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WASC 102: Where are we now?

Part 2 of 3 in a series. Part 1 introduced WASC. Part 3 will report on what's ahead for Foothill High School.

By MIKAYLA FRANKLIN
fhspress.com News Editor
Class of 2014

After the WASC 101 installment, many people are a lot more informed about the group and what they do than they were previously. However, I'm sure that there are still a whole lot of questions as to how our school is and has been affected by the organization.

March 2012 marked the month of one of the many WASC evaluations that have taken place at Foothill since it was established in 1964. The WASC workers looked into everything from teacher credentials to rate of student enrollment, as well as the addition of our APEX credit recovery program. They looked into facts on attendance, California Standardized Test (CST) and California Exit Exam (otherwise known as CAHSEE) content areas, discipline, and community demographics.

Most of the results from this year's Spring WASC evaluation have yet to be released. However, there is plenty to show for Foothill's previous years.

When it comes to our graduation rates, we have met designated requirements since at least the 2006-2007 school year. That in itself is a huge accomplishment! Earning a diploma is obviously one of the most important goals of most teenagers. Our English test participation rates have met the required goals most of the times that we have been evaluated. Mathematics participation, however, has been slightly lower. Unfortunately, our proficiency rates in both English and Math have significantly dropped since the 2007-2008 school year. Last year, we met 20 of the 28 AYP criteria standards. That score isn't too bad, but back in 2007, we met 26 out of 27 of the criteria. We had a nearly perfect score. While a perfect score is difficult to reach, we still have time to increase our score.

As for testing, our History and Science CST scores have increased since the 2008 WASC visit. History held a 19% increase, while Science grew 17%. English and Math however declined.
There has been a significant increase in students completing A-G requirements since 2008. This includes a 98% increase in completion rate for all graduates.

Our Energy Academy (which will be reopening in August of 2012) and our SchoolLoop system were both programs that were viewed as having a very positive impact on our school.

So, how can you help improve our WASC outlook? Several ways will be included in our next newspaper issue.

mikayla.franklin@fhspress.com

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