Zeeland West High School Annual Report for 2010-2011

Submitted by jcamenga on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 12:11

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Dear Parents and Community Members:

We are pleased to present you with the Annual Education Report (AER) which provides key information on the 2010-2011 educational progress for Zeeland West High School. The AER addresses the complex reporting information required by federal and state laws. The school’s report contains information about student assessment, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and teacher quality. If you have any questions about the AER, please contact Principal Colleen Johnson at 616.748.4501 or cjohnson@zps.org for assistance.

The AER is available for you to review electronically HERE or you may review a copy from the main office at Zeeland West High School, 3390 100th Avenue, Zeeland.

For 2010-2011, Zeeland West High School made Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in English Language Arts and Mathematics. While we are pleased to have reached this important goal, we are continuously working to improve. We appreciate the continued support of parents, staff and our community in this effort.

State law requires that we also report additional information.

1. There are two high schools in the Zeeland Public School District, Zeeland East High School and Zeeland West High School. One of our two middle schools, Creekside, feeds into Zeeland West. Assignments are made by the geographic location of the home. We also accept school-of-choice students from both within and from outside the district.

2. The 2010-2011 school year marked the beginning of a new school improvement plan for Zeeland West. The Zeeland West School Improvement Team, compromised of teachers, administrators, a Board member a community member and a student used the data collected from the State Comprehensive Needs Assessment to write our school improvement plan. Each core subject of English, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science identified gaps that needed to be addressed. Implementing technology into the curriculum will also be a focus of our professional development for the 2011-2012 school year.

3. Zeeland West High School has 722 students in grades 9 - 12. The majority of our 9th graders are placed in a ‘house’ which uses a team teaching approach. Unless a Personal Curriculum is in place for a student, all students graduate having met the strict requirements of the Michigan Merit Curriculum. Wide spectrums of electives are available for the students to take throughout their high school career. Upperclassmen also have the opportunity to take a class at the Careerline Tech Center. We offer a wide range of clubs and athletics for all students.

4. Zeeland Public Schools makes sure our students are provided challenging lessons that are consistent across grade levels. A team of Zeeland educators regularly evaluates and revises our curriculum to ensure classroom lessons meet state requirements for kindergarten through twelfth grade. Besides a rigorous curriculum, our district has implemented learner goals for all students. These goals frame what we expect our students to accomplish by the time they graduate from Zeeland Public Schools. I encourage you to visit our curriculum web page. If you have questions about Zeeland Public Schools' curriculum, please contact us at 616-748-3004 or e-mail Administrative Assistant Alice Chidester.

5. At Zeeland West High School, we are proud of our success on the Michigan Merit Exam (MME). Here is the trend data for the last four years:

MME Spring Summary Report

All Students

Percent of Levels 1 & 2

Grade 11

MME Reading

	2008	2009	2010	2011
ZWHS	66	68	73	74

MME Writing

	2008	2009	2010	2011
ZWHS	44	54	52	55

MME Mathematics

	2008	2009	2010	2011
ZWHS	60	77	72	77

MME Science

	2008	2009	2010	2011
ZWHS	65	70	72	76

MME Social Studies

	2008	2009	2010	2011
ZWHS	86	93	89	89

In addition, our students averaged 21 points on the ACT, which is above the State average.

6. The community of Zeeland has always supported our schools, and 2010-11 was no different. Many parents attend our parent-teacher conferences, though we find this number decreasing due to the fact that a large percentage of parents use our Parent Portal, keeping track of their student’s grades through this means. Parents also use email to frequently communicate with our teachers. We also held ‘Rescue Conferences’ two times this past school year. These conferences are geared for failing students or those who were not working to their full potential. They were scheduled with the student’s team of teachers. These have proved to be very successful. Parent and community support is a cornerstone to school success, and this is an area in which Zeeland West High School, and all of Zeeland Public Schools, has been continuously blessed.

7. A profile of student activity in college-related courses and advanced placement

a. During the 2010- 2011 school year, Zeeland West High School had 2 students or .27% of the eligible students enrolled at a postsecondary institution (dual enrollment).

b. During the 2010 - 2011 school year Zeeland West High School offered 7 college equivalent (AP) courses.

c. During the 2010 - 2011 school year Zeeland West High School had 87 students or 12% of the student population enrolled in college equivalent classes (AP).

d. During the 2010 - 2011 school year Zeeland West High School 70 students or 79% of the students taking the AP exams received a score leading to college credit.

At Zeeland West High School, we are proud of our school and its students. We are also grateful to the parents and the community for their continued support. We believe we achieve our mission statement for our students to reach their highest level of academic achievement as measured by state and national standards, develop learning skills for their future endeavors and be active and positive participants in the school and community. We look forward to making gains in the coming school years.

Sincerely,

Colleen Johnson

Principal, Zeeland West High School