Robert Slater
ECOMP 6101
Acacia Dixon

 
SPPARK Grant Proposal

Title of Project:
Clearview High School’s Senior Project and Portfolio for At-Risk Kids (SPPARK)

 

Summation:
Creation of an ongoing electronic school portfolio/senior project for "At-Risk" youth at alternative high schools.

Purpose:

1. The major curricular areas for improvement will be in language arts and technology.

2. Students and teachers will learn HTML, PowerPoint, word processing and graphics manipulation to create an electronic portfolio that fits within a structure that meets district and state requirements for senior projects. The process will also include creating and modifying existing electronic portfolio formats. Staff will be trained in the use of the technology and attend workshops in portfolio design. In addition, projects from other curricular areas that show student growth and skills will be included.

3. The major outcomes for this project will be increased language arts and technological skills for both students and staff. The students will have experience using Windows computers in a primarily Apple-based school district. In addition to the concrete outcomes of a portfolio and their Senior Project, our "At-Risk" students will gain in the following less quantitatively measurable areas:

Positive reinforcement of their educational and personal growth

Improvement of language and communication skills

Developing habits of self-reflection and examination

Developing habits of planning for and meeting deadlines

Increased flexibility to adjust for creativity and skill levels

 

 

Need Statement:

Clearview High School

Mission Statement

Clearview is a personalized educational experience emphasizing life-long

learning. We build relationships in a progressive educational community with

high expectations, tolerance, integrity, personal growth and humor.

Written in collaboration by students, staff, parents and community members

At Clearview High School our students come to us with many gaps in their knowledge base. Almost without exception, they are lacking in language arts and technology skills. We focus on personal and individual projects that cross curricula. In addition, we are constantly working to motivate our students and raise their expectations of themselves. Developing an electronic portfolio/senior project will give our students and staff the opportunity to be leaders and innovators while working on their basic English and computer skills. Our staff has been researching portfolio opportunities and would like to combine the electronic portfolio format with the state-required senior project to enhance our students’ educational experience and their post high school future.

Clearview High School is a small alternative high school located in Ferndale, Washington that serves 10^th to 12^th grade students. Our population spans the gamut from poverty to wealth. More than sixty percent of our students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Some of our students are unwed mothers, emancipated minors, teen offenders on probation, recovering substance abusers, and other students that did not fit into the comprehensive high school. The one universal category that includes all of them is "At-Risk." Our students come to us lacking in focus, behind in credits and skills, lacking confidence in their potential, and feeling underserved by the standard system.

Our main focus is to offer the students individual control over their own learning provided that they meet state and district requirements. One of the best methods to give control and map progress is the portfolio. Washington State requires a senior project as a graduation requirement for next year’s incoming Freshman. Clearview High School would like to integrate this senior project in an electronic portfolio format that would enhance our students’ skills, self-confidence, and ability to be successful and contributing citizens of this country. There exists a large body of work and research that favors student assessment using portfolios. This sort of individual assessment, though more time-consuming, better represents the true learning and knowledge of the students than the standard of letter grades. As an alternative school, alternative assessment makes sense.

Our program is under the umbrella of the comprehensive high school, but since our campus is located across town we have less technology available to us. We have created a lab of Windows 95 computers in an Apple based district. Two years ago, when we finished installing these computers they were adequate. Though we have the best student to computer ratio in the district, most of these computers are Pentiums running at less than 100 MHz. Some are even 486s running at 66 MHz. At this point in time we are not doing an adequate job to prepare our graduates for working in the 21^st century. Though we offer HTML, PowerPoint, and other advanced computer courses, our current computer capacities do not support teaching of these courses on a classroom basis.

The technology currently exists to economically record electronic portfolios for each student. This SPPARK Grant will allow Clearview High School to develop tools and curricula that will benefit its students. In addition, as a member of the Washington Association of Learning Alternatives, Clearview will share the formats they have developed with other alternative high schools.

Goals, Objectives, Activities:

I. Goal – to create an ongoing electronic portfolio for Clearview High School’s alternative education students

A. Objective - Collect/collate/store a body of work for each student in electronic formats

1. Activity – transfer existing as hardcopy portfolio items into electronic formats using scanners, digital cameras or other devices

2. Lesson – create lessons that will teach basic HTML page formatting

B. Objective - Integrate specific assignments that are representative work from each curricular area

1. Activity – brainstorm with other staff members on what projects per course should be included as representative work

2. Activity – create standards and guidelines for these assignments

II. Goal 2 – to create a senior project that integrates state, school and district guidelines with the electronic portfolio

A. Objective - Create a list and framework of information required by the state and district standards

1. Activity – lead teacher will participate in district-wide senior project committee.

2. Activity – staff will attend the Washington Association of Learning Alternatives Conferences in fall and spring

B. Objective - Design additional school-specific data and expectations in collaboration with students, staff, parents and community members

1. Lesson – assign students in cooperative groups from within our community building course to create samples of work they would like included

2. Activity – presentation of senior project plan to advisory board for suggestions and inclusions

 

Grant Description:

This SPPARK Grant proposal integrates two themes that have been a focus of our Clearview High School community over the past year: Portfolios and Senior Projects. Clearview has been searching for alternative methods to evaluate and demonstrate the Essential Academic Learning Requirements of our "At-Risk" students. Washington State legislators have included a senior project for the students entering the ninth grade during the 2004-2005 school year. This proposal addresses both of those themes.

As with almost all other changes implemented at Clearview High School, this program would begin with discussions involving students, staff, parents and community members. Our collaborative methods include individual and small group work, discussions, presentations, voting and consensus. One of the central components of our high school is a class titled Core. This class includes community-building, individual/group goal-setting, and school-based decision-making. From within this framework course, which is required for all students of Clearview, these two themes will be presented as goals to be accomplished over the next year to two years.

One of the first steps will be to create a committee made up of students, staff and community members to guide our progress. This group will visit other schools, attend alternative learning/ portfolio/senior project conferences, read and discuss books on the two themes, research similar efforts on the Internet and create the initial framework for implementation.

As soon as we have access to the technological facilities, the process of creating and converting to electronic portfolios begins. Integrating the technological skills into the curriculum will take place over time. Many Clearview students have not had successful and pleasant experiences related to technology and this is one of the stumbling blocks we must overcome.

Our environment is optimal for this sort of development in part due to our "At-Risk" population. There is a steady influx of new students, so adjusting and modifying programs, introducing new elements and having new viewpoints is the norm.

 

School Description:

Clearview High School is located in Ferndale, Washington on Interstate 5 near the Canadian border. Ferndale is about 15 minutes driving time to Bellingham, the nearest urban center. Ferndale, a city of about 8,800, is a hub for many county residents. It is a city of schools, parks and churches. The school district’s population is about 15,000 and pulls students from outlying farms, fishing areas, and Lummi Nation tribal lands.

The community is a diverse mix of Native American, recent Eastern-European and Hispanic immigrants, and descendants of European settlers. The surrounding nature areas, including Mount Baker and the San Juan Islands, are reason enough to settle in the area. Ferndale is a quiet city where merchants remember you by name.

The school system is a state and national award winner as well as a regular recipient of Gates Grants. One of the community’s primary businesses, Intalco, an aluminum manufacturer, is likely to go out of business soon causing a severe reduction in taxes for the city and the schools.

Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College, and Bellingham Technical College are close by in Bellingham. Additionally, the region offers many artistic endeavors including theater, music, pottery and many other art forms.

The Cultural makeup of the city is 85% White, 1% African American, 2.5% Native American, 2.5% Asian, 0.25% Pacific Islander, 5% Other, and 3.75% from two or more cultural backgrounds. Crossing these categories, 9.0% of the population are Hispanic of any race. Included in the category of White is a recent influx of Russian and Ukranian immigrants.

The 2000 Census found that 13.2% of the population and 10.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.0% are under the age of 18 and 9.2% are 65 or older. The percentage students in Ferndale school district that receive Free or Reduced Meals exceeds 60 percent. The Unemployment rate for Whatcom County has averaged 6.5 % over the period of 1993-2003.

Established in 1994, Clearview High School continues to grow. In the 2002-2003 school year we graduated 16 seniors, 12 in the previous year, and 10 the year before. This year our biggest honor to date was a graduating senior who received a Gates Millennium Scholarship, enabling her to attend any school or schools in the country for a maximum period of 10 years.

 

SPPARK Timeline:

Phase I

September 2003:

• Lead Facilitator will become part of the District Senior Project and Technology committees.
• Staff will begin meeting on alternate weeks to plan and process for implementation.
• Create a site committee to develop a sample portfolio.

October 2003:

• The staff will attend the Washington Association for Learning Alternatives Conference to present findings, network and research similar projects and support systems.
• Presentation to Clearview High School Advisory Board and Ferndale School Board

November-December 2003:

• Visit school sites with similar programs.
• Begin collecting/collating/copying existing non-electronic portfolio materials for conversion to electronic formats.

January 2004:

• Lead facilitator will enroll and complete Electronic Portfolio Distance Education class.
• Presentation of proposed portfolio.
• Installation of hardware and software.

February 2004

• Integrate Basic HTML page construction into curricula.
• Utilize technological resources to convert hard copy and projects to electronic formats.

March 2004

• Presentation of work-to-date and sample electronic portfolio at the Washington Association for Learning Alternatives Conference.

April 2004

• Begin partial implementation of basic framework with each student for presentation at the end of the school year.

May 2004

• Troubleshoot process and evaluate progress
• Presentation of Project to Clearview High School Advisory Board

June 2004

• Presentation of partial Portfolios.

Phase II

Summer 2004

• Lead facilitator will create plan for integrating the portfolio into the Senior Project.

September 2004:

• Staff will begin meeting on alternate weeks to plan and process for implementation.

October 2004:

• The staff will attend the Washington Association for Learning Alternatives Conference to present findings.
• Presentation to Clearview High School Advisory Board and Ferndale School Board

November – December 2004

• Re-evaluation of success and progress.

January – February 2005

• Make any mid-course adjustments

March 2005

• Presentation of student electronic portfolios and senior project by students and staff at the Washington Association for Learning Alternatives Conference.

April – May 2005

• Troubleshoot process and evaluate progress
• Presentation of Project to Clearview High School Advisory Board

June 2005

• Presentation of completed Portfolios.

Budget:

A. Personnel (consultants and/or workshop expenses)

1. Electronic Portfolio Distance Education
class $500

Helen C. Barrett, PH.D.

2. Washington Association for Learning Alternatives Conferences

October 2003, March 2004, October 2004, and March 2005. $4,000

3. Substitute days for (3) school visitations. $750

B. Curriculum Resources

Classroom materials: classroom sets of the following software:

1. HTML authoring program $800
2. Microsoft Office (including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint) $3,000
3. Adobe Photoshop Elements $800

Make and Take Items:

1. Rewritable CD-ROM disks – quant. 200 $300
2. Digital videotapes – quant. 30 $200

Technology peripherals

1. LCD Multimedia Projector $1,500
2. Digital video camera $750
3. Digital still camera $200
4. Scanner $200
5. Surge protectors $150
6. Theft deterrent hardware $150

C. Hardware

20 units classroom lab: eMachines, monitors with operating systems $10,000

Total Budget Expenditures $23,300

In-Kind Resources provided by Ferndale School District include set up and maintenance of technology, electrical wiring and networking. All grant personnel are salaried classroom teachers. The facility overhead is also included within the school district budget. No additional monies have been listed for these items.

 

Evaluation and Monitoring:

The proposal has a built in number of presentations of progress and process and verifiable outcomes. At each point along the continuum there will be samples of student work to support the verification of progress. In addition to ongoing evaluation by the lead facilitator, the building administrator will be directly involved in the evaluation and monitoring. Clearview High School is a small community that lends itself to daily and weekly direct person to person feedback. Much of the monitoring will therefore occur on a relatively unstructured basis reinforced by the need to regularly present progress to our school district, school board, advisory board, community, students and ourselves.

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