Pacific: Korea Mr. Morgan Nugent, Principal Unit 2037 APO, AP 96278-2039 Document Generated On December 9, 2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1 Description of the School 2 School's Purpose 3 Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement 4 Additional Information 5
Introduction Every school has its own story to tell. The context in which teaching and learning takes place influences the processes and procedures by which the school makes decisions around curriculum, instruction, and assessment. The context also impacts the way a school stays faithful to its vision. Many factors contribute to the overall narrative such as an identification of stakeholders, a description of stakeholder engagement, the trends and issues affecting the school, and the kinds of programs and services that a school implements to support student learning. The purpose of the Executive Summary (ES) is to provide a school with an opportunity to describe in narrative form the strengths and challenges it encounters. By doing so, the public and members of the school community will have a more complete picture of how the school perceives itself and the process of self-reflection for continuous improvement. This summary is structured for the school to reflect on how it provides teaching and learning on a day to day basis. Page 1
Description of the School Describe the school's size, community/communities, location, and changes it has experienced in the last three years. Include demographic information about the students, staff, and community at large. What unique features and challenges are associated with the community/communities the school serves? Osan Air Base is the home of the U.S. Air Force 7th Command and the U.S. Air Force 51st Fighter Wing, as well as the 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment (a unit of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade stationed at Sewon Air Base). Osan American High School (OAHS), a DoDEA school maintained by the Department of Defense, services the 176 military-connected high school age dependents associated with the above mentioned. The children are well supported by the military command as well as OAHS mentoring and tutoring programs. Osan American High School (OAHS) offers a vast array of programs and activities tailored to ensure equal involvement for all students, parents, and stakeholders from the surrounding communities. Demographically, 46% of the student population is Asian; 36% is Caucasian; and 9% of the students are African American. The school staff also illustrates diversity: 24% of the staff is Asian; 64% is Caucasian; 8% is African American, and 4% is Hispanic. The diverse student and staff populations provide Osan American High School with a wide variety of cultural insight and experience. Special events are planned throughout the year to recognize and celebrate the diversity. Stakeholder involvement in school activities is encouraged at every opportunity. In addition, the students and faculty at OAHS work well together, stressing unique talents and respecting diversity. OAHS celebrates its diverse populations and continuously incorporates outside-of-base Korean community members and stakeholders at every opportunity. During special events and activities, such as homecoming, school plays, and cultural events, OAHS invites sister schools, Jinwee Middle and High School and TaeKwang High School to participate. Through the inclusion, OAHS celebrates diversity and cultural exchange. Some of the challenges Osan American High School faces includes a low student population and diverse student-living locations. Because of the school's location, most activities are held on Osan Air Base. Additionally, scheduling various meetings (PTSO, SAC, etc.) can be challenging because parents have to come from varying areas to attend. Due to our small school size and few staff numbers scheduling classes must be accomplished artfully; the school must ensure students have access to all required classes for credit and are able to meet graduation requirements. The Virtual School option helps meet such demands, but it can be a challenge to facilitate. Osan American High School is well supported by base commands; through their support and the school's mentoring and tutoring programs, the 174 students at OAHS are meeting requirements; they are engaged in a unique and diverse school experience, and they are rigorously learning necessary skills to ensure future success. Page 2
School's Purpose Provide the school's purpose statement and ancillary content such as mission, vision, values, and/or beliefs. Describe how the school embodies its purpose through its program offerings and expectations for students. DoDEA Mission: Educate, Engage, and Empower EACH Student to succeed in a dynamic world. Vision: Osan American High School strives to create a community where: - Students, families, and community members work in close partnership. - Teachers emphasize commitment, responsibility, and the high level skills necessary to empower students to succeed in a global society. - Students display good character and are actively engaged in continuous learning. Osan American High School, as part of the DoDEA, strives to be among the world's leaders in education, enriching the lives of militaryconnected students and the communities in which they live. Osan American High School employees believe: - Students are at the heart of all that is done. - Each student can reach his or her fullest potential. - Educating the whole child fosters academic, social, and emotional well-being. - Learning environments are students-centered, stimulating, and relevant. - High-performing educators and leaders make a difference concerning student success. - Engaged partnerships enrich the lives of the students. - Diversity inspires excellence and innovation. Osan American High School, in accordance with the DoDEA mission, strives to meet the needs of students, parents, and the community, as well as the teaching staff, by providing an academically-rich school. Osan American High School offer rigorous courses in order to prepare the students so that they are ready to positively influence the modern world. Students at OAHS are encouraged to enroll in honors and advanced placement courses, as well as experience the rich cultural and fine/applied arts programs the school offers. During the 2014-2015 school year, for example, three additional AP courses are being offered. In addition, opportunities to support the students are provided before and after school by caring staff members who provide nurturing classroom environments. Base-wide partnerships with military units, the Red Cross, and the USO provide student after-school tutoring opportunities. Through the partnerships, U.S. service personnel experience the teaching field and are thereby encouraged to be part of the next generation's educational leadership. Page 3
Notable Achievements and Areas of Improvement Describe the school's notable achievements and areas of improvement in the last three years. Additionally, describe areas for improvement that the school is striving to achieve in the next three years. Over the last five years, Osan American High School has experienced an increase in student performance in the Language Arts section on the Terra Nova standardized test. In addition, over the last three years, the percentage of students scoring in the top two quartiles for our 9th grade students have increased in all areas. Osan American High School is excited to see an increase in the number of students taking the SAT. Over the last three years, there has been a 14% increase in the number of seniors completing the SAT test. Osan American High School has also experienced a 26 point increase in the collective SAT scores for OAHS. This is in part to the school's SAT improvement plan. This plan has implemented strategies to increase the SAT scores of all students, while still encouraging even more students to take the test. The following has been implemented: - SAT word of the day - Two classes of SAT prep during seminar: one class of math and one reading and writing class - SAT warm-up activities at the start of all Algebra II classes. It is the desire of OAHS to ensure the success of all students; students need to be prepared to enter colleges or ready to enter the workforce upon graduation. SAT preparation is just one way in which OAHS strives to ensure student success. The Osan America High School staff realizes the importance of knowing how the students are performing academically and performing on norm-reference tests. Over the last two years, an online data base has been created compounding and categorizing all student academic data. The teachers are able to access the data base within their classrooms and thereby are aware of student academic weaknesses and strengths. Teachers have also discussed and have formulated plans concerning how they should use the data to differentiate instruction, thus fostering future student academic success. Ongoing training and student-data review and evaluation will continue throughout the school years to come. Osan American High School also realizes the need to increase the number of rigorous courses that students have the opportunity to take while attending the DoDDS school. Last year, two additional Advanced Placement courses were offered to the students: AP World History and AP Environmental Science. This year OAHS expanded its AP program by also offering AP Human Geography, AP Calculus A/B and AP Chemistry. With the addition of these classes, students attending the high school will have the opportunity to choose from nine different AP courses. School administration has set a goal for the school that 75% of students will have at least tried to take an AP course while attending our school. This year 13% of our freshmen are taking an AP class and 54% are enrolled into an honors program. 65% of sophomores are enrolled in an honors or AP class. 63% of all juniors were enrolled in an AP class. 73% of our seniors were also enrolled in an AP class. OAHS AP equity report in continually over 15 percentage points higher than the national average. Page 4
Additional Information Provide any additional information you would like to share with the public and community that were not prompted in the previous sections. Osan American High School's staff is proud of their unique ability to provide an outstanding education to all the students of active duty military and civilian personnel. The staff is especially proud that the entire community - students, staff, parents, and base personnel - feels completely comfortable in contacting the school, taking part in both curricular and co-curricular activities offered throughout the year, and providing immediate support for any function or need that the student population requires. Osan American High School is also proud of the fact that the school maintains the highest expectation of everyone: students and staff. The evaluation of collective student data keeps the school dynamic and allows for the implementation of effective improvements. In addition, the school's improvement goals are published continuously, and all educators, parents, and other community members support them. In all, the entire community - staff, parents, and community members - are working effectively to ensure the success of all the students. Osan American High School feels deep respect for students and community members dealing with long separations - the stresses of living without extended family support nearby and the multiple moves many of the students and their families deal with. The Osan staff is exceptionally inventive, creative, and adaptive to separation needs. Lesson plans, for example, allow for absences due to family member deployment or other family activities. Thus, Osan American High School's staff understands the conditions the students and their families continually face and work with them to elevate unnecessary stress and thereby, foster continual student success. Likewise, Osan American High School supports students effectively during transitional periods, to and from OAHS. The school takes great pride in its student-to-student program and the success that program has brought. New students are provided campus guides who help them become accustom to the school and the community. New students are encouraged to attend scheduled support groups, which, as a byproduct, encourage and promote peer relationships. In addition, the OAHS counseling department meets personally with each departing family and provides them standards for stateside schools in which they are departing for. Plus, all incoming families meet with both the administration and counselors to discuss OAHS information, including academic standards. Osan American High School is an outstanding school, striving continuously to offer the best education possible for all students. OAHS will continually evaluate the students and staff, always modifying, always making improvement, and always moving forward. OAHS's goal is to educate the children to the highest degree; that lofty goal is apparent in all activities and classrooms. The proud administration and faculty at Osan American High School are happy to have the opportunity to prove themselves every day and in every way. Page 5