its professional judgment on evidence collected from the following
sources:

review of the school's self-study materials

46.5 hours shadowing fourteen students for a half day

a total of fifteen hours of classroom observation (in addition to time
shadowing students)

numerous informal observations in and around the school

tours of the facility

individual meetings with teachers about their work, instructional
approaches, and the assessment of student learning

group meetings with students, parents, school and district administrators,
and teachers

the examination of student work including a selection of work collected by
the school
Each conclusion in the report was agreed to by visiting committee consensus. Sources of
evidence for each conclusion drawn by the visiting committee appear in parenthesis in the Standards
sections of the report. The seven Standards for Accreditation reports include commendations and
recommendations that in the visiting committee’s judgment will be helpful to the school as it works to
improve teaching and learning and to better meet Committee Standards.
This report of the findings of the visiting committee will be forwarded to the Committee on
Public Secondary Schools which will make a decision on the accreditation of Windham High School.
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School and Community Summary
“Welcome to Windham, New Hampshire”
Windham is a small community located in the southern region of the State of New Hampshire in
Rockingham County. With a current population of approximately 15,500, the town offers excellent
educational, recreational, and business opportunities. Windham is located 45 minutes from the White
Mountains, Boston, and the NH Seacoast. Windham has often been referred to as "The Jewel of
Southern New Hampshire" relative to the efforts expended by a dedicated group of citizens and
elected officials toward keeping our level of service high and our taxes low. Windham has fast become
a highly sought after location within the nation's “Safest” and "Most Livable" states. Windham made
CNN’s top 50 places to live in 2013.
The median household income for Windham is $118,000 and the poverty level is 1.7%. The tax rate is
$23.60/$1000 home assessed value. The rate can be broken down as follows: town $3.70, local schools
$16.37, state schools $2.44 and county $1.09. Windham High School is expending $14,417.80 per
student in 2013-14 whereas the NH state average spending per student is $13,489.88.
The Windham School District currently serves over 2,800 students at our four community schools Golden Brook School (Kindergarten through 2nd), Windham Center School (3rd through 5th),
Windham Middle School (6th through 8th) and Windham High School (9th through 12th).
Windham High School opened its doors in 2009 with two grade levels: 9th and 10th. There were 300
students the first year. For the 2013-14 school year Windham High School’s total enrollment is 782.
The demographic breakdown of the high school population is: American Indian (4), Asian (32),
Hispanic (17), African American (2), White (721) and Unclassified (4). According to the New England
School Development Council the projected enrollments numbers for Windham High School are: 784
students in the 2014-15 school year; 787 in 2015-16; and 846 in 2016-17.
Windham High School (WHS) received the Zero Dropout Rate Recognition Award for the past two
years from Commissioner Barry; this is an honor we are very proud of and take very seriously. From
our graduating class, 92% of students attend a 4-year college, 6% attend 2-year colleges, and the
remaining 2% enter the military and the work force. For the reported 2013-14 school year, WHS had
three students achieve the GED and one student completed the adult education program through
Salem High School. To date, WHS prides itself on a 100% graduation rate.
There are 110 staff members who work at WHS, 90 on the teaching staff and 20 as paraprofessionals.
The average rate of teacher attendance is 95% with student attendance averaging 97%. Teachers have
an average of 120 students with an average class size of 24. Humanities classes average around 40
students, with two teachers. Underclassmen are required to attend school 180 days; seniors 175 days;
and teachers are contracted for 186 days. The teaching staff has three professional days per year, and
each teacher may take up to three personal days.
Students at WHS are recognized for various academic and extracurricular activities and achievements
at our bi-monthly assemblies, sports award nights, pep rallies, Scholarship Night, and our Top Ten
Dinner; they are recognized in newspaper articles/press releases; and they are recognized for New
England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) achievement, National Honor Society admission,
the Renaissance Character Award, Honor Roll achievement, Student Council service, Distributive
Education Clubs of America (DECA) achievement, community service, extracurricular
club/organization activities, and participation in JV and Varsity sports.
WHS employs a School to Career Coordinator who collaborates with the business community
including partnerships with the town Community Development Director and the Salem Chamber of
Commerce Business Education group. The Coordinator’s responsibilities include coordination and
support of service and extended learning opportunities for the students.
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WHS has joined forces with the Big Brothers-Big Sisters Youth Mentoring Program, the Salem Boys &
Girls Club, BAE Industries computer refurbishing program, Sonshine Soup Kitchen, the Farmers
Market and several town events to provide ongoing civic as well as career-centered exploration for the
students. In addition, students are encouraged to participate in programs that connect classroom
learning to real world experiences beyond the classroom. These include Career Technical Education
programs at Pinkerton Academy and Salem High Schools, our DECA business program, the Robotics
Program, and the Trebuchet Day in Physics. Internships are offered to provide partnerships with the
student, community organizations and businesses, and the school’s educational programming.
WHS’s Grade Point Average (GPA) is calculated by converting numerical grades to points
based on the table below. These points are added and then divided by the total number of credits
attempted during a marking period. Windham High School calculates GPA on a 4.0-weighted scale.
Academic Performance & Recognition
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Letter Grade
Range
CP
Honors
AP
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
4.33
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
0.67
0.00
4.67
4.33
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
0.00
5.00
4.67
4.33
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
0.00
97-100
93-96
90-92
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
50-59
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Windham High School Mission Statement
Windham High School is an educational
community committed to excellence through
hard work, high standards, personal
responsibility, and dedication to others.
R – Responsibility
O – Opportunity
A – Achievement
R – Respect
21st Century Learning Expectations:






Technology
Communication
Numeracy & Literacy
Problem Solving & Critical Thinking
Healthy Lifestyle & Kinesthetic Awareness
Social & Civic Engagement
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COMMITTEE ON
PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS
TEACHING AND LEARNING
STANDARDS
CORE VALUES, BELIEFS, AND LEARNING
EXPECTATIONS
CURRICULUM
INSTRUCTION
ASSESSMENT OF AND FOR STUDENT
LEARNING
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Teaching and Learning Standard
1
Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations
Effective schools identify core values and beliefs about learning that function as explicit foundational commitments to
students and the community. Decision-making remains focused on and aligned with these critical commitments. Core values
and beliefs manifest themselves in research-based, school-wide 21st century learning expectations. Every component of the
school is driven by the core values and beliefs and supports all students’ achievement of the school’s learning expectations.
1.
The school community engages in a dynamic, collaborative, and inclusive process informed by current
research-based best practices to identify and commit to its core values and beliefs about learning.
2.
The school has challenging and measurable 21st century learning expectations for all students which address
academic, social, and civic competencies, and are defined by school-wide analytic rubrics that identify
targeted high levels of achievement.
3.
The school’s core values, beliefs, and 21st century learning expectations are actively reflected in the culture of
the school, drive curriculum, instruction, and assessment in every classroom, and guide the school’s policies,
procedures, decisions, and resource allocations.
4.
The school regularly reviews and revises its core values, beliefs, and 21st century learning expectations based
on research, multiple data sources, as well as district and school community priorities.
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Conclusions
The school community at Windham High School (WHS) engaged in a dynamic, collaborative, and
inclusive process to commit to its core values and beliefs about learning. The process began when the
school convened a core values committee during the 2012-13 school year. The committee used input
from faculty members and staff members gathered at faculty meetings and accreditation committee
meetings to draft a revision to the school’s original mission statement that was created by a committee
appointed by the school board prior to the school’s original opening. In May 2013, the committee
requested input via email from students, parents, faculty, and staff members regarding the draft of the
updated mission statement. In June 2013, faculty members, staff members, and administrators voted
on their choice of one of four proposed mission statements. The current mission statement was
approved with a vote of forty out of a total of ninety-three votes. The mission statement articulates
some of the school’s beliefs about learning including that the school, “is an educational community
committed to excellence through hard work, high standards, personal responsibility, and dedication to
others.” In addition to the mission statement, the school also established four core values:
responsibility, opportunity, achievement, and respect. In order to increase awareness of the core values
and to make them more easily recognizable to students, the school created an acronym, ROAR,
representing each of the identified core values. This acronym is a recognizable part of the school’s
culture and is referenced regularly by members of the school community. The process to develop
Windham High School’s core values and beliefs about learning included representative perspectives
from the school community. Faculty members report that their discussion on the mission statement
evoked passionate, thoughtful discourse. The school’s mission statement which includes the school’s
core values and beliefs is readily available and published in the WHS Program of Studies, on the
school’s website, and in the student handbook. The process to develop core values and beliefs about
learning focused on revising and updating the mission statement that was used when initially
establishing the school community. The process did not include a focus on current, research-based best
practices. As a result of engaging in a dynamic process to commit to its core values and beliefs about
learning, the school has developed a clear understanding of its guiding principles; however, it cannot
ensure that the core values and beliefs about learning reflect current, research-based best practices.
(self-study, teachers, students, parents, school publications)
Windham High School established 21st century learning expectations for all students, which address
academic, social, and civic competencies, and are defined by school-wide analytic rubrics that identify
targeted levels of achievement; however, students and teachers do not have a consistent, clear
understanding of the role of these expectations in teaching and learning activities at the school.
Confusion about the 21st century learning expectations is due, in part, to publication of multiple
versions of the expectations and a list of 21st century skills. For instance, the school’s program of
studies includes a list of six 21st century learning expectations including technology, communication,
numeracy and literacy, problem solving and critical thinking, healthy lifestyle and kinesthetic
awareness, and social and civic engagement. This listing is then expounded upon with a listing of
“expectations for student learning” that highlights certain aspects of the 21st century learning
expectations and includes two civic and three social expectations. While students and teachers report
that they feel the school’s expectations are challenging, they do not have a consistent understanding of
the role of the expectations in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. In order to measure
achievement of the expectations, the school has created seven analytic rubrics. These seven rubrics
cover the six learning expectation categories, and some components of the rubrics do address the
specific academic, civic, and social learning expectations; however, they also include components that
do not correspond with the listed learning expectations. The rubrics are labeled technology, reading,
writing, and communication, numeracy and literacy, problem solving and understanding concepts,
critical thinking, kinesthetic, and social and civic. The reading, writing, and communicating rubric
was revised in 2013, however the others have not been revised from their initial creation prior to the
school’s opening. Each rubric has specific criteria listed under four different levels of achievement:
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“proficient with distinction,” “exceeds proficiency,” “proficiency,” and “not proficient.” The
terminology used to label each of the four levels of achievement is the same throughout all seven
rubrics. Each rubric clearly notes the desired level of achievement, however a student need only attain
the second level on the rubric to be proficient. The school’s learning expectations are consistent with its
core values and beliefs as described in the mission statement. As a result of establishing academic,
social, and civic expectations with corresponding analytic rubrics, Windham High School has
identified the skills that are most important for students to be able to apply in their learning; however,
the confusion about the expectations resulting from multiple published versions and the lack of
updated analytic rubrics limit the school’s ability to make the expectations a central part of teaching
and learning at the school. (teachers, administrators, students, self-study, program of studies)
The school’s core values, beliefs, and 21st century learning expectations are actively reflected in the
culture of the school, sometimes drive curriculum, instruction and assessment, and sometimes guide
the school’s policies, procedures, decisions, and resource allocations. The culture of the school reflects
its core values and learning expectations in a variety of ways. The mission statement identifies a
commitment to excellence through hard work, which is demonstrated in the school’s pride for
academic achievement. The school’s core values of responsibility, opportunity, achievement, and
respect are shown in many ways. Students demonstrate responsibility in their completion of the
minimum requirement of forty hours of community service during their four years at the school. The
core value of opportunity reveals itself in the variety of extracurricular activities at the school including
the successful athletic program that enrolls approximately sixty-five percent of students. The school’s
focus on achievement is evident through the retake policy which encourages students to focus on
competency in their learning. As part of that policy, any student who scores below an eighty percent
may retake a summative assessment to bring their grade up to an eighty percent. The value of respect
can be seen in the interactions between students and teachers and through the respect the student body
demonstrates for the condition and upkeep of the facility. The 21st century learning expectations are
reflected in the academic culture of the school. In alignment with the school’s expectation to use
technology, Windham High School is a 1:1 learning environment. All students at WHS receive a
MacBook that is used regularly as an integral part of instruction, assessment, and communication. The
school also provides teachers with iPads and each classroom with a projector and interactive white
board. The expectation for students to be able to think critically is seen through projects that ask
students to apply their learning to authentic situations. Likewise, in alignment with the expectation to
live a healthy lifestyle and have kinesthetic awareness, students are required to earn one and a half
credits in human performance classes and half a credit in wellness in order to graduate. As a result of
the prominent role of the school’s core values, beliefs, and 21st century learning expectations, students
at Windham High School receive an education that is directed by a clear sense of purpose that is
unique to the school community. (students, teachers, self-study, parents)
Although the school community engaged in a formal process to review and revise the initial Windham
High School mission statement in preparation for its initial accreditation visit, it does not have an
established plan to review and revise these documents on a regular basis. Faculty members and
administrators recognize the importance of maintaining the relevance of these guiding principles. They
express interest in the feedback gained from the observations of the visiting team in order to determine
a process that will appropriately support this process moving forward. By establishing a formal
process to review and revise the core values, beliefs about learning, and 21st century learning
expectations the school will be able to ensure that teaching and learning at the school is guided by the
priorities of the school community. (self-study, teachers, administrators)
Commendations:
1. The dynamic, inclusive process used to update the school’s initial mission statement to include
core values and beliefs about learning
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2. The development of ROAR acronym as a way to communicate the core values to the school
community
3. The development of 21st century learning expectations that address academic, social, and civic
competencies
4. The development of analytic rubrics to measure the school’s 21st century learning expectations
5. The variety of ways that the core values, beliefs about learning, and 21st century learning
expectations actively reflected in the culture of the school, drive curriculum, instruction, and
assessment in every classroom, and guide the school’s policies, procedures, decisions, and
resource allocations
Recommendations:
1. Examine school data, educational research, district and community priorities, and other
relevant evidence as part of the process to review and revise the school’s core values, beliefs,
and 21st century learning expectations
2. Establish and consistently communicate a single version of the 21st century learning
expectations
3. Review and revise the school-wide rubrics to be sure that they are a viable tool to assess
student achievement of the 21st century learning expectations
4. Ensure that the targeted level of achievement on the analytic rubrics to measure student
achievement of the 21st century learning expectations is appropriately rigorous
5. Create and implement a formal plan for the regular review and revision of the core values,
beliefs, and 21st century learning expectations based on research, multiple data sources, as well
as on district and school community priorities
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Teaching and Learning Standard
2
Curriculum
The written and taught curriculum is designed to result in all students achieving the school's 21st century expectations for
student learning. The written curriculum is the framework within which a school aligns and personalizes the school's 21 st
century learning expectations. The curriculum includes a purposefully designed set of course offerings, co-curricular
programs, and other learning opportunities. The curriculum reflects the school’s core values, beliefs, and learning
expectations. The curriculum is collaboratively developed, implemented, reviewed, and revised based on analysis of student
performance and current research.
1.
The curriculum is purposefully designed to ensure that all students practice and achieve each of the
school's 21st century learning expectations.
2.
The curriculum is written in a common format that includes:

units of study with essential questions, concepts, content, and skills

the school’s 21st century learning expectations

instructional strategies

assessment practices that include the use of school-wide analytic and course-specific rubrics.
3.
The curriculum emphasizes depth of understanding and application of knowledge through:

inquiry and problem solving

higher order thinking

cross-disciplinary learning

authentic learning opportunities both in and out of school

informed and ethical use of technology.
4.
There is clear alignment between the written and taught curriculum.
5.
Effective curricular coordination and vertical articulation exist between and among all academic areas
within the school as well as with sending schools in the district.
6.
Staffing levels, instructional materials, technology, equipment, supplies, facilities, and the resources of the
library/media center are sufficient to fully implement the curriculum, including the co-curricular
programs and other learning opportunities.
7.
The district provides the school’s professional staff with sufficient personnel, time, and financial resources
for ongoing and collaborative development, evaluation, and revision of the curriculum using assessment
results and current research.
15
Conclusions
The curriculum at Windham High School is purposefully designed including the addition of 21st
century learning expectations in some of the school’s curriculum documents; however there is no
formal plan in place to ensure students have regular opportunities to practice and achieve each of the
expectations. As part of the beginning process to incorporate 21st century learning expectations into the
curriculum, faculty members look for opportunities to include the expectations in their courses. Faculty
members report that the expectations are relevant to their work with students; some teachers seek as
many opportunities to teach and assess achievement of the expectations as possible. Other teachers do
not have a clear understanding of which expectations they are required to focus on as part of their
work with students. As a result of not yet implementing a formal plan for the teaching and assessment
of 21st century skills, the school cannot predict how often students will be given the chance to practice
and achieve expectations over the course of their four years at the school. (students, teachers, selfstudy)
The curriculum for most disciplines at Windham High School is written in a common format that
includes essential questions, content, skills, standards, instructional and assessment strategies. Some of
the curriculum documents include the relevant 21st century learning expectations. The curriculum is
accessible through the district’s website which includes links to documents for English, math, science,
social studies, and music. Essential questions are included for each unit across all disciplines. For
instance, the heroism unit for grade nine cultural foundations lists two essential questions including,
“Why does society believe it is important to have heroes?” and “What do heroes reflect about a
culture?” Each document includes a list of content studied in the course. For instance, the curriculum
for physics includes content listed under three areas: forces and motion, types of interactions, and
definitions of energy. Skills are included in the common format for each curriculum document. For
instance, the “balance, blending, and phrasing” unit of the music curriculum lists three skills including
such topics as “students will be able to identify and play through melodic phrases.” Each course’s
curriculum lists the Common Core Standards that are related to the unit. Additionally, the “common
formative/summative assessment” portion of curriculum for the documents identifies a variety of
assessments that relate to each unit. As an example, the measurement unit for advanced geometry lists
four summative assessments on circles and polygons that teachers should administer as part of that
unit. In some cases the curriculum documents explicitly identify the 21st century learning expectations
that relate to particular courses; however, the expectations are generally not listed under their own
category in the curriculum document. Additionally, the curriculum template does not include specific
reference to instructional strategies. As a result of writing the curriculum in a common format that
includes essential questions, content, skills, assessments, and standards, teachers are able to establish a
clear set of teaching and learning expectations for each course. However, until Windham High School
incorporates 21st century learning expectations into its documents, it will be unable to ensure
consistency with these aspects of the curriculum. (curriculum documents, self-study, teachers,
administrators)
The curriculum at Windham High School emphasizes depth of understanding and the application of
knowledge through inquiry and problem solving, higher order thinking, cross-disciplinary learning,
authentic learning opportunities, and the informed and ethical use of technology. Students engage in
inquiry and problem solving in courses across all disciplines. For instance, students in economics work
together to design a product which solves a problem faced by consumers or fills a consumer need.
Students in biology use evidence to make and support conclusions about how an organism’s DNA and
environment affect its characteristics. Students are asked to apply higher order thinking in a variety of
ways. For instance, students are asked to participate in learning activities such as analyzing case
studies, designing original experiments in science classes, participating in Socratic seminars, and
analyzing and applying learning from primary source documents. Likewise, Windham High School
16
emphasizes cross-disciplinary learning in a variety of ways. Freshman students participate in cultural
foundations and sophomore students take American studies; both courses combine English and social
studies curriculum in a single class. The courses are co-taught by a history and English teacher. The
curriculum identifies essential questions that are studied from the perspective of each discipline,
allowing students to study an era in history through the literature of that particular time period. Other
formal opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration take place during Trebuchet Day which pairs
students who take physics with students studying Latin. Additionally, world languages classes
provide formal opportunities for students to study art and history as part of a cultural investigation
project. The curriculum at Windham High School also provides students with a variety of authentic
learning opportunities. For instance, the kite project from the geometry curriculum asks students to
take mathematical concepts and apply them to the building of a kite. A local kite expert works with
students through their trial and error efforts to adjust the design of their kites. Additionally, students
often write to audiences beyond the classroom including writing letters to the editor as part of
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition course or participating in a water quality
project in which they share their final report with the community as part of a marine biology course.
The curriculum at Windham High School also integrates technology in a meaningful way and ethical
way. Students use their school-issued MacBook computers to access curriculum materials. For instance,
many courses include the use of Moodle, an open source online learning program. Through Moodle
students can access materials and assignments. Additionally, they can use it as a platform for online
conversations with their classmates. Policies are in place to support the ethical use of technology. The
library media specialist in conjunction with other teachers provides lessons about accessing and using
digital media. Additionally, students must adhere to an acceptable use policy regarding technology. As
a result of providing a curriculum that emphasizes inquiry, higher order thinking, cross-disciplinary
learning, authentic learning opportunities, and the use of technology in an ethical and informed way,
students at Windham High School have the opportunity to engage in a variety of meaningful learning
opportunities. (panel presentation, teachers, program of studies, curriculum documents, self-study,
students)
Windham High School has some formal practices to ensure the alignment of the written and taught
curriculum. One way that the school addresses this alignment is through the formal use of common
assessments. Beginning in the 2013-14 school year, teachers of all courses implemented the use of
common assessment four times per year in each of their year-long courses. In courses with multiple
sections, the results of common assessments are analyzed and used to help determine alignment of
written and taught curriculum. In addition to reviewing common assessments, deans and directors
conduct informal and formal teacher evaluations. They also review teachers’ Moodle pages to
determine whether or not material presented in the classroom supports the written curriculum. Deans
and directors are also able to check each teacher’s daily activities, assignments, and homework to
determine their alignment to the written curriculum. In some cases teachers use professional learning
community (PLC) meetings to focus on maintaining alignment between the written and taught
curriculum. Departmental meetings also provide regular opportunities for teachers and department
leaders to focus on the alignment of the curriculum. As a result of these formal opportunities,
Windham High School is able to ensure that curriculum is taught and assessed in a consistent and
timely manner across all disciplines. (teachers, administrators, self-study, curriculum documents)
Windham High School provides effective curricular coordination and vertical articulation between and
among all academic areas within the school as well as with the sending schools in the district. The
school’s work with curriculum is guided by the district’s director of curriculum who works with
teachers and administrators across all grade levels. Additionally, the district has developed curriculum
guides that provide a continuum of student learning expectations for grades K-12. The administrative
team meets weekly to ensure that all departments maintain their respective timelines. The team
includes the principal, assistant principal, guidance director, athletic director, as well as deans and
17
directors that represent particular disciplines. The deans and directors work with their department
members to ensure alignment with the formal curriculum documents. The district-level responsibilities
of the directors provide those leaders with insight about the vertical alignment of the curriculum. In
addition, the school and district provide several committees or collaborative opportunities for teachers
to guide the alignment of curriculum. A curriculum committee comprised of a representative group of
teachers and administrators has also been established to support the vertical alignment of curriculum.
Middle and high school teachers meet to discuss alignment of curriculum. Additionally, WHS faculty
members spend at least eighty minutes per week in PLCs. A variety of topics are covered in PLCs,
including in some groups the alignment of curriculum across levels. Faculty members may collaborate
with teachers within their department or across content areas during the PLC time. Faculty members
do not limit collaboration to the weekly PLC meetings, and many informal collaborative efforts occur
regularly within departments. As a result of the many formal and informal procedures in place to
ensure the alignment of curriculum, WHS is able to provide continuity for the learning experiences of
students in the Windham School District. (teachers, administrators, curriculum documents, self-study)
Staffing levels, instructional materials, technology, equipment, supplies, facilities and resources of the
LMC are sufficient to fully implement the curriculum. Windham High School employs sixty-three
teachers to work with the school’s 776 students. Teachers work with an average of 120 students and the
average class size at the school is twenty-four. As a result of staffing, Windham High School is able to
offer students a range of core classes including interdisciplinary English/history classes, a choice of
three world languages, and a variety of lab sciences. Students can opt to participate in a variety of
elective classes across departments including applied materials technology, business, family and
consumer sciences, human performance, music, visual arts, as well as career and technical
programming through other local high schools. The school’s expenditures over the past three years
have not exceeded the amount of budgeted funds available to the district. Each student within the
school is provided a MacBook computer that provides access to digital resources, the opportunity to
collaborate digitally, and a variety of ways to demonstrate understanding of the curriculum. Other
technology available to teachers to support the delivery of the curriculum includes iPads issued to
some teachers, LCD projectors in each classroom, interactive whiteboards, and Internet bandwidth that
meets the needs of the school community. In addition the school provides several computer labs that
allow students access to collaborative space or software that is not included on the student-issued
computers. The music, visual arts, engineering and design, and technical education areas of the school
are well provisioned with materials and resources to support the implementation of the curriculum.
Specially designed classrooms for the cultural foundations and American studies courses allow for two
interdisciplinary classes to meet simultaneously in a shared space in support of the co-curricular
design of the course. Students have access to curriculum materials through Moodle, textbooks, and
teacher-generated materials. The library media center’s resources adequately support the curriculum
with supplemental materials, databases, a digital and print collection, as well as computers to support
research. As a result of the provision of staffing, instructional materials, technology, equipment,
supplies, facilities and resources of the LMC, Windham High School is able to support the
implementation of a relevant, challenging, and appropriate curriculum for all students. (self-study,
teachers, parents, students, administrators)
The school district provides the school’s professional staff with sufficient personnel, time, and financial
resources for ongoing and collaborative development, evaluation, and revision of the curriculum. In
addition to building administrators, Windham High School provides four directors, two deans, and a
curriculum coordinator who provide leadership for curriculum coordination and articulation. Faculty
members and many student support service personnel members are involved in the review of
curriculum. The school uses a curriculum adoption cycle that provides for the review of each
curriculum on a three-year cycle. Over the course of the past two years, Windham High School has
dedicated professional collaboration time to curriculum-related needs. Departmental meetings, PLC
18
meetings, and professional development days have focused on developing, evaluating, and revising
curriculum through the creation of a common curriculum template. The school has also developed a
series of common assessments that provide data to be used in the formal review of curriculum.
Departmental and PLC meetings allow teachers to collaborate on shared learning outcomes and the
study of data from the New England Comprehensive Assessment Program (NECAP) and Advanced
Placement tests. Due to the level of resources provided by the district, curriculum is evaluated and
revised on an ongoing basis to ensure that it meets the teaching and learning goals of the school.
(teachers, administrators, self-study, curriculum documents)
Commendations:
1. The establishment of curriculum documents in English, math, science, social studies, and music
that is written in a common format and includes units of study with essential questions,
concepts, content, and skills, and assessment practices
2. The many opportunities across all curriculum areas that engage students in inquiry and
problem solving, higher order thinking, cross-disciplinary learning, and authentic learning
opportunities
3. The many meaningful ways technology is integrated into the curriculum including the use of
MacBook computers by all students, the informed use of Moodle as a online course
management tool, and the regular access provided to digital learning tools
4. The use of common assessments as a way to ensure the alignment of the written and taught
curriculum
5. The curricular coordination and vertical articulation between and among all academic areas
within school as well as with sending schools in the district through the leadership of academic
deans and directors and collaborative meetings of faculty members
6. The provision of staffing levels, instructional materials, equipment, supplies, facilities, and the
resources of the library media center to support a curriculum that is engaging, responsive to
students’ needs, and supportive of all students’ academic achievement
7. The provision of a wide array of technology including students’ Macbook computers, teacherissued iPads, projectors, a server dedicated to Moodle, and appropriate bandwidth to support
the implementation of the curriculum
8. The provision of sufficient personnel, time, and financial resources for ongoing and
collaborative development, evaluation, and revision of the curriculum
Recommendations:
1. Create and implement a formal plan that will ensure that all students practice and achieve each
of the school’s 21st century learning expectations
2. Establish curriculum documents in the common format for all disciplines that have not yet
created these documents
3. Revise curriculum guides to include the school’s 21st century learning expectations
19
Teaching and Learning Standard
3
Instruction
The quality of instruction is the single most important factor in students’ achievement of the school’s 21 st century learning
expectations. Instruction is responsive to student needs, deliberate in its design and delivery, and grounded in the school’s
core values, beliefs, and learning expectations. Instruction is supported by research in best practices. Teachers are reflective
and collaborative about their instructional strategies and collaborative with their colleagues to improve student learning.
1.
Teachers’ instructional practices are continuously examined to ensure consistency with the school’s core
values, beliefs, and 21st century learning expectations.
2.
Teachers’ instructional practices support the achievement of the school’s 21st century learning
expectations by:
 personalizing instruction
 engaging students in cross-disciplinary learning
 engaging students as active and self-directed learners
 emphasizing inquiry, problem solving, and higher order thinking
 applying knowledge and skills to authentic tasks
 engaging students in self-assessment and reflection
 integrating technology.
3.
Teachers adjust their instructional practices to meet the needs of each student by:
 using formative assessment, especially during instructional time
 strategically differentiating
 purposefully organizing group learning activities
 providing additional support and alternative strategies within the regular classroom.
4.
Teachers, individually and collaboratively, improve their instructional practices by:
 using student achievement data from a variety of formative and summative assessments
 examining student work
 using feedback from a variety of sources, including students, other teachers, supervisors, and parents
 examining current research
 engaging in professional discourse focused on instructional practice.
5.
Teachers, as adult learners and reflective practitioners, maintain expertise in their content area and in
content-specific instructional practices.
20
Conclusions
At Windham High School teachers’ instructional practices are examined to ensure consistency with the
school’s core values and beliefs about learning; instructional practices are sometimes examined to
ensure consistency with the school’s 21st century learning expectations. The core values at Windham
High School include responsibility, opportunity, achievement and respect. Instructional practices align
with these values in a variety of ways. Teachers show responsibility in the deliberate use of a variety of
instructional practices in order to meet the learning needs of students. In addition, faculty members
regularly collaborate in formal and informal ways with their colleagues with a clear emphasis on
teaching and learning. Instruction at Windham High School aligns with the value of opportunity in the
variety of instructional activities that allow students to customize work to their interests or to apply
their learning. Teachers’ instructional practices align with value of achievement in the high level of
expectations teachers have for their professional work. Faculty members speak openly of the culture of
high achievement at the school and the obligation they feel to continually improve their instructional
practice. The core value of respect is recognizable in the productive, supportive, and polite way that
teachers and students collaborate in teaching and learning. The beliefs about learning at Windham
High School are embedded in the school’s mission statement that identifies the school as, “an
educational community committed to excellence through hard work, high standards, personal
responsibility, and dedication to others.” These beliefs align with school’s core values and can be seen
through the diligence of teachers and the high expectations for achievement that are shared by
members of the school community. Teachers make regular use of professional learning communities
(PLCs) to observe other teachers and to reflect upon their own practices. Windham High School
sometimes evaluates instruction to ensure that it aligns with the 21st century learning expectations. The
expectations highlight aspects of teaching and learning that are recognizable and meaningful to
teachers at Windham High School. For instance, technology is integrated into instruction and teachers
often provide critical thinking activities to students. However, the lack of assigned course or
department responsibility and the lack of a formal process to teach and assess achievement of the
expectations limit the amount of instruction aimed at achievement of the 21st century learning
expectations. Teachers recognize the importance of these expectations and express interest in
formalizing the instructional strategies they use to guide students toward achievement of the
expectations. As a result of examining instructional practices to ensure alignment with the school’s
core values and beliefs, teachers are able to use instructional strategies that align with the guiding
principles of the school. (self-study, teachers, administrators)
Teachers utilize instructional practices that support the achievement of the school’s 21st century
learning expectations. Teacher’s instructional practices at Windham High School allow them to
personalize learning opportunities to address the needs of the diverse learning styles of the student
population. Teachers meet regularly with students who are having trouble with the subject area after
the general lesson is taught and also meet with students before or after school as needed. Corrective
support is extended to students during the advisor/advisee period as an opportunity for one-to-one or
small group help. Teachers consistently encourage small group work within their classes to address
learning needs through peer evaluations and collaboration. Windham High School provides several
formal opportunities to integrate cross-disciplinary learning in the instructional practices of the school.
Freshman and sophomore students participate in the cultural foundations and American studies
courses which combine the study of English and history into a single class. The courses are co-taught
by an English and history teacher and are scheduled to occur during a double block. Through the
course students have the chance to make connections between the two subject areas. Teachers also look
for opportunities to integrate the study of other disciplines in particular units of study. For instance,
world languages teachers include the study of art and history in the study of culture related to world
languages. In addition, teachers provide a school-wide summer reading exercise that addresses a
common theme across the disciplines. Teachers’ instruction regularly engages students as active and
21
self-directed learners. Teachers provide hands-on, project-based learning and discovery lessons. For
instance, in the myth busters class, students explore the potential impact of a penny falling from the
top of the Empire State Building. Similarly, in a sophomore writing class students study the poem
“Ode to the Artichoke” by dissecting, eating, and describing the artichoke. Students then apply this
process to a writing assignment about an item of their choice. Students are encouraged to be active and
self-directed in civil rights class when viewing pictures of famous civil rights movements in history
and applying their analysis to their overall understanding of the event. In biology, students are broken
into groups to solve and use critical thinking skills using multiple methods. Some teachers also
promote active and self-directed learning through the flipped classroom model that allows students to
access instructional videos outside of class time and then apply their learning in the classroom setting.
Students are frequently given opportunities to problem solve and think analytically. In the cultural
foundations course, students analyze the idea of fate through an analysis of Romeo and Juliet. In
philosophy, students analyze poems, identify the antagonist and protagonist, and defend their
characterization through evidence. In physics, students observe an experiment and then apply Socratic
problem-solving methods in small groups to better understand what occurs in the experiment. In
photography, students take pictures at a variety of shutter speeds and then apply analytical thinking to
determine the effect of shutter speed on images. Teachers regularly ask for students to apply
knowledge and skills to authentic tasks. In French, students display letters and postcards from around
the world with appropriate comments and greetings on them. In Advanced Placement English
Language, students are asked to publish letters in the school newspaper and to submit letters to the
editor of the local paper. In Advanced Placement Government, students contact their civic leaders in
an effort to promote social change. Music classes provide students with opportunities to perform at a
variety of venues including Carnegie Hall. Pottery classes create Halloween decorations which are
displayed in the lobby. Students in the exploring space course design, build, and launch model rockets
in order to better understand rocket science. Teachers’ instruction often provides opportunities for
students to reflect on their work and to self-critique using rubrics. Students meet regularly with their
teacher to revise their work and to find ways to improve their understanding. Most students complete
numerous formative assessments prior to a summative assessment. Formal processes such as the use
of the English department’s writing document incorporate student reflection as a part of the writing
process. Additionally, as part of the remediation process for test retakes, some teachers require the
students to reflect upon what they have learned and what they need to learn. Teachers routinely utilize
technology as an important part of their instruction. Class learning activities and assignments are
shared through Moodle and other online learning platforms. Through these tools teachers display
warm-up activities, allow students to submit assignments, share assessments, provide access to
presentations and notes, share guided note taking activities, and share resources with students.
Teachers regularly ask students to access digital resources through the Internet. Additionally, teachers
use interactive whiteboards to share notes or display student work. They use iPads to provide mobility
during their instruction, often displaying their desktop to the class through the use of an application or
providing students with notes from multiple locations in the room. Teachers also share lessons
through technology by using the flipped classroom model in which they create video lessons that
students view independently, allowing more time for debate, discussion, and practice during class. As
a result of the variety of instructional strategies used by teachers at Windham High School, teachers
are able to support student achievement for all learners. (teachers, students, self-study, student work,
administrators)
Teachers at Windham High School adjust their instructional practices to meet the needs of students.
Teachers adjust their instruction through the frequent use of formative assessment. Many types of
formative assessments are used regularly and meaningfully by teachers, including tools such as
entrance and exit quizzes, quick response essays, student response systems, structured question and
answer sessions, the use of whiteboards to share answers, journal writing, think/pair/share activities,
and digital assessments through Moodle. Eighty-one percent of teachers report that they differentiate
22
instruction to address the needs of their students. In some cases teachers provided planned
differentiation to meet the learning needs and styles of their students. For instance, when providing
initial instruction of a concept, teachers provide guided notes that support the learning of students
with specific learning needs. In other cases differentiated instruction occurs through the use of
formative assessment. When noticing that students in a math class similarly answered a question
incorrectly, teachers group students to specifically address their questions. Teachers often use
scaffolding to provide opportunities for students to achieve the learning objectives of the lesson. In
music classes, students are offered one-on-one learning opportunities for instrumental sectionals
which provide the learner with a chance to ask questions, to talk about technique and to work on
specifics related to their instrument. In many math classes the teachers employ a flipped classroom
model in order to provide students in need of support with an additional resource that can clarify their
understanding. In math classes as students master a certain idea they are allowed to go on to more
difficult problem while others continue to work on their mastery of the original concepts. A variety of
other courses offer one-on-one instruction, peer instruction, and access to the school learning center to
improve their overall performance. Teachers provide many group learning activities as a regular part
of their instruction. Eighty-eight percent of students and teachers report that group learning occurs in
the classroom. In science, students collaborate to design, conduct, and report out on labs. In physics,
students research and design their own model car that is powered by a mousetrap. The students must
also improve on any design they find to increase their knowledge of physics. In the women in
literature course, small groups select a female poet, research her work, and interpret the deeper
meaning of the poet’s style within the framework of the time period that the poet represents. Mock
trials are periodically held during the school year in which students work together as defense and
prosecution teams to produce an entire trial. In humanities courses students often break off into small
groups to analyze a piece of work and then to report back to the class what they have learned. The
students work on numerous formative and summative assessments on both a formal and informal
basis as well. As a result of frequently using formative assessment, strategically differentiating,
providing group learning activities, and providing alternative strategies within the classroom, teachers
at Windham High School are able to adjust their practice to support the various learning needs of
students. (teachers, students, self-study, Endicott survey, student work, administrators)
Teachers work as individuals as well as collaboratively to improve instruction. Results from the New
England Comprehensive Assessment Program (NECAP), Advanced Placement (AP) tests, the
Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), PSAT, and SAT are examined in professional learning
communities (PLCs) in an effort to improve student performance by modifying instructional practice.
Student work is collected in the form of tests, essays, unit projects, and pre- and post-exit exams to reevaluate, reflect on and modify instructional practices as needed. For instance, in pre-calculus classes
the teacher checks to see how many students get each answer correct and uses that data to learn what
he needs to work on as a teacher. Teachers gain feedback from a variety of sources including students,
teachers, supervisors, and parents. Data is collected by supervisors in the form of pre-observation,
observation, and post-observation. A mentoring program is in place to encourage dialogue between
new and veteran teachers while enhancing student learning by improving effectiveness among lessexperienced educators. The school does not have a formal means of gaining feedback from parents;
however, feedback is received through emails, parent-teacher conferences and phone conversations.
Some teachers conduct end-of-course surveys with their students, gaining their feedback about
instruction that can be used to improve professional practice. Teachers regularly examine current
research evidence to improve instructional practice. Teachers reported through a school-generated
survey that they participate in an average of 101 hours of professional reading per year. Special
education teachers weekly take part in the Making Our Vision Exceptional (MOVE) Program for the
purpose of reviewing best special education practices. Faculty members engage in professional
discourse in both PLCs and department meetings. Examples of PLC objectives include examination of
current assessment practices or improving the school environment by examining group dynamics.
23
Faculty members have the opportunity to design and participate in a PLC of their choosing. While this
provides teachers with valuable opportunities to pursue topics that interest them, it does not ensure
that all teachers use PLCs as a way to actively improve their instruction. Many teachers take advantage
of pursuing professional learning opportunities outside the building. In addition, eighty-five percent
of faculty members report actively pursuing additional credits and/or advanced degrees in an ongoing
effort to maintain high standard instructional practices. As a result of the individual and collaborative
efforts of faculty members, teachers at Windham High School consistently seek ways to improve their
instruction. (teachers, administrators, Endicott survey, self-study)
All teachers, as adult learners and reflective practitioners, maintain expertise in their content area and
in content-specific instructional practices. According to the self-study, teachers averaged ninety-two
documented staff development hours per semester, identifying ways to maintain content-specific
expertise. They used this work to write personal goals that align to the district goals. Examples of their
research include integrating the concept of the flipped classroom and developing course-specific
rubrics. Teachers maintain portfolios containing personal goals, their Individual Professional
Development Plans (IPDPs), and written narratives reflecting on how well their IPDPs meet those
goals. All professional development is tracked through My Learning Plan. Following professional
reflection, goals are modified on an as-needed basis. As a result of acting as adult learners and
reflective practitioners, teachers are able to maintain expertise in content-specific instructional
practices. (teachers, self-study, administrators)
Commendations:
1. The variety of ways that teachers’ instructional strategies align with the school’s core values
and beliefs about learning
2. The variety of ways that teachers personalize instruction to meet students’ needs
3. The cross-disciplinary learning opportunities provided to all students through the cultural
foundations and American studies courses
4. The use of instructional practices that engage students as active and self-directed learners
5. The emphasis across all disciplines on providing students opportunities to engage in inquiry,
problem solving, and higher order thinking
6. The provision of a variety of opportunities to apply knowledge and skills to authentic tasks
7. The opportunities provided to students to formally reflect on their learning and achievement
8. The variety of ways that teachers integrate technology into their instruction
9. The use of many different types of formative assessment as a way to identify the learning needs
of individual students
10. The use of strategic differentiation and purposefully designed cooperative learning activities
11. The improvement of teachers’ instructional practices through the examination of student work
and student achievement data
12. The professional discourse about instruction that is an important part of the professional
culture of the school
13. The expertise of teachers that is maintained through professional development, the
collaborative work of faculty members, and a commitment to professional practice
Recommendations:
1. Conduct a formal review of the way teachers’ instructional strategies align with the school’s 21st
century learning expectations
2. Formalize the process of establishing PLCs in order to ensure that faculty members can use this
time to support their instructional practices
3. Establish a formal means of gaining feedback from parents as a way for teachers to improve
their instructional practices
24
Teaching and Learning Standard
4
Assessment of and for Student Learning
Assessment informs students and stakeholders of progress and growth toward meeting the school's 21 st century learning
expectations. Assessment results are shared and discussed on a regular basis to improve student learning. Assessment results
inform teachers about student achievement in order to adjust curriculum and instruction.
1.
The professional staff continuously employs a formal process, based on school-wide rubrics, to assess
whole-school and individual student progress in achieving the school’s 21st century learning
expectations.
2.
The school’s professional staff communicates:
 individual student progress in achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations to students
and their families
 the school’s progress in achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations to the school
community.
3.
Professional staff collects, disaggregates, and analyzes data to identify and respond to inequities in
student achievement.
4.
Prior to each unit of study, teachers communicate to students the school’s applicable 21 st century learning
expectations and related unit-specific learning goals to be assessed.
5.
Prior to summative assessments, teachers provide students with the corresponding rubrics.
6.
In each unit of study, teachers employ a range of assessment strategies, including formative and
summative assessments.
7.
Teachers collaborate regularly in formal ways on the creation, analysis, and revision of formative and
summative assessments, including common assessments.
8.
Teachers provide specific, timely, and corrective feedback to ensure students revise and improve their
work.
9.
Teachers regularly use formative assessment to inform and adapt their instruction for the purpose of
improving student learning.
10.
Teachers and administrators, individually and collaboratively, examine a range of evidence of student
learning for the purpose of revising curriculum and improving instructional practice, including all of the
following:
 student work
 common course and common grade-level assessments
 individual and school-wide progress in achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations
 standardized assessments
 data from sending schools, receiving schools, and post-secondary institutions
 survey data from current students and alumni.
11.
Grading and reporting practices are regularly reviewed and revised to ensure alignment with the school’s
core values and beliefs about learning.
25
Conclusions
Windham High School does not have a formal, ongoing process, based on the school-wide analytic
rubrics, to assess whole-school or individual student achievement of the school’s 21st century academic
learning expectations. The school is in the beginning stages of incorporating the 21st century learning
expectations into teaching and learning at the school. The school developed a series of analytic rubrics
prior to the opening of the school. Teachers are aware of the rubrics but do not have clear
understanding of how often the rubrics should be used and how to report student achievement of the
expectations. Few teachers use the school-wide analytic rubrics in their individual courses. Rubrics are
used regularly by teachers at Windham High School; however, the rubrics are course-specific and do
not specifically address the 21st century learning expectations. As a result, teachers at Windham High
School are unable to measure the degree to which students and the entire school achieve the 21st
century learning expectations. (self-study, teachers, administrators)
Windham High School’s professional staff does not communicate individual student progress or
whole-school progress in achieving the school’s academic 21st century learning expectations to
students or their families. Windham High School communicates different types of student
achievement in a variety of ways. Course grades are reported electronically on PowerSchool,
addressed at parent teacher conferences, and delivered through electronic mail. Annual performance
on standardized test scores such as the New England Comprehensive Assessment Program (NECAP),
Advanced Placement (AP) tests, PSAT, and SAT are reported in newspapers, online, and at schoolwide assemblies. Although this information is shared with parents and the school community, the
school does not share individual or whole-school achievement of the 21st century learning
expectations. (self-study, teachers, students, parents, administrators)
Windham High School’s professional staff collects, disaggregates, and analyzes data to identify and
respond to inequities in student achievement. Seventy-one percent of faculty members report
collecting, disaggregating, and analyzing data to identify and respond to inequities in student
achievement. Professional learning communities have been established and meet eighty minutes per
week for a variety of purposes including creating and analyzing common assessments and results.
Teachers regularly use the data to make changes in curriculum design and instructional practices. For
instance, teachers collaboratively analyze data from end-of-unit exams to identify any inequities in
achievement and make appropriate adjust to curriculum and instruction. Teachers and department
leaders collect data from standardized assessments including the Northwest Evaluation Association
(NWEA), aimsweb assessments, NECAP, PSAT, and SAT. The data is analyzed by teachers and
department leaders and then is shared with the school community through faculty meetings, school
board meetings, and emails to the faculty. Special education teachers use results from the NWEA and
NECAP to identify appropriate interventions; some staff members use the data to organize
heterogeneous groups for long-term assignments and for daily work. This data has also helped to
facilitate opportunities for peer tutoring and addressing specific student needs. Summative
assessments in the classroom are often graded using scantron or Moodle to analyze and address areas
of weaknesses. Teachers report that this information is compiled into remediation action plans that are
created to assist in redesigning instruction. As a result of the work of teachers, department leaders, and
administrators to collect, analyze, and disaggregate student achievement data, the school is able to
respond to inequities in student achievement. (self-study, teachers, students)
Windham High School’s teachers communicate to students the unit-specific learning goals to be
addressed in each unit of study; however, they do not generally communicate the applicable 21st
century learning expectations. Seventy-four percent of students report that teachers explain what the
learning expectations are prior to each unit of study. In addition, sixty-five percent of staff members
and sixty-six percent of parents agree that teachers discuss learning expectations prior to each unit of
26
study. These learning objectives and course expectations are communicated in a variety of ways
including course syllabi, class Moodle pages, and course-specific rubrics. In some cases teachers
provide exemplars of the type of work that students will complete by the conclusion of the unit. Some
teachers regularly post the learning objectives of a particular unit in the classroom and keep these
objectives posted throughout the unit. Teachers also reference the essential questions associated with
particular units when beginning a lesson or a unit. Teachers are increasingly aware of 21st century
learning expectations; however, there is not a common understanding of teachers’ responsibility
regarding the instruction and assessment of particular expectations. While some teachers share
learning goals associated with 21st century learning expectations, most do not regularly make reference
to these expectations when beginning a particular unit of study. As a result of the communication of
course-specific learning goals, teachers are able to provide students with a clear understanding of the
unit-specific goals of instruction; however, they do not focus students on the 21st century learning
expectations that are a part of each unit. (self-study, teachers, students, student work, Endicott survey)
Windham High School’s teachers provide students with corresponding rubrics prior to summative
assessments. Teachers often use course-specific rubrics as an important part of teaching and learning.
The widespread use of rubrics as a tool for instruction and assessment, particularly as a part of projectbased summative assessments, has become part of the academic culture of the school. Eighty-six
percent of students report that teachers use rubrics, and eighty percent understand how the rubrics are
used. Individual teachers and departments create rubrics that correspond to assessments. These rubrics
are often created during PLC or departmental meetings. One of the more widely used rubrics is the
Windham High School Writing Rubric which was developed by English teachers and was distributed
to all teachers to support a school-wide vision for effective written communication. The school-wide
analytic rubrics that were designed to measure achievement of the 21st century learning expectations
are not widely used by teachers; however, in an effort to incorporate the rubrics into teaching and
learning, some teachers modify these rubrics to make them applicable to unit-specific learning goals.
As a result of the regular, meaningful use of rubrics at Windham High School, teachers are able to
identify the characteristics of high achieving work in order to support student learning. (Endicott
survey, teachers, students, self-study)
Windham High School’s teachers employ a range of both formative and summative assessment
strategies in each unit of study. Ninety-six percent of teachers report that they use a wide range of both
formative and summative assessment strategies. Teachers maintain a record in their grade books of
whether assessments are formative or summative. A variety of formative assessments are used
regularly including think/pair/share assessments, guided reading, Moodle-based digital assessments,
warm-up activities, thumbs up/thumbs down questions, self-assessment checklists, exit tickets, the use
of individual whiteboards to share answers, journals, quick response essays, and use of student
response systems. Formative assessments are used more frequently than summative assessments at
Windham High School; however, summative assessments are included in each unit of study. Across all
disciplines teachers use traditional quizzes and tests. In addition, teachers use a variety of projects as a
way to assess overall student understanding. Some of these summative assessments include
document-based questions, creation of an iMovie, building a kite to demonstrate knowledge of
mathematical concepts, research papers, labs, and student performances. Teachers have the autonomy
to design and implement formative or summative assessments; however, the curriculum at Windham
High School includes specific formative and summative assessments that are expected to be a part of
each unit of study. In addition to these school-based assessments, students also participate in
standardized assessments including Advanced Placement tests, the New England Comprehensive
Assessment Program, PSAT, SAT, and the Northwestern Evaluation Program. As a result of the variety
of formative and summative assessments used by teachers at Windham High School, student learning
is assessed in a variety of ways. (students, teachers, self-study, student work, Endicott survey)
27
Windham High School teachers collaborate regularly in formal ways on the creation, analysis, and
revision of common, formative and summative assessments. Windham High School has established
professional learning communities which meet regularly, allowing teachers to collaborate regularly
about their assessment practices. Departmental directors and deans have designated formal time to
collaborate regularly about assessment practices. Department leaders hold regular meetings with their
teachers and often focus on assessment practices. Over the course of the previous two years, teachers
have worked together to identify common formative and summative assessments to be included in
each unit of study. The English and social studies departments have designed common assessments for
the cultural foundations and American studies courses. All mathematics courses have common
assessments, and a majority of science courses have common assessments. Additional departments
continue to work on achieving the goal of common assessments for common courses. There is a longterm plan in place with incremental steps to ensure that all common courses will have common
assessments within a prescribed time frame. In addition to collaborating on the design of assessments,
teachers also meet to review the results of assessments. Departmental time has been used to review
assessment data, resulting in modifications to curriculum and instruction practices. Eighty-seven
percent of teachers report meeting regularly to discuss and improve both formative and summative
strategies. (teachers, self-study, Endicott survey, administrators)
Windham High School teachers provide specific, timely, and corrective feedback to ensure students
revise and improve their work. Teachers provide feedback in a variety of ways. They routinely make
comments on student work, highlighting areas for editing and improvement. Teachers allow time for
student-directed or teacher-directed corrections to improve proficiency. When using rubrics to correct
an assignment, teachers identify specifically how a student’s achievement was calculated. Students
also report that teachers regularly give written feedback to supplement any notations made on the
rubrics. Additionally, teachers update course grades every two weeks into PowerSchool. PowerSchool
also has the capability of alerting parents that grades have been updated. The school has a retake
policy that allows any students who earned a score below eighty percent to retake a summative
assessment provided that they show evidence of effort and complete the required steps for
remediation. Most teachers include formal opportunities to receive or review feedback as part of the
steps to be able to retake an assessment. This feedback is provided through one-to-one conferences,
formal review of corrections, self-assessments, or group review of feedback. Students also have
opportunities to practice and review of concepts through peer quizzes. Quizzes are then reviewed and
corrected with additional time given for as-needed practice before a formal assessment is given.
Seventy-eight percent of teachers report regularly providing specific and corrective feedback on
summative assessments within seven days of the assessment. As a result of providing students with
timely, corrective feedback, teachers at Windham High School are able to help students achieve in their
learning. (students, teachers, Endicott survey, self-study)
Teachers at Windham High School regularly use formative assessments to inform and adapt their
instruction for the purpose of improving student learning. Formative assessments are an important
part of the academic culture at the school. Teachers use a variety of formative assessments to assess
prior learning, to inform future instruction, to determine the readiness of individuals and groups for
upcoming summative assessments, and to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum in meeting the
learning needs of students. Teachers use formative assessment individually as a way to measure and
respond to student learning. For instance, science teachers begin classes with a warm-up activity.
English teachers ask students to complete daily journaling through Moodle. Math classes provide
“curriculum spiral” activities that assess topics covered during a previous class as a preparation for
new instruction. In other cases formative assessments are reviewed collaboratively by groups of
teachers to make adjustments to instruction. For instance, English and social studies departments
review student writing assignments that are assessed with the school-wide writing rubric to identify
areas that need to be emphasized in instruction. In addition, the curriculum at Windham High School
28
identifies a variety of common formative assessments that are reviewed collaboratively by teachers
within departments as a way to adjust their teaching to meet the needs of students. As a result of the
regular use of formative assessment to inform and adapt instruction, teachers at Windham High
School are able to respond to the learning needs of their students. (teachers, students, self-study,
student work)
Windham High School teachers collaboratively examine a range of evidence including student work,
common course and common grade-level assessments, standardized assessments, data from sending
schools, receiving schools, post-secondary institutions, and current students and alumni for the
purpose of revising curriculum and improving instructional practice; however, the school does not
review evidence from individual and school-wide progress in achieving the school’s 21st century
learning expectations. Teachers collaborate during PLC meetings and department meetings to review a
variety of evidence of student learning. For instance, the math and English departments collaboratively
review common assessments on a quarterly basis. Additionally, the world languages department
collaboratively grades summative assessments as a department. Directors and deans also work with
their department members to review standardized test data including results from the NECAP,
NWEA, PSAT, SAT, and AP tests. Windham High School does not collect data on student achievement
of the 21st century learning expectations. Teachers do not participate in a review of data from sending
or receiving schools. Also, Windham High School does not have a formal way to collect input from
current students or alumni. As a result of teachers collaborative efforts to review student work, results
from common assessments, and standardized testing, the school is able to review the effectiveness of
many aspects of its curriculum and instruction; however, WHS is unable to adjust its curriculum and
instruction to respond to achievement of 21st century expectations. (teachers, self-study,
administrators)
Some members of the school community at Windham High School review grading and reporting
practices to ensure alignment with the school’s core values and beliefs about learning. Grading and
reporting practices are regularly reviewed and formally revised by the school board. These revisions
sometimes occur without feedback from a representative group of teachers. Professional staff members
express interest in being part of the process to update these policies on an ongoing basis. Informal
conversations about grading practices take place during professional learning committee meetings,
department meetings, and faculty meetings; however, these discussions do not impact the revision of
existing grading practices or the establishment of new grading and reporting practices. One of the
recent updates grading practices is the institution of a policy to allow any student who received a
grade lower than eighty percent on a summative assessment to retake that test, providing that the
student meets certain criteria outlined by the teacher. Faculty members submit data annually to
administrators regarding the number of student retakes. In addition, faculty members have not
participated in formal discussions about the establishment of a process to report student achievement
of the 21st century learning expectations. As a result of administrators and the school board reviewing
grading practices at Windham High School, grading practices have been updated during the course of
the past years; however, because faculty members have not formally participated in this process, they
are not able to contribute to the revision of existing practices or to the establishment of new practices.
(teachers, administrators, school board, self-study)
Commendations:
1. The collaborative work of teachers to collect, disaggregate, and analyze data to identify and
respond to inequities in student achievement
2. The variety of ways that teachers communicate unit-specific learning goals at the beginning of
each unit of study including the use of course-specific rubrics, the sharing of exemplars of
student work, the use of Moodle, and the sharing of essential questions
29
3. The use of rubrics as a way to communicate learning expectations prior to summative
assessments
4. The creation of the Windham High School Writing Rubric to communicate common
expectations for effective written communication
5. The wide range of formative assessment strategies that are used by teachers at Windham High
School
6. The regular collaboration between teachers to create, analyze, and revise assessments,
especially the newly created formative assessments
7. The provision of specific, timely, and corrective feedback to ensure students revise and improve
their work
8. The frequent use of formative assessment as a way for teachers to adapt their instruction
9. The review of student work, common assessments, and standardized test results to improve
instructional practice
Recommendations:
1. Develop and implement a formal process, based on school-wide rubrics to assess whole-school
and individual progress in achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations
2. Develop and implement a process to communicate individual student progress in achieving the
school’s 21st century learning expectations to students and their families
3. Develop and implement a process to communicate the school’s progress in achieving the 21st
century learning expectations to the school community
4. Communicate the specific 21st century learning expectations to be taught and assessed at the
beginning of each unit of study
5. Provide formal opportunities for teachers, individually and collaboratively, to examine
individual and school-wide progress in achieving the school’s 21st century learning
expectations
6. Provide formal opportunities for teachers to collaborate in the review and revision of grading
practices to ensure alignment with the school’s core values and beliefs about learning
30
SUPPORT STANDARDS
SCHOOL CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP
SCHOOL RESOURCES FOR LEARNING
COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR LEARNING
31
Support Standard
5
School Culture and Leadership
The school culture is equitable and inclusive, and it embodies the school's foundational core values and beliefs about student
learning. It is characterized by reflective, collaborative, and constructive dialogue about research-based practices that support
high expectations for the learning of all students. The leadership of the school fosters a safe, positive culture by promoting
learning, cultivating shared leadership, and engaging all members of the school community in efforts to improve teaching and
learning.
1.
The school community consciously and continuously builds a safe, positive, respectful, and supportive
culture that fosters student responsibility for learning and results in shared ownership, pride, and high
expectations for all.
2.
The school is equitable, inclusive, and fosters heterogeneity where every student over the course of the
high school experience is enrolled in a minimum of one heterogeneously grouped core course
(English/language arts, social studies, math, science, or world languages).
3.
There is a formal, ongoing program through which each student has an adult in the school, in addition to
the school counselor, who knows the student well and assists the student in achieving the school’s 21 st
century learning expectations.
4.
In order to improve student learning through professional development, the principal and professional
staff:
 engage in professional discourse for reflection, inquiry, and analysis of teaching and learning
 use resources outside of the school to maintain currency with best practices
 dedicate formal time to implement professional development
 apply the skills, practices, and ideas gained in order to improve curriculum, instruction, and
assessment.
5.
School leaders regularly use research-based evaluation and supervision processes that focus on improved
student learning.
6.
The organization of time supports research-based instruction, professional collaboration among teachers,
and the learning needs of all students.
7.
Student load and class size enable teachers to meet the learning needs of individual students.
8.
The principal, working with other building leaders, provides instructional leadership that is rooted in the
school’s core values, beliefs, and learning expectations.
9.
Teachers, students, and parents are involved in meaningful and defined roles in decision-making that
promote responsibility and ownership.
10.
Teachers exercise initiative and leadership essential to the improvement of the school and to increase
students’ engagement in learning.
11.
The school board, superintendent, and principal are collaborative, reflective, and constructive in
achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations.
12.
The school board and superintendent provide the principal with sufficient decision-making authority to
lead the school.
32
Conclusions
The Windham High School community consciously and continuously builds a safe, positive,
respectful, and supportive culture that fosters student responsibility for learning and results in shared
ownership, pride, and high expectations for all. The school is characterized by a sense of pride in the
school, student accomplishments, the capacity of teachers, the resources available for teaching and
learning, and the opportunities available to students. Students, teachers, and parents identify the high
expectations for achievement as a defining, positive aspect of the school’s culture. The facility is
welcoming, bright, and cheerful. Interactions between students and faculty members are polite and
respectful. Students have a variety of opportunities beyond the classroom that foster a positive school
climate. Activities such as participation in Windham Helping Hands, a Thanksgiving Food Drive, the
Challenge Day, Autism Awareness Month, and bi-monthly whole-school assemblies build a sense of
community. The assemblies celebrate school and individual successes; in addition, they provide
opportunities to welcome new staff members, conduct pep rallies, and connect with community
members. Students at Windham High School further demonstrate their commitment to the community
through their completion of a forty-hour community service requirement. Students participate in the
culture of the school beyond the classroom in a variety of ways. Approximately sixty-five percent of
students participate in the Windham High School athletic program. Students also participate in a
number of clubs and activities including the school newspaper, drama, the ping-pong club, Friends of
Rachel, and the Jaguar Community Alliance. In addition to maintaining high standards for academics,
the school also sets high expectations for students’ behavior. The school district’s published discipline
and attendance policies illustrate student responsibility, high expectations, and a supportive culture
for all students. The school is a safe and trusted learning environment. As a result of the conscious
efforts of the school community, Windham High School is a safe, positive, respectful, and supportive
culture that fosters student responsibility for learning and results in shared ownership, pride, and high
expectations for all. (students, parents, teachers, administrators, school board members, self-study)
Windham High School seeks to provide challenging academic experiences for all students; however,
the school does not provide heterogeneously grouped core courses as a means to promote equity and
inclusivity in achieving of the school’s 21st century learning expectations. Teachers proudly state that
they aim to provide students with challenging learning experiences, regardless of the level of the
course. Additionally, they report that students at Windham High School are goal-oriented and driven.
The school offers courses to students at three levels of rigor: college preparatory (CP), honors (H), and
Advanced Placement (AP). Students have the opportunity to take courses at varying levels; however,
the prerequisites for honors and Advanced Placement level courses limit the number of students who
are eligible to move to a more challenging course from a course taken at the college preparatory level.
For instance, students who wish to take honors World Literature or AP Language and Composition are
required to have earned a grade of “A-” in their previous CP level course. Students who wish to take
honors pre-calculus are required to earn a “B+ or higher in Advanced Algebra II.” Likewise, the
prerequisite for honors biology requires that only students who were enrolled in an honors level
during the previous semester are allowed to take the class. Students looking to take honors French IV
can only register for the course if they earned a grade of “B or higher” in French III. The prerequisites
limit the ability for students to participate in challenging courses across the curriculum. Windham
High School openly rejects heterogeneity in core courses. The school conducted research in which they
contacted public schools in New England, Illinois, New York, Virginia, and Maine to inquire about the
role of heterogeneity in supporting a challenging academic program. Additionally, the school
contacted the admissions offices at thirty-six colleges or universities, asking them to point out schools
that produced highly competent graduates. The school reports that several of the schools that were
identified by college admissions representatives do not support heterogeneity in their offerings. Based
on this information and other research, the school does not find heterogeneously grouped classes to be
a support of teaching and learning. Although the school does not provide any heterogeneously
33
grouped core classes, it does allow students to take heterogeneously grouped elective courses. As a
result of the school’s inability to provide courses throughout the curriculum that foster heterogeneity,
Windham High School is unable to ensure that its learning environment is equitable and inclusive.
(self-study, panel presentation, teachers)
Windham High School provides a formal advisory program by which each student has an adult in the
school, beyond the guidance counselor, who knows the student well and can assist the student’s
achievement of the 21st century learning expectations. Each advisory group consists of approximately
ten to fifteen students who are grouped by their grade level. The advisory group meets for fifteen
minutes four days a week throughout the entire school year. The program provides the opportunity for
advisors to get to know each of their students well. The role of the advisor includes group facilitation
of discussions, mentoring students, providing feedback on students’ personal learning portfolios, and
assessing each student’s progress in achieving the civic and social engagement learning expectation.
Faculty members appreciate the opportunities that the advisory provides them to get to know
students; however, the expectations for how each teacher runs his/her advisory are not consistent or
clearly communicated. For instance, while some faculty members follow lesson plans or run group
activities, others allow students to use the time as a study hall. As a result of the implementation of a
formal advisory program, Windham High School provides opportunities for students to develop a
meaningful relationship with an adult member of the school community beyond his/her guidance
counselor; however, until the school ensures the consistent delivery of the advisory program by all
faculty members, it cannot ensure that this opportunity is provided to all students. (teachers, selfstudy, students)
Windham High School’s principal and professional staff continuously engage in professional
discourse, access outside resources, dedicate time, and apply skills gained in order to improve student
learning by improving curriculum, instruction and assessment. Weekly meetings of professional
learning communities (PLCs) provide faculty members with formal, scheduled time to engage in
professional discourse about a variety of topics. The PLCs at Windham High School are organized
around a variety of topics including discipline, technology, common assessments, course-related
discussions, and other topics. These meetings allow for reflection, inquiry, and analysis of teaching and
learning. Teachers are provided with the autonomy to identify a PLC that is of interest and pursue that
topic during weekly eighty-minute meetings. Teachers and administrators both spoke of the value and
positive impact that the PLCs have on teaching and learning at Windham High School; however, the
range of PLC topics varies widely and does not allow the time be used in a consistent manner across all
disciplines. In addition to PLC meetings, faculty members also meet on a monthly basis with their
department members and the whole school. These meetings include opportunities to collaborate on
school or district-wide initiatives. During the course of the year teachers use meeting time as guided
work sessions, allowing them the opportunity to apply their learning to teaching and learning
activities at the school. In addition, the meetings sometimes include discussions, activities, or
presentations to serve as professional development. Formal time for professional development is
scheduled into the school calendar including the fifty hours per year spent working in PLCs as well as
professional days spaced throughout the year. Teachers pursue professional development per their
Individual Professional Development Plans (IPDP). The Windham School District has a Professional
Development Master Plan that sets out the priorities for district-led professional development. The
professional development committee meets monthly and is charged with bringing forth the needs that
teachers express. The professional development committee has a formal role in the development of the
district’s professional development programming. In addition, funds are available for individual
teachers to pursue offerings that interest them. These offerings require the approval of the principal;
they allow teachers to select professional development programming that meets their needs or
supports their achievement of goals. As a result of the opportunities for teachers to receive professional
development, collaborate with their colleagues when receiving professional development, and apply
34
their learning, teachers at Windham High School are able to continually meet the learning needs of
students. (self-study, teachers, administrators)
Windham High School is in the beginning stages of implementing a revised educator evaluation and
supervision process that focuses on improved student learning. At the conclusion of the 2013-14 school
year, the school changed its educator evaluation plan from one based on the work of Charlotte
Danielson to one based on the work of Kim Marshall. As part of the new process, educators create at
least one professional development goal that directly correlates to a self-identified area of growth.
Additionally, educators develop two student learning objectives (SLOs) that outline a specific process
to improve student achievement. The process is based on Kim Marshall’s mini-observation model,
providing a series of short, unannounced visits to teachers as a way for evaluators to see representative
examples of teaching and then to provide constructive feedback. Administrators have received a full
day of training on this new model. Teachers were provided with the opportunity to attend a lecture
over the summer of 2014 on the new evaluation model. As a result of the implementation of a researchbased evaluation and supervision process, educators at Windham High School have the opportunity to
receive ongoing feedback about their professional performance and how to work more effectively with
students. (teachers, administrators, self-study)
The Windham High School schedule supports research-based instruction, professional collaboration
among teachers, and the learning needs of all students. Windham High School developed its daily
schedule based on current research during the planning phase prior to the school’s opening. There are
six bell schedules including a Monday schedule, a block schedule, a Monday delayed-opening
schedule, a block delayed-opening schedule, an early release schedule, and an assembly schedule.
There is flexibility in the schedule for whole-school activities such as trebuchet day. The current
schedule at Windham High School offers a blend between shorter and longer class meetings. On
Monday students participate in classes that are forty-five minutes long. On Tuesday through Friday,
classes meet for blocks of eighty minutes. Teachers report that this schedule allows for in-depth study
by students and professional collaboration among teachers. The modified block allows for teachers to
design lessons that include opportunities for collaboration, application of learning, presentations, and
other hands-on learning activities. The block also allows for the scheduling of common planning time
and PLCs during the school day. Students enrolled in the career technical education center at either
Pinkerton Academy or Salem High School are able to access these programs and attend the rest of their
school day at Windham High School. Additionally, there are five early release days and four in-service
days during the school year. As a result of the master schedule at Windham High School, teachers
have the opportunity to provide research-based instruction, collaborate with colleagues, and meet the
learning needs of students. (student handbook, self-study, student shadowing, teachers)
Class sizes and student load at Windham High School are adequate to meet the learning needs of
individual students. Windham High School employs sixty-three teachers to work with the school’s 776
students. Teachers work with an average of 120 students and the average class size at the school is
twenty-four. Teachers have the opportunity to work with students in a variety of ways including
offering one-to-one support, in small groups, and with the class as a whole. In cases where two classes
are grouped together for interdisciplinary offerings, two faculty members are assigned to co-teach the
class. Class size and student load do not limit the feedback provided to students or impede a teacher’s
ability to return assessments to students in a timely manner. Teachers do not have to limit the
implementation of the curriculum or avoid the use of particular instructional strategies as a result of
class size or student load. Students report that teachers provide them with support that meets their
needs and that class size is appropriate to support their learning. As a result of adequate class size and
student load, teachers at Windham High School are able to support the learning of their students. (selfstudy, teachers, students)
35
The school’s core values, beliefs, and learning expectations are evident in the way that the principal
and other building leaders provide instructional leadership. The principal is a visible presence in the
building who has sought ways to establish himself as an instructional leader. He began his work in his
role by inviting staff in for informal individual meetings to discuss core values and beliefs. The
principal and assistant principal maintain an open-door policy that makes them available to discuss
anything throughout the day. The principal instituted bi-monthly school-wide meetings to show
leadership rooted in the school’s core values, beliefs, and learning expectations. These assemblies
celebrate student achievement, promote ROAR as meaningful part of the school culture, and provide
the chance for the school to connect with the community. The principal works closely with deans and
directors who lead specific departments. However, he does not have a clearly defined role as an
instructional leader at the school. Many of the teaching and learning activities at the school including
the organization of professional learning communities, the establishment of professional development,
the establishment of curriculum, and the review of assessment data are the primary responsibilities of
other leaders at the school. As a result of the leadership of the principal and other building leaders,
Windham High School maintains a focus on the school’s core values and beliefs. As the principal
adjusts to his role, there are opportunities for him to take a more prominent role in the instructional
leadership of the school. (self-study, administrators, teachers)
Teachers, students, and parents are involved in meaningful and defined roles in decision-making that
promote responsibility and ownership at Windham High School. There are many opportunities for
teachers, students, and parents to participate in decision-making. The principal conducts two weekly
meetings of the administrative team and the leadership team. The administrative team consists of the
principal, assistant principal, athletic director, special services administrator, and the director of
guidance. The second meeting is held with the leadership team which includes the members of the
administrative team as well as the academic directors and deans. Student leaders contribute through
meetings with the principal that occur weekly. The principal of Windham High School meets formally
with school-wide student leaders each week. The student council meets every other week and consists
of class officers from each class. The principal meets once per month with the school council which is
comprised of two parents from each class in addition to two teacher representatives and
administrators. Additionally, the principal meets with a student leadership advisory made up of the
president and vice-president of each class, two captains from the student athletic leadership team
(SALT), two school board representatives, and a member of the Jaguar Community Alliance
organization. Lastly, parent organizations such as the boosters, the parent teacher association (PTA),
and the Windham Musical Arts Association (WMAA) meet regularly to support learning
opportunities at Windham High School. As a result of the meaningful and defined roles of teachers,
students, and parents, Windham High School is able support a culture of shared responsibility and
ownership. (students, self-study, parents, teachers, administrators)
Teachers at Windham High School exercise initiative and leadership essential to the improvement of
the school and to increase students’ engagement in learning. Academic deans and directors lead
individual departments. Their work with departments includes supporting the goals of professional
learning communities, conducting observations of educators, providing feedback to teachers on their
professional practice, establishing agendas for department meetings, and collaborating in the
establishment of department goals. Academic directors provide district-wide support to teachers in
specific disciplines. Academic deans focus their work at Windham High School. Windham High
School has a formal mentoring program where new teaching professionals are assigned a mentor for
their first year. Mentors and mentees meet on a weekly basis to provide guidance, training, and have
the ability to have confidential conversations. Mentors also observe the mentees three times in their
first year at the school. An essential piece of the mentor-mentee relationship is the continuous review
of curriculum, instruction, and assessment that is centered on student learning objectives. As a result of
36
the initiative and leadership provided by teachers, the school is able to maintain a focus on student
learning and engagement. (self-study, teachers, administrators)
The school board, superintendent, and principal are working to develop relationships that are
collaborative, reflective, and constructive in achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations.
The Windham School District has had a large turnover rate since the establishment of Windham High
School in 2007. Since that time there have been three superintendents, three assistant superintendents,
three principals, three assistant principals, two business administrators, two special education district
coordinators, and two human resource directors. Teachers and administrators report that the change
in leadership has presented challenges in developing a clear vision of leadership for the school. All
stakeholders are committed to working in a collaborative way; however, they report that instability in
the leadership team has prevented their professional relationships from being as productive as
possible. As Windham High School establishes consistency in the leadership of the school, it will
support the development of collaborative, reflective, and constructive relationships between the school
board, superintendent, and principal. (self-study, administrators, school board members)
The superintendent and school board sometimes provide the principal with sufficient decision-making
authority to lead the school. While the superintendent, school board, and principal are collaborative
and share a commitment to achievement of the students at Windham High School, the responsibility of
each stakeholder is sometimes unclear, leading to a lack of opportunity for the principal to serve as the
responsible head and professional leader in the development of the educational program and the
improvement of instruction at the school. School board members have taken a more active role in
leadership decisions at the building level. This includes the development and implementation of
policies about dress code and grading practices that did not allow building-level administrators to
address concerns through a collaborative, school-based process. In addition, members of the school
board also participate as members of the school council, exercising leadership as part of the school sitebased management team as well as the community leadership of the school. School board members
also participate in the school’s professional development committee, contributing to the teaching and
learning decisions about the educational needs of the teachers. This involvement of the school
committee in site-based management of the school has led to a perception that the school board is too
directly involved in the day-to-day administrative decisions at the high school. As a result of not
consistently having clearly defined leadership responsibilities for the school board, the principal does
not have sufficient decision-making authority to lead the school. (administrators, teachers, school
board members, self-study)
Commendations:
1. The safe, positive, respectful, and supportive school culture that fosters student responsibility
for learning and results in the shared ownership, pride, and high expectations for all
2. The provision of a formal advisory program that meets four days each week, allowing students
to build relationships with adult members of the school community
3. The professional discourse aimed at reflection, inquiry, and analysis of teaching and learning
between and among teachers at Windham High School
4. The use of professional learning communities for teachers to collaborate with their colleagues
on areas of professional interest
5. The provision of professional development to support the teaching and learning needs of
teachers
6. The implementation of the newly adopted plan for supervision and evaluation
7. The use of a master schedule that supports the learning needs of students and opportunities for
teachers to collaborate with their peers as an embedded part of the school day
8. The provision of student loads and class sizes that enable teachers to meet students’ learning
needs
37
9. The evidence of the core values and beliefs about learning in the leadership of the principal and
other building leaders
10. The meaningful roles of teachers, students, and parents in the decision-making process at the
school
11. The work of teachers and deans in demonstrating leadership to improve the school
Recommendations:
1. Provide opportunities for students to participate in heterogeneously grouped core courses as a
means to promote equity and inclusivity in achieving of the school’s 21st century learning
expectations
2. Develop consistent expectations for the goals, teacher expectations, and student outcomes of
the advisory program
3. Identify additional opportunities for the principal and other building leaders to act as the
instructional leaders of the school
4. Develop and implement a process to support the development of collaborative, reflective, and
constructive relationships among the school board, superintendent, and principal
5. Ensure that the principal has sufficient decision-making authority to lead the school
38
Support Standard
6
School Resources for Learning
Student learning and well-being are dependent upon adequate and appropriate support. The school is responsible for
providing an effective range of coordinated programs and services. These resources enhance and improve student learning
and well-being and support the school's core values and beliefs. Student support services enable each student to achieve the
school's 21st century learning expectations.
1.
The school has timely, coordinated, and directive intervention strategies for all students, including
identified and at-risk students, that support each student’s achievement of the school’s 21st century
learning expectations.
2.
The school provides information to families, especially to those most in need, about available student
support services.
3.
Support services staff use technology to deliver an effective range of coordinated services for each
student.
4.
School counseling services have an adequate number of certified/licensed personnel and support staff
who:
 deliver a written, developmental program
 meet regularly with students to provide personal, academic, career, and college counseling
 engage in individual and group meetings with all students
 deliver collaborative outreach and referral to community and area mental health agencies and social
service providers
 use ongoing, relevant assessment data, including feedback from the school community, to improve
services and ensure each student achieves the school’s 21st century learning expectations.
5.
The school's health services have an adequate number of certified/licensed personnel and support staff
who:
 provide preventative health services and direct intervention services
 use an appropriate referral process
 conduct ongoing student health assessments
 use ongoing, relevant assessment data, including feedback from the school community, to improve
services and ensure each student achieves the school’s 21st century learning expectations.
6.
Library/media services are integrated into curriculum and instructional practices and have an adequate
number of certified/licensed personnel and support staff who:
 are actively engaged in the implementation of the school's curriculum
 provide a wide range of materials, technologies, and other information services in support of the
school's curriculum
 ensure that the facility is available and staffed for students and teachers before, during, and after
school
 are responsive to students' interests and needs in order to support independent learning
 conduct ongoing assessment using relevant data, including feedback from the school community, to
improve services and ensure each student achieves the school’s 21st century learning expectations.
39
7.
Support services for identified students, including special education, Section 504 of the ADA, and English
language learners, have an adequate number of certified/licensed personnel and support staff who:



collaborate with all teachers, counselors, targeted services, and other support staff in order to achieve
the school's 21st century learning expectations
provide inclusive learning opportunities for all students
perform ongoing assessment using relevant data, including feedback from the school community, to
improve services and ensure each student achieves the school’s 21 st century learning expectations.
40
Conclusions
The school has timely, coordinated, and directive intervention strategies for all students, including
identified and at-risk students, that support each student’s achievement of the school’s 21st century
learning expectations. This support often initiates from the student support service team (SST) that
works with teachers to identify at-risk students. When staff members encounter students who are in
danger of failing classes, not graduating on time, or dropping out, staff members refer those students
to the SST. In addition to being identified by the SST, at-risk students are also identified by the
technology integration specialist who analyzes data to compile a list of students whose achievement
data shows that they may not be progressing appropriately. Additionally, at-risk students are
sometimes identified through the school’s advisory program where students are paired with a
supportive adult. Once at-risk students are identified, the SST meets to determine the most appropriate
course of action that generally includes meetings with parents, guidance counselors, the school
psychologist, and teachers who work directly with the students. If needed, the student may also be
referred to special services. The services students receive are aimed at helping them participate fully in
the school’s curricular program, including engaging in the higher order thinking, and participating in
authentic tasks embedded in the Windham High School coursework. Students also receive academic
support through the school’s learning center. The learning center holds hours before, during, and after
the school day to provide tutoring by assigned faculty members as well as by National Honor Society
(NHS) students. Other opportunities for students to get support include the career and technical
education program through Salem High School and Pinkerton Academy, extended learning
opportunities, and the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School. Some students also find support
through Challenge Day, a powerful day-long experience that brings together students and staff for the
purpose of viewing each other in a deeper way in an effort to eradicate teasing, bullying, and fighting
that can lead to student alienation and disengagement with the school community. The Windham
High School community is proud of the school’s 100 percent graduation rate and identifies this as a
validation of the effectiveness of student support services. As a result of the many programs that are in
place to identify and provide support to at-risk students, students at Windham High School are able to
access meaningful support to help them achieve with their academics. (self-study, students, teachers,
administrators)
The school provides information to families, especially to those most in need, about available student
support services. The school shares information with families through a daily bulletin, email, and the
AlertNow communication system. The school issues parents a Moodle password to access student
assignments, homework, and class syllabi. PowerSchool provides up to date information on student
grades, allowing parents to view teachers’ comments on assignments. The school maintains a
comprehensive website that provides information on a variety of program offerings for the entire
school. The website includes pages with information on special education services, nutrition, relevant
health information, and information about how to get help with technology concerns. The school
utilizes a Google Calendar that parents can access to keep up to date on school activities. Counselors
consistently contact parents to inform them of the concerns and to offer support both in school and to
help them connect with resources in the community. The school provides a variety of programs
addressing the social and emotional needs that high school students and their families encounter. The
school posts a video for parents to access to learn about relevant issues such as bullying and
concussions. Windham High School uses a school council group that is open to all parents to join. This
group also solicits participation from at least two members from each class. One of the responsibilities
of the group is to facilitate the communication of key information to parents. All school board meetings
are televised and recorded for viewing at a later date. As a result of the variety of methods used to
inform families about the services provided by the school, Windham High School is able to offer
meaningful support to students and families in need. (self-study, parents, students, teachers)
41
Support staff members use technology to deliver an effective range of coordinated services for each
student. Guidance counselors and students use Naviance to facilitate many aspects of the college
search process including letters of recommendation, tracking student applications and scholarships, as
well as the availability of outside resources. Counseling staff members also use Naviance to analyze
data collected from previous graduates to track college acceptance rates. Counselors make Virtual Tour
available to students, giving them the opportunity to tour universities around the country through a
digital tool. PowerSchool is another web-based tool utilized by school support staff members.
PowerSchool’s School Nurse Assistance Program (SNAP) is used by the nursing staff to track all of the
services offered to students through the health office including office visits, immunizations, physicals
for interscholastic sports, scoliosis and other health screenings, student medications, and office visit
reports. When appropriate, the nurse also uses PowerSchool to access student records and to
communicate information about student medical issues to school staff. Special education teachers use
EasyIEP software to manage the development and execution of students’ Individualized Education
Programs (IEPs). The PowerTeacher Quick-Lookup functionality allows staff members to access
students’ IEP details for the period of time they work with students. Additionally, the student
software support specialist uses a range of technologies to deliver personalized instruction to students
including the Dragon Speak text-to-speech program, Reading Plus which narrates words from a
computer screen, Read Write Gold and Dyvanox which are specialized assistive technology to support
students’ needs. The school also uses Moodle, the school’s website, Twitter, email and Facebook to
communicate and assist in providing comprehensive guidance, health, and special education services.
As a result of the wide range of technologies used by support staff members, students are supported in
their efforts to access the curriculum. (self-study, parents, teachers)
School counseling services have an adequate number of certified/licensed personnel and support staff
who deliver a written, developmental program, meet regularly with students to provide personal,
academic, career, and college counseling, engage in individual and group meetings with all students,
deliver collaborative outreach and referrals to community and area mental health agencies and social
service providers, and use ongoing, relevant data including feedback from the school community to
improve services and ensure each student achieves the school’s 21st century learning expectations. The
guidance department employs three guidance counselors, one director of guidance, one registrar, and
one guidance secretary. The ratio of guidance counselors to students is one to 230. The counselors
deliver a comprehensive developmental program based on the American School Counselor
Association (ASCA) model. The program was revised in 2011 following the opening of the school and
then revised again in 2013. Counselors have integrated themselves into the school in a variety of ways.
In addition to their primary responsibilities, they serve as coaches or advisors to student activities.
Additionally, they act as advisors in the advisory program to help make connections with students.
Counselors meet regularly with students who are part of their caseload. They meet with students in
small groups in order to deliver training on Naviance, conduct interest inventories, and discuss
activities students should complete to prepare for their college applications. They meet with incoming
ninth grade students through the course selection process. As students move through high school, they
meet more frequently with counselors. In their senior year when they apply to college, students meet
frequently with counselors. All counselors meet with any students in need of counseling, including
addressing academic, personal, career, and college concerns. They are available to refer to outside
agencies or to provide support to students to help them access their education. They work closely with
outside agencies that support students’ mental health and wellness needs, including the Center for Life
Management and Choices Counseling, The Upper Room, and Helping Hands. They maintain a list of
outside counselors with their respective specialties as a referral tool for students and parents. They
often arrange for outside support providers to come into the school to help students. When possible,
they obtain a release of information to allow counselors to speak directly to the students’ counselors or
doctors in order to best support them in school. Counselors provide group counseling to students as
42
needed. They hold meetings of friends groups in which students resolve difficulties with peers. For
the past few years one of the counselors has held a lunch bunch meeting of students with significant
social needs in order to help them interact with their peers or manage their stress. The counselors have
a comprehensive crisis plan that includes a critical incident assessment tool, checklists to guide
administrators during a crisis, and a staff debriefing protocol. The school community celebrates Red
Ribbon Week every year and includes information for families. Speakers are brought in such as an
alumnus who was in an alcohol-related accident and another graduate who spoke on the effects of
addiction. Counselors play an important role in Challenge Day, an event held every other year where
groups of students in grades ten and eleven meet with teachers and spend the day in activities that
help them understand common struggles that most people face. Through the support of guidance
counselors, the school hosts an active club called Friends of Rachel that is focused on anti-bullying.
Friends of Rachel performances that are presented to the school promote awareness and provide
assistance for students who are actively combating bullying. In addition, counseling staff members
utilize data to make changes to their services. They analyze data from the Endicott survey and other
surveys to determine the best way to support and improve services while guiding students toward
achievement of the school’s learning expectations. The staff meets weekly to discuss current
programming and students who may need extra support. As a result of appropriate staffing in the
guidance department, Windham High School is able to provide a wide range of services that support
student achievement of the school’s learning expectations. (teachers, students, self-study, parents)
Windham High School’s health services program provides an adequate number of certified/licensed
personnel and support staff who provide preventative health services and direct intervention services,
use an appropriate referral process, conduct ongoing student health assessments, and use ongoing,
relevant assessment data, including feedback from the school community, to improve and ensure that
each student achieves the school’s 21st century learning expectations. Windham’s students, faculty
members and staff members are cared for by one registered nurse and one medical assistant who assist
in a wide range of health services. The school provides a variety of preventative health services
including vision and hearing screenings, sharing information about nutrition, hydration, skin care, and
communicable disease control, and providing referrals for mental health or counseling services. The
nurse also supports students by collaborating as a member of the crisis response team, the Windham
School District Emergency Preparedness Team, the WHS Joint Loss Committee, the Windham School
District Wellness Committee, and special education evaluation meetings. The health office maintains
medical records in a variety of ways. School Nurse Assistance Program (SNAP) is used to manage
student health data on a regular basis, including maintaining data on the types of visits, medications,
screenings, and immunizations provided to students. In addition, the health office shares medical
information with faculty members through the school’s student information management system.
Records are maintained in a locked and secure manner, limiting access to only those individuals who
need to know about students’ health concerns. Health services staff members work collaboratively
with faculty members and staff members. They identify the need to work more closely with members
of the school community in order to improve their formal referral process and to improve access to
health care. Through the efforts of the health staff, the school recorded 8,230 visits to the health office
last year. As a result of providing an adequate number of certified/licensed personnel and support
staff, Windham High School is able to support student wellness and respond to medical concerns that
affect members of the school community. (self-study, teachers, parents, students)
Library/media services are integrated into the curriculum and instructional practices and provide an
adequate number of certified/licensed personnel and support staff. The library media center is staffed
by a certified library media specialist. She works closely with teachers to highlight the resources of the
library media center and the variety of ways that the library media center can support student
learning. The library media specialist provides training to teachers on a variety of software programs
and databases that support curriculum and instruction. In addition, the library media center hosts
43
technology PLCs where teachers can receive support using technology in the classroom. The library
media specialist works directly with teachers delivering curriculum and goes into the classroom to
team teach and support the integration of technology to enhance instruction. The library media
specialist visited classrooms sixty-one times during 2011-2012, supporting fifty-three different units of
instruction. The library media specialist is knowledgeable and supports the learning of all students.
She uses Moodle to make announcements about recent book awards and reviews, to post useful tools
and information for students, and to highlight new equipment available to students. The library media
specialist provides ongoing technology support to students. She is also responsible for maintaining the
condition of printers, copiers, and other similar machines in the building. At the beginning of the
school year, the library media center merged with the technology department. Due to this merger, she
has assumed the responsibility of acting as the substitute to the building’s technology specialist and
manager. As part of this role, she helps with repairs of laptops for students and teachers. She also
occasionally obtains a substitute for her primary responsibilities in the library media center in order to
support the technology needs of the school, limiting her opportunity to work directly with students
and teachers to support teaching and learning. The library media center provides a number of
resources including e-books, videos, and cameras that are regularly integrated into the curriculum. The
media center offers a variety of assistive technology to support students with specific learning needs.
The library media specialist hosts trainings for the school’s instructional assistants, guiding them on
the use of technology to support their work with students. The library media center is open beginning
at 7:00 a.m. and is staffed by a teacher until 4:00 p.m. daily. Students may access the library media
center throughout the day with a staff-issued pass on a space-available basis. Students may also sign
up to utilize the center during academic study halls. They are allowed to spend the study period in the
center no more than one day per week. They are allowed to access the library media center during
school hours more than once per week if they have a pass from an academic teacher stating that they
are working on something specific that requires more time. Students and teachers express concern
about the limited availability of the media center as a support for student learning. A comprehensive
brochure is available to students, parents, and the greater community regarding hours and resources
available. The library media center currently houses both a peer tutoring center where students can
receive tutoring from an instructional assistant or National Honor Society students. It also houses a
testing center where students are monitored while taking tests or re-takes. This room is staffed by an
instructional aid. The library media center surveys the staff and students two-three times per year. The
library media specialist surveys students every time she works with a class on a project. She reviews
this data and adjusts her instruction on future projects depending on the data. As a result of the
integration of the services of the library media center into curriculum and instruction, teachers are able
to access resources and expertise to improve their work with students. (students, teachers, self-study,
administrators)
Windham High School has an adequate number of certified/licensed personnel and support services
for identified students, including special education, Section 504 of the ADA, and English language
learners. The special education department includes six special education case managers, one English
for speakers of other languages (ESOL) teacher/director, one special services coordinator, one school
psychologist, one reading specialist, one part-time speech language pathologist, one part-time
transition coordinator, one special education secretary, one special education administrator, one
student software support specialist and sixteen special education assistants. The special education case
managers have a ratio of approximately one to twenty. In addition to their caseload, they co-teach two
regular education courses that include special education students with a humanities teacher. Guidance
counselors share responsibility for coordinating 504 plans; there is a one-to-seven ratio of counselors to
students with specific learning needs. Special education and guidance staff members meet weekly.
Special education teachers, regular education teachers, and counselors collaborate in order to achieve
the school’s 21st century learning expectations. Staff members share information about the students,
meet in IEP meetings, monthly faculty meetings, professional learning communities and weekly
44
student support team meetings to help students achieve. Information is exchanged through email and
the distribution of student support documents such as IEPs, 504 plans, student support team
accommodations, and English language learner forms. Inclusive learning opportunities are provided
for all students. Students identified in need of services are placed in the least restrictive environment.
Students are provided with training on technology used in the classroom and assistive technology to
help support learning in the regular classroom. The school uses student support team referrals, the
youth risk behavior survey, and the Student At-Risk Report from PowerSchool to improve services to
ensure each student achieves the school’s 21st century learning expectations. Additionally, special
education and regular education teachers use the results of formative assessments to personalize
instruction in order to meet the needs of all students. As a result of the provision of support services,
including special education, Section 504 of the American Disabilities Act, and English language
learners, the school is able to support the unique and diverse learning needs of students. (students,
parents, teachers, self-study)
Commendations:
1. The provision of timely, coordinated, and directive intervention strategies for all students,
including identified and at-risk students, that support each student’s achievement of the
school’s 21st century learning expectations
2. The variety of ways that the school communicates with families about available student
support services
3. The widespread use of technology by student support services to deliver and coordinate
services for students
4. The provision of adequate certified/licensed personnel to support personal, academic, college,
and career counseling
5. The delivery of a school counseling curriculum to all students
6. The provision of referrals to outside agencies to support students’ health and well-being
7. The provision of a wide range of health services to support the wellness of students and
professional members of the school community
8. The integration of library media center into teaching and learning at Windham High School
9. The technological and instructional support to teachers provided by the library media specialist
10. The collaborative work of faculty members to provide support and targeted services to students
to help them achieve the 21st century learning expectations
Recommendations:
1. Develop and implement a formal referral process to allow increased access to health care at the
school
2. Ensure that the technological responsibilities of the library media center do not interfere with
the library media specialist’s ability to provide the services of the library media center
3. Review the practices of the library media center in order to ensure that students have regular
access to its resources
45
Support Standard
7
Community Resources for Learning
The achievement of the school’s 21st century learning expectations requires active community, governing board, and parent
advocacy. Through dependable and adequate funding, the community provides the personnel, resources, and facilities to
support the delivery of curriculum, instruction, programs, and services.
1.
The community and the district's governing body provide dependable funding for:
 a wide range of school programs and services
 sufficient professional and support staff
 ongoing professional development and curriculum revision
 a full range of technology support
 sufficient equipment
 sufficient instructional materials and supplies.
2.
The school develops, plans, and funds programs:
 to ensure the maintenance and repair of the building and school plant
 to properly maintain, catalogue, and replace equipment
 to keep the school clean on a daily basis.
3.
The community funds and the school implements a long-range plan that addresses:
 programs and services
 enrollment changes and staffing needs
 facility needs
 technology
 capital improvements.
4.
Faculty and building administrators are actively involved in the development and implementation of the
budget.
5.
The school site and plant support the delivery of high quality school programs and services.
6.
The school maintains documentation that the physical plant and facilities meet all applicable federal and
state laws and are in compliance with local fire, health, and safety regulations.
7.
All professional staff actively engage parents and families as partners in each student’s education and
reach out specifically to those families who have been less connected with the school.
8.
The school develops productive parent, community, business, and higher education partnerships that
support student learning.
46
Conclusions
The community and district’s governing body at Windham High School provides dependable funding
for a wide range of school programs and services. In addition to core curricular offerings, the budget
supports a range of elective opportunities and programs that provide interesting and engaging options
to students. For example, the school offers sixteen Advanced Placement courses across all departments.
Students have the opportunity to choose from elective offerings in each department. The science
program of studies includes multiple opportunities for students to participate in lab sciences. Programs
such as Project Lead the Way, robotics competitions, student performance opportunities, and
internships give students a variety of engaging and practical learning opportunities. The school
supports students’ taking classes through the Virtual Learning Academy Charter school and career and
technical education partnerships with Salem High School and Pinkerton Academy. Additionally, the
district supports funding for a variety of student support services to promote wellness and provide
support to help students achieve the school’s learning expectations. The school provides funding for
sufficient professional and support staff to meet students’ learning needs. The faculty includes sixtythree members who work with the school’s 776 students. In addition, the staff includes sixteen
teaching assistants who work directly with students to support their learning needs. The school
provides funding for ongoing professional development and curriculum revision. The range of
professional development support includes funds allocated for reimbursement for professional
development courses, workshops during professional development days, professional development
funds provided through the Teacher Grant Initiative Fund (TGIF), curriculum committee work, and
summer work. Windham High School provides a wide range of technology to support teaching and
learning needs. The infrastructure of the building includes appropriate bandwidth and wireless
Internet access throughout the facility. Each classroom includes a projector, interactive whiteboard,
and the ability to provide sound and video wirelessly. Each student is provided a MacBook upon
enrolling at the school. Additionally, teachers receive iPads to enhance their instruction and
assessment practices. The auditorium provides high quality video, lighting, and sound to support
performances and programming. The school also provides three computer labs including one
dedicated to photography, one dedicated to video production and one for computer-assisted design. In
addition, the school provides approximately 100 iMac desktop computers. The school also utilizes
Moodle, an open-source learning platform for which the district provides a dedicated server. The
school provides sufficient funding for a wide range of equipment to support learning. For instance, the
technology education facility provides two drill presses, a lathe, grinders, chop saws, worktables with
attached vices, five handheld drills, electrical drops from the ceiling, a blower system to eliminate
wood/metal chips, a scroll saw, a belt sander, table saw, and a variety of other tools that support the
curriculum. The art studio provides electrical drops, twenty-six easels, worktables, two kilns, tools to
support the design of pottery, and shelving to store and display student work. Windham High School
provides six fully equipped science labs to support the curricular and instructional needs of the school.
The labs provide eyewash stations, ventilation hoods, cement floors conducive to the needs of a lab,
hook-ups for gas, ample storage, electrical drops in the physics class, and storage cabinets that disinfect
goggles with ultraviolet light. The music department provides students with a wide range of
instruments, tools for digital recording, and tools to support music composition. Windham High
School provides sufficient instructional materials and supplies. The school uses a variety of digital
curriculum materials to support teaching and learning including online textbooks and online media.
As a result of the provision of dependable funding, students are able to access an education that is
engaging, responsive to their needs, and supportive of student achievement of the school’s learning
expectations. (students, teachers, parents, administrators, self-study)
The school develops, plans and generally funds programs to ensure the maintenance and repair of the
building and school plant, to properly maintain, catalogue and replace equipment, and to keep the
school clean on a daily basis. A head custodian of facilities and maintenance oversees the planning and
supervision of the maintenance program including the purchasing of adequate supplies, materials, and
47
equipment and the hiring, training, and management of personnel. Formal plans and schedules are in
place for the regular maintenance and repair of facilities and equipment and for the ongoing cleaning
of the facility. The school identifies clear responsibilities for maintenance and monitoring of
equipment. Through the efforts of the custodians, the school is well-maintained. The building is clean,
orderly, and cared for attentively. The grounds are primarily maintained by the school’s custodians.
Windham High School has a contract for snow removal and contracts for additional landscaping
assistance beyond the regular maintenance responsibilities. The school faces challenges in maintaining
the condition of the two regularly used athletic fields on campus. The significant use of the fields by
the school’s athletic program creates significant wear, making it challenging for the fields to
appropriately support the school’s athletics. Technology responsibilities are managed by a variety of
help desk and support staff members. The technology director is primarily responsible for the
maintenance and repair equipment. The volume of technology repairs is challenging for the current
staff to manage. The library media specialist now offers support to the technology staff in order to
manage the requests of students and teachers. In many cases, loaner devices are provided to students
or teachers when an immediate fix is not available. Windham High School has a total of five
technology staff members including a building technology specialist and manager who is also a
certified Apple technician. Requests for maintenance are submitted by faculty members to a help desk
and assigned priority by technology staff members. As a result of providing funds to support the
ongoing needs of the school site, plant, and equipment, Windham High School provides wellmaintained facilities and equipment to support student learning. (students, teachers, parents,
custodians, administrators, self-study)
The school community in Windham funds and the school implements a long-range plan that addresses
some of the programs and services, facility needs, technology, and capital improvement needs. Over
the course of the past year, the school district engaged in a capital needs assessment that provides
long-range, multi-year plan to address the needs of the school. The capital needs assessment identifies
approximately $16 million worth of capital projects intended for the next twenty years. The plan
maintains a consistent level of funding for capital improvements over the years of the plan. Included in
the document are time bound plans to manage the repair, replacement, and management of the school
site and plant’s needs. Despite the long-range plans that are in place, the school recognizes the
potential need for additional space in the facility as the school population continues to grow. Windham
High School currently houses four third grade classrooms and a preschool within the school plant. In
order to accommodate the projected increase in school population, additional areas in the school may
be needed for use as instructional space for students in grades nine through twelve. The original
construction of the facility included designs to build additional classrooms at the end of academic
wings and to add space to the cafeteria through construction. Although the facility includes the
opportunity to expand the building, the district has not established funding or a timeline to support
this expansion. The school has also not identified a formal plan to address staffing needs that would
result from increased student population. In addition to the capital needs plan, the school also
developed a technology plan that addresses the provision of students’ laptop computers. The school
annually provides funds to support the continued purchase of computers for student use. As a result of
establishing a formal plan to address the long-range needs of the facility, the school and district have
sufficiently planned to maintain the condition of the facility. Until the school commits to a formal
means to address potential space needs and staffing needs that accompany increased enrollment, it
will not be able to ensure that it can continue to meet students’ needs. (administrators, teachers, selfstudy)
Faculty members and building administrators are actively involved in the development and
implementation of the budget. The budget process begins with departmental directors and deans
working with teachers in their respective departments to determine budgetary needs for the following
school year. The process provides teachers and their departmental leaders with the opportunity to
48
collaborate in identifying their budgetary priorities. Following this work, department leaders share
their requests and the justification of these needs with the building principal. The principal works
collaboratively with departmental leaders to determine which requests will be shared with the
superintendent and district-level administrators. At this point in the process, district-level
administrators collaborate with the principal to determine budget priorities and expected levels of
funding. Based on this information, the principal returns to teachers and departments to identify
which requests will be included in the budget and which requests will not be funded. After identifying
the prioritized list of expenses, the budget is submitted to the Windham School District School Board
for its consideration. As a result of including teachers, departmental leaders, building-level
administrators, and central office administrators in the collaborative process, the school and district
ensure that the budget includes the viewpoints of professional members of the school community.
(teachers, administrators, self-study)
The school site and plant at Windham High School support the delivery of high quality school
programs and services. The school building is seven years old and provides a modern, aesthetically
pleasing, and well-provisioned support to teaching and learning. The building is a source of pride for
students, teachers, parents, and the community. The school’s gymnasium supports the needs of the
human performance curriculum and allows for competition in a variety of interscholastic athletics. The
space is bright and cheerful, lending itself use for school-wide assemblies. The auditorium seats
approximately 400 guests and provides a welcoming environment for school and community events
including the school’s open house, community events, and the school’s drama productions. The
auditorium is outfitted with a high definition projector, a high-quality sound system, as well as
lighting and sound equipment that can be used for the school’s drama productions. The classrooms at
Windham High School are well suited to the educational needs of the school. The classrooms are
spacious, well lit, and inviting spaces. The rooms allow for students to collaborate comfortably. In
some cases the original design of the building allowed for double rooms to accommodate co-taught,
interdisciplinary courses. These classes can function as a meeting room for a larger group, but can also
be separated through the use of built-in partitions. The art room provides ample space for a variety of
curricular offerings including a separate room for work intended for ceramics and sculpture.
Additionally, the room includes several storage areas allowing for the organization of equipment,
materials, and supplies. The band room is provisioned with digital equipment to support recording
and composition. The engineering and design space at the school is a spacious, well-provisioned
workspace that allows students to collaborate, work with machinery, and access tools for building and
creating. The school provides three computer labs that supplement the technology provided to each
student and teacher. The cafeteria seats approximately 300 students and was designed to have the
aesthetic appeal of a restaurant. The media center provides appropriate space for students to study,
work collaboratively, or access resources. Additionally, attached to the media center are the learning
center and a computer lab that are used by students on a regular basis. The school site provides
adequate outdoor space for human performance classes and athletic competitions. As a result of the
modern, well-provisioned facility, the school is able to meet the educational needs of students in the
Windham learning community. (students, teachers, administrators, parents, self-study)
Windham High School maintains documentation that the physical plant meets applicable federal and
state laws and is in compliance with local fire, health, and safety regulations. Local fire regulators
inspect the facility annually and maintain seating capacity limits in areas used by the visiting public,
such as the auditorium, gymnasium and bleachers at the playing fields. Ventilation and temperature
control are electronically and digitally monitored to meet all local and state health requirements. The
documentation is available upon request. As a result, Windham High School is able to ensure that the
facility provides a safe learning environment for students. (custodians, self-study, administrators)
49
Faculty members at Windham High School actively engage parents and families as partners in each
student’s education and reach out specifically to those families who have been less connected with the
school. The school provides parents with ongoing access to student assessment and achievement data
through PowerSchool. Parents also receive login credentials to Moodle, allowing them to view course
syllabi, assignments, and homework for each class. In addition, the school provides weekly emails to
parents through the AlertNow communication system, highlighting important information including
grading schedules, school events, and opportunities to become engaged in school activities. Monthly
newsletters that share student achievement and important school information are distributed to
members of the school community. The school also hosts an open house and two parent/teacher
conference nights during the school year providing parents and families with the opportunity to
collaborate with faculty members and administrators. Teachers contact parents through phone calls
and emails on an ongoing basis to provide updates on students’ progress. The school also maintains a
website that highlights key information for students and families. Windham High School provides a
variety of digital communications with families; the school supplements these digital communications
by providing physical copies of notices to families that do not have access to the Internet. Phone calls
and mail are other methods used to reach families that do not have access to Internet. As a result of the
many ways Windham High School communicates with parents and families, faculty members and
administrators are able to establish partnerships to support student learning. (self-study, parents,
administrators)
Windham High School develops productive parent, business, community, and higher education
partnerships that support student learning. Parents contribute to the school in a variety of ways. Parent
groups such as the parent teacher association, the WHS Boosters, the Windham Musical Arts
Association, Friends of Windham Football, and the school council each provide parents with
meaningful ways to support students, teachers, and the school. The school has created formal business
and industry partnerships through the work of the school-to-career coordinator whose responsibilities
include working with local business leaders and community groups to establish internships and
authentic learning experiences for students. For instance, students at Windham High School can
participate in a youth mentor program offered by the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, the BAE
Industries computer refurbishing program, Sonshine Soup Kitchen, and other local organizations. The
school provides a Running Start program. In addition students can participate in career and technical
education opportunities through partnerships with Salem High School and Pinkerton Academy. The
school also recently developed a partnership with the University of New Hampshire, bringing student
teaching interns to the school on a regular basis to work with students and the professional staff. As a
result of the partnerships Windham High School has established with local businesses and community
groups, students are able to extend their learning beyond the school campus. (self-study, teachers,
students, administrators)
Commendations:
1. The dependable funding for a wide range of programs and services to support the learning and
engagement of students at Windham High School
2. The provision of funding to provide sufficient staffing to meet the learning needs of students
3. The provision of a wide range of technology to meet the teaching and learning needs of
students and teachers
4. The maintenance of the building that provides a clean, well-cared for facility
5. The capital needs assessment that provides long-term planning for physical plant, maintenance,
and improvements
6. The active involvement of faculty members and administrators in the development and
implementation of the school’s budget
7. The modern, aesthetically pleasing, and welcoming facility that supports the teaching and
learning needs of the school community
50
8. The thoughtfully designed and well-provisioned classroom space, co-teaching areas, art room,
band room, engineering and design space, gymnasium, and media center
9. The active engagement of parents and families, including those who have been less connected
to the school, as partners in their child’s education
10. The development of business/community partnerships that provide authentic learning
opportunities for students
11. The development of partnerships with local high school to provide students at Windham High
School with career and technical education experiences
Recommendations:
1. Develop and implement a plan to address the needs of the school’s athletic fields
2. Ensure that technology staff is sufficient to address the help desk and technology maintenance
requests of students and teacher
3. Conduct a formal review of the space needs and staffing needs of the school as part of the longrange plan to address changing enrollment at Windham High School
4. Implement a plan based on the results of the formal review of space needs and staffing needs to
ensure that the facility and staffing continue to meet the learning needs of students
51
FOLLOW-UP RESPONSIBILITIES
This comprehensive evaluation report reflects the findings of the school's self-study and those
of the visiting committee. It provides a blueprint for the faculty, administration, and other officials to
use to improve the quality of programs and services for the students in Windham High School. The
faculty, school board, and superintendent should be apprised by the building administration yearly of
progress made addressing visiting committee recommendations.
Since it is in the best interest of the students that the citizens of the district become aware of the
strengths and limitations of the school and suggested recommendations for improvement, the
Committee requires that the evaluation report be made public in accordance with the Committee's
Policy on Distribution, Use and Scope of the Visiting Committee Report.
A school's initial/continued accreditation is based on satisfactory progress implementing valid
recommendations of the visiting committee and others identified by the Committee as it monitors the
school's progress and changes which occur at the school throughout the decennial cycle. To monitor
the school's progress in the Follow-Up Program the Committee requires that the principal of Windham
High School submit routine Two- and Five-Year Progress Reports documenting the current status of all
evaluation report recommendations, with particular detail provided for any recommendation which
may have been rejected or those items on which no action has been taken. In addition, responses must
be detailed on all recommendations highlighted by the Committee in its notification letters to the
school. School officials are expected to have completed or be in the final stages of completion of all
valid visiting committee recommendations by the time the Five-Year Progress Report is submitted.
The Committee may request additional Special Progress Reports if one or more of the Standards are
not being met in a satisfactory manner or if additional information is needed on matters relating to
evaluation report recommendations or substantive changes in the school.
To ensure that it has current information about the school, the Committee has an established
Policy on Substantive Change requiring that principals of member schools report to the Committee
within sixty days (60) of occurrence any substantive change which negatively impacts on the school's
adherence to the Committee's Standards for Accreditation. The report of substantive change must
describe the change itself and detail any impact which the change has had on the school's ability to
meet the Standards for Accreditation. The Committee's Substantive Change Policy is included in the
Appendix on page 54. All other substantive changes should be included in the Two- and Five-Year
Progress Reports and/or the Annual Report which is required of each member school to ensure that
the Committee office has current statistical data on the school.
The Committee urges school officials to establish a formal follow-up program at once to review
and implement all findings of the self-study and valid recommendations identified in the evaluation
report. An outline of the Follow-Up Program is available in the Committee’s Accreditation Handbook
which was given to the school at the onset of the self-study. Additional direction regarding suggested
procedures and reporting requirements is provided at Follow-Up Seminars offered by Committee staff
following the on-site visit.
The visiting committee would like to express its appreciation for the hospitality shown throughout the
entirety of the visit. Additionally, the team is thankful for the collaborative spirit with which it
welcomed to the school.
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APPENDIX A
Windham High School
NEASC Accreditation Visit
November 2 – 5, 2014
Visiting Committee
Name
Role/Dept.
School
John Clements (Chair)
Principal
Nipmuc Regional High School
Keith McCarthy (Asst. Chair)
English
Rockport Middle/High School
Elizabeth Tardugno
Social Studies
Belmont High School
David Dionne
Math
Manchester HS West
Lynne Hardacre
English
Tewksbury Mem. High School
Leesa Hudak
Computer Technology
Bow High School
Michelle Getherall
Technology Education
Woburn Mem. High School
Daniel Decker
Social Studies
Stevens High School
Richard Parent
Science
Milford High School
Nancy Ceppetelli
Special Education
Shepherd Hill Reg. High School
Pam Martin
Asst. Principal
Spaulding High School
Kevin Lee
English
Kearsarge Regional High School
Jennifer Wigmore
Guidance
Rutland High School
Candice Hancock
Home Economics
Hollis Brookline High School
53
APPENDIX B
NEW ENGLAND ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS & COLLEGES
Committee on Public Secondary Schools
SUBSTANTIVE CHANGE POLICY
Principals of member schools must report to the Committee within sixty (60) days of occurrence any
substantive change in the school which has a negative impact on the school's ability to meet any of the
Committee's Standards for Accreditation. The report of a substantive change must describe the change
itself as well as detail the impact on the school’s ability to meet the Standards. The following are
potential areas where there might be negative substantive changes which must be reported:
-
elimination of fine arts, practical arts and student activities
-
diminished upkeep and maintenance of facilities
-
significantly decreased funding
-
cuts in the level of administrative and supervisory staffing
-
cuts in the number of teachers and/or guidance counselors
-
grade level responsibilities of the principal
-
cuts in the number of support staff
-
decreases in student services
-
cuts in the educational media staffing
-
increases in student enrollment that cannot be accommodated
-
takeover by the state
-
inordinate user fees
-
changes in the student population that warrant program or staffing
modification(s) that cannot be accommodated, e.g., the number of special needs
students or vocational students or students with limited English proficiency
54
APPENDIX C
Windham High School
Commendations
Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations
1. The dynamic, inclusive process used to update the school’s initial mission statement to include
core values and beliefs about learning
2. The development of ROAR acronym as a way to communicate the core values to the school
community
3. The development of 21st century learning expectations that address academic, social, and civic
competencies
4. The development of analytic rubrics to measure the school’s 21st century learning expectations
5. The variety of ways that the core values, beliefs about learning, and 21st century learning
expectations actively reflected in the culture of the school, drive curriculum, instruction, and
assessment in every classroom, and guide the school’s policies, procedures, decisions, and
resource allocations
Curriculum
1. The establishment of curriculum documents in English, math, science, social studies, and music
that is written in a common format and includes units of study with essential questions,
concepts, content, and skills, and assessment practices
2. The many opportunities across all curriculum areas that engage students in inquiry and
problem solving, higher order thinking, cross-disciplinary learning, and authentic learning
opportunities
3. The many meaningful ways technology is integrated into the curriculum including the use of
MacBook computers by all students, the informed use of Moodle as a online course
management tool, and the regular access provided to digital learning tools
4. The use of common assessments as a way to ensure the alignment of the written and taught
curriculum
5. The curricular coordination and vertical articulation between and among all academic areas
within school as well as with sending schools in the district through the leadership of academic
deans and directors and collaborative meetings of faculty members
6. The provision of staffing levels, instructional materials, equipment, supplies, facilities, and the
resources of the library media center to support a curriculum that is engaging, responsive to
students’ needs, and supportive of all students’ academic achievement
7. The provision of a wide array of technology including student and teacher-issued iPads,
teacher-issued iPads, projectors, a server dedicated to Moodle, and appropriate bandwidth to
support the implementation of the curriculum
8. The provision sufficient personnel, time, and financial resources for ongoing and collaborative
development, evaluation, and revision of the curriculum
Instruction
1. The variety of ways that teachers’ instructional strategies align with the school’s core values
and beliefs about learning
2. The variety of ways that teachers personalize instruction to meet students’ needs
3. The cross-disciplinary learning opportunities provided to all students through the cultural
foundations and American studies courses
55
4. The use of instructional practices that engage students as active and self-directed learners
5. The emphasis across all disciplines on providing students opportunities to engage in inquiry,
problem solving, and higher order thinking
6. The provision of a variety of opportunities to apply knowledge and skills to authentic tasks
7. The opportunities provided to students to formally reflect on their learning and achievement
8. The variety of ways that teachers integrate technology into their instruction
9. The use of many different types of formative assessment as a way to identify the learning needs
of individual students
10. The use of strategic differentiation and purposefully designed cooperative learning activities
11. The improvement of teachers’ instructional practices through the examination of student work
and student achievement data
12. The professional discourse about instruction that is an important part of the professional
culture of the school
13. The expertise of teachers that is maintained through professional development, the
collaborative work of faculty members, and a commitment to professional practice
Assessment of and for Student Learning
1. The collaborative work of teachers to collect, disaggregate, and analyze data to identify and
respond to inequities in student achievement
2. The variety of ways that teachers communicate unit-specific learning goals at the beginning of
each unit of study including the use of course-specific rubrics, the sharing of exemplars of
student work, the use of Moodle, and the sharing of essential questions
3. The use of rubrics as a way to communicate learning expectations prior to summative
assessments
4. The creation of the Windham High School Writing Rubric to communicate common
expectations for effective written communication
5. The wide range of formative assessment strategies that are used by teachers at Windham High
School
6. The regular collaboration between teachers to create, analyze, and revise assessments,
especially the newly created formative assessments
7. The provision of specific, timely, and corrective feedback to ensure students revise and improve
their work
8. The frequent use of formative assessment as a way for teachers to adapt their instruction
9. The review of student work, common assessments, and standardized test results to improve
instructional practice
School Culture and Leadership
1. The safe, positive, respectful, and supportive school culture that fosters student responsibility
for learning and results in the shared ownership, pride, and high expectations for all
2. The provision of a formal advisory program that meets four days each week, allowing students
to build relationships with adult members of the school community
3. The professional discourse aimed at reflection, inquiry, and analysis of teaching and learning
between teachers at Windham High School
4. The use of professional learning communities for teachers to collaborate with their colleagues
on areas of professional interest
5. The provision of professional development to support the teaching and learning needs of
teachers
6. The implementation of the newly adopted plan for supervision and evaluation
7. The use of a master schedule that supports the learning needs of students and opportunities for
teachers to collaborate with their peers as an embedded part of the school day
56
8. The provision of student loads and class sizes that enable teachers to meet students’ learning
needs
9. The evidence of the core values and beliefs about learning in the leadership of the principal and
other building leaders
10. The meaningful roles of teachers, students, and parents in the decision-making process at the
school
11. The work of teachers and deans in demonstrating leadership to improve the school
School Resources for Learning
1. The provision of timely, coordinated, and directive intervention strategies for all students,
including identified and at-risk students, that support each student’s achievement of the
school’s 21st century learning expectations
2. The variety of ways that the school communicates with families about available student
support services
3. The widespread use of technology by student support services to deliver and coordinate
services for students
4. The provision of adequate certified/licensed personnel to support personal, academic, college,
and career counseling
5. The delivery of a school counseling curriculum to all students
6. The provision of referrals to outside agencies to support students’ health and wellbeing
7. The provision of a wide range of health services to support the wellness of students and
professional members of the school community
8. The integration of library media center into teaching and learning at Windham High School
9. The technological and instructional support to teachers provided by the library media specialist
10. The collaborative work of faculty members to provide support and targeted services to students
to help them achieve the 21st century learning expectations
Community Resources for Learning
1. The dependable funding for a wide range of programs and services to support the learning and
engagement of students at Windham High School
2. The provision of funding to provide sufficient staffing to meet the learning needs of students
3. The provision of a wide range of technology to meet the teaching and learning needs of
students and teachers
4. The maintenance of the building that provides a clean, well-cared for facility
5. The capital needs assessment that provides long-term planning for physical plant, maintenance,
and improvements
6. The active involvement of faculty members and administrators in the development and
implementation of the school’s budget
7. The modern, aesthetically pleasing, and welcoming facility that supports the teaching and
learning needs of the school community
8. The thoughtfully designed and well-provisioned classroom space, co-teaching areas, art room,
band room, engineering and design space, gymnasium, and media center
9. The active engagement of parents and families, including those who have been less connected
to the school, as partners in their child’s education
10. The development of business/community partnerships that provide authentic learning
opportunities for students
11. The development of partnerships with local high school to provide students at Windham High
School with career and technical education experiences
57
Recommendations
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Core Values, Beliefs, and Learning Expectations
Examine school data, educational research, district and community priorities, and other
relevant evidence as part of the process to review and revise the school’s core values, beliefs,
and 21st century learning expectations.
Establish and consistently communicate a single version of the 21st century learning
expectations.
Review and revise the school-wide rubrics to be sure that they are a viable tool to assess
student achievement of the 21st century learning expectations.
Ensure that the targeted level of achievement on the analytic rubrics to measure student
achievement of the 21st century learning expectations is appropriately rigorous.
Create and implement a formal plan for the regular review and revision of the core values,
beliefs, and 21st century learning expectations based on research, multiple data sources, as well
as district and school community priorities.
Curriculum
1. Create and implement a formal plan that will ensure that all students practice and achieve each
of the school’s 21st century learning expectations.
2. Establish curriculum documents in the common format for all disciplines that have not yet
created these documents.
3. Revise curriculum guides to include the school’s 21st century learning expectations.
Instruction
1. Conduct a formal review of the way teachers’ instructional strategies align with the school’s 21st
century learning expectations.
2. Formalize the process of establishing PLCs in order to ensure that faculty members can use this
time to support their instructional practices.
3. Establish a formal means of gaining feedback from parents as a way for teachers to improve
their instructional practices.
Assessment of and for Student Learning
1. Develop and implement a formal process, based on school-wide rubrics to assess whole-school
and individual progress in achieving the school’s 21st century learning expectations.
2. Develop and implement a process to communicate individual student progress in achieving the
school’s 21st century learning expectations to students and their families.
3. Develop and implement a process to communicate the school’s progress in achieving the 21st
century learning expectations to the school community.
4. Communicate the specific 21st century learning expectations to be taught and assessed at the
beginning of each unit of study.
5. Provide formal opportunities for teachers, individually and collaboratively, to examine
individual and school-wide progress in achieving the school’s 21st century learning
expectations, data from sending schools, receiving schools and post-secondary institutions, and
survey data from current students and alumni.
6. Provide formal opportunities for teachers to collaborate in the review and revision of grading
practices to ensure alignment with the school’s core values and beliefs about learning.
School Culture and Leadership
58
1. Provide opportunities for students to participate in heterogeneously grouped core courses as a
means to promote equity and inclusivity in achieving of the school’s 21st century learning
expectations.
2. Develop consistent expectations for the goals, teacher expectations, and student outcomes of
the advisory program.
3. Identify additional opportunities for the principal and other building leaders to act as the
instructional leaders of the school.
4. Develop and implement a process to support the development of collaborative, reflective, and
constructive relationships between the school board, superintendent, and principal.
5. Ensure that the principal has sufficient decision-making authority to lead the school.
School Resources for Learning
1. Develop and implement a formal referral process to allow increased access to health care at the
school.
2. Ensure that the technological responsibilities of the library media center do not interfere with
her ability to provide the services of the library media center.
3. Review the practices of the library media center in order to ensure that students have regular
access to its resources
Community Resources for Learning
1. Develop and implement a plan to address the needs of the school’s athletic fields.
2. Ensure that technology staff is sufficient to address the help desk and technology maintenance
requests of students and teacher.
3. Conduct a formal review of the space needs and staffing needs of the school as part of the longrange plan to address changing enrollment at Windham High School
4. Implement a plan based on the results of the formal review of space needs and staffing needs to
ensure that the facility and staffing continue to meet the learning needs of students.
59