Mount Carmel

School Information

School Name:  Mount Carmel
School Address:   9550 Carmel Mountain Road
                         San Diego, CA 92129
School Phone:  (858) 484-1180
School Fax:  (858) 538-5496
Principal:  Dr. Tom McCoy
Principal E-Mail:  tmccoy@powayusd.com

Demographics

Number of Students:  2202
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:   12%
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  3%
Percent of Special Education:  NA
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White  (55%)
• Black  (4%)
• Hispanic  (10%)
• Asian/Pacific Island  (14%)
• Other  17%

Opened in 1975, Mt. Carmel has long been the focal point of the community. Student enrollment for 2006-07 is 2,286 and has grown by 131 students from the previous school year. More than one-quarter of the community’s residents are foreign born and one-third speak a language other than English. Mt. Carmel has a significant and growing population of students who qualify for Free/Reduced lunch (13%) and also a population of limited English proficient students (4%).

Present Student Achievement Data in at least three points to demonstrate trends – for example, three consecutive years or the first, third, and fifth years. The data report should always include the most recent school year and should always offer a basis of comparison (Mt.Carmel High School, SanDiego County, State of California).

SAT I	2006 (MtC/Cty/State)	2005 (MtC/Cty/State)	2004 (MtC/Cty/State)
Verbal	525/502/495	545/511/499	534/508/496
Math	562/519/516	570/527/521	565/524/519
Writing	528/499/495	n/a	n/a

 

SAT I	2006 (MtC/Cty/State)	2005 (MtC/Cty/State)	2004 (MtC/Cty/State)
AP>3
12th grade	142/71/56	106/62/45	86/59/43
11th&12th	61/34/26	58/30/21	51/58/20

 

Exit Exam	2006 (MtC/Cty/State)	2005 (MtC/Cty/State)	2004 (MtC/Cty/State)
Math	84/65/59	92/68/63	94/78/74
ELA	89/65/61	90/69/65	93/79/75

 

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the data that you feel is particularly significant.

Scores on the SAT, Advanced Placement, and CAHSEE tests have all steadily improved each year. Pass rate and number of test takers for the AP exams have increased each of the years. CAHSEE scores compared to state and county are significantly higher each year.

Please present any additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact upon student and/or teachers:

Mt. Carmel is a data driven organization. No longer do we rely on estimates and gut feelings to make decisions affecting teaching and learning. We now gather hard data on dozens of measures spanning academics, behavior, and attitude. Our current efforts focus on fine-tuning our data gathering, interpreting data to improve instruction, and making data easily available. The shift to data driven decision-making has developed in parallel with the move toward standards based instruction. In the context of these changes, the staff has spent much time discussing and reflecting on our mission and vision for Mt. Carmel. Most recently, Mt. Carmel has updated its mission of “Reach’em, Teach’em, let’em Soar”, to "Reach'em with Relationships, Teach'em with Rigor, and Let'em Soar with Relevance."

The 2006-07 school year brings change to the approach to meeting the needs of ALL learners at Mt. Carmel. This year, MCHS has devoted eight Friday mornings of professional time coupled with Professional Growth days and work beyond the school day to provide training for teachers in the areas of teaching reading across the curriculum, understanding diversity and connecting with all learners, differentiated instruction and formative assessment, and improving teacher communication through Learning Point sites.

Each academic department at Mt. Carmel is revisiting data and how it is used in the classroom. Each department annually sets a data driven SMART goal that is closely tied to our school-wide goal. For 2006-2007, MCHS Departments are crafting SMART goals and intervention strategies that align with the school wide goal of reducing the number of students with GPAs below 2.0 (the D and F rate) by 5% at each grade level.

MCHS administration, counseling and support staff work in an integrated services approach rather than as separate departments. Each grade level is assigned a team that consists of an Assistant Principal, Counselor, Guidance Technician, Attendance Clerk, Administrative Assistant and a Student Support Services specialist. These teams follow that cohort of students through to graduation. The Grade Level Teams are charged with monitoring grades/credits, attendance, discipline, test scores and emotional/social needs and providing support and/or intervention for students. Support comes in the form of college guidance, tutoring, and counseling services. Intervention may include CAHSEE classes, Math/English Intervention classes, SAT preparation, Adult School or alternative schooling placement, and referrals to outside agencies for student/family counseling.

New for 2006-2007, the MCHS Academic Intervention and Monitoring Program (AIM) requires students to attend tutoring time already built into the school day. Students earning less than a C in any class are now divided into two intervention programs.

"Red Alert" students are those earning 2 or more F's. These students have their progress checked weekly by the Grade Level Team through a "Blue Card" that teachers update with their weekly progress. These students are also required to attend a weekly Success Class in addition to teacher tutorials. These students are also asked to attend a "Homework Club" at least one afternoon each week. "Red Alert" Intervention involves parents and community support in the process of assisting students in improving their academic status at MCHS.

Students on "Gold Alert" are those who have earned a 'D' or one 'F' in any course. They are required to have their progress checked weekly by the Grade Level Team through a "Blue Card" that teachers update with their weekly progress. In addition, all students are encouraged to attend teacher sponsored tutorials.

All departments have developed standards for major courses and summative Common Course Assessment (CCA). This work is currently being continued as departments revise existing CCA and develop new CCA to be used as pre-assessments and as formative assessments. In addition, Common Course Assessment data is being analyzed with the goal of being able to identify and share good teaching practices across the faculty.

Annually, teachers submit course syllabi that outline course standards and how students will demonstrate mastery of those standards. These syllabi are a center-piece to a school-wide discussion around curricular consistency. Syllabi will also serve as a document for students and parents to monitor progress in a particular course and to have a clear understanding of the teachers' high expectations.

To continue to better prepare students for their futures, Mt. Carmel is redefining its career program. The different facets of the program will span all grade levels and will connect to college readiness. Using this web-based resource, students will investigate careers based on a personal interest survey or any other criteria that they choose. As a students move through high school, they will be guided in their use of web based resources to focus on particular careers and to investigate the preparation necessary for these careers.

For a detailed description of the MCHS WASC Report please go to: www.powayusd.com/pusdmchs/. Click on “WASC Report.”

Please elaborate upon strategies you have found to be effective in any of the following areas:

Monitoring student learning on a timely basis

• The use of Learning Point (Blackboard) by teachers for students and parents for access to grades and assignments
• Weekly blue cards and follow up with counselors and grade level teams

Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning

• AIM Academic Intervention & Monitoring (described in previous pages)
• Tutorial
• Change of bell schedule for next year to allow more time for student/teacher/counselor contact

Building the capacity of teachers to work as members of high performing collaborative teams who focus the efforts of their team on improved learning for students

• Change of bell schedule for next year to allow more time for student/teacher/counselor contact
• Common teacher prep periods
• Common course assessments
• TLCs
• Friday morning Professional Time and Focus Groups

List any Awards and Recognition Garnered by Your School:

• Three-time California Distinguished School – 1988, 1999, 2005
• National Blue Ribbon School – 1989, 2000
• Numerous awards for Band, Science Olympiad, Speech & Debate and other MCHS clubs and organizations and CIF titles.
• Named One of Top Eight High Schools in San Diego County by San Diego Magazine, 2006