One of the highlights of the NASSP Conference each year is the Breaking Ranks Showcase, a day of presentations by teams of teachers, administrators, and students from 16 high-performing middle level and high schools from around the country. All of these schools have achieved outstanding results (often by adopting strategies in NASSP’s Breaking Ranks Framework), and participants always walk away with a fresh set of useful tools, tips and techniques.
San Diego Met Middle College High School and TechBoston Academy may be 3,000 miles apart, but these schools are completely in-sync when it comes to their use of data. Data informs every action they take.
San Diego Met Principal Mildred Phillips explained how their use of “in-house data,” the data they have control over, leads to results in the “out- house” data, such as reporting at the district level and state-level testing.
Phillips starts with the “soft data,” such as attendance rates, citizenship, suspension rates, academics, and examines what the accountability factors are and what actions must be taken as a result. This lays the foundation for San Diego Met’s highly personalized learning environment, where students take advantage of real-world internship opportunities, mentor-led projects, and college-level classes. Students leave San Diego Met prepared, whether it is college or the workforce. Phillips says, “I want 100% of my students to have options.” The results speak for themselves, as San Diego Met boasts a 100% graduation rate and a 98% attendance rate.
TechBoston Academy shares San Diego Met’s passion for data-driven decision making. TechBoston Chief Academic Officer Nora Vernazza described how the school uses data to support student’s individual needs, a process that can be as simple as maintaining a spreadsheet noting attendance, behavior, historical grades, family background and more. Data is also used to build student schedules by balancing such considerations as whether a student needs tutoring, additional instruction, etc. Ultimately, TechBoston uses all of this data to better inform what its budget and resource needs will be.
As one would expect, technology plays a huge role at TechBoston. All students have laptops, and enjoy classes in web design, programming, digital art, and media. Vernazza explained that one of the keys to having a high-tech staff is sharing best practice. The teachers at TechBoston help each other by sharing tips and tools they have discovered, a valuable resource for teachers with tight schedules and little free time. The school’s goal is to provide a “seamless integration of technology that mirrors what students experience at home, in media, in college and in the workplace,” said Vernazza. You can see proof of this by visiting TechBoston’s exemplary school website, www.techbostonacademy.org.
All in all, two very impressive schools helping lead the way in the 21st century. I expect to hear much more from both of these schools (and their students) in years to come.