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Terrebonne High School, Houma, LA |
| Terrebonne
High School (THS) has a demographic student make-up of approximately
50/50 male/female, 69% white, 27% black, 3% Native American, 1% Hispanic
and less than 1% Asian. These percentages may vary slightly, but
in general are the same from year to year. Educational attainment
levels provided by the 1990
Census indicates 23% of the population served by THS has less than
a 9th grade education. Poverty levels by race as served by THS are
distributed as 16.7% white, 39.4% black, and 37% other persons.
Student performance over the past five years has remained remarkably steady. Standardized test scores indicate a dip and/or rise here and there but the overall status at THS has remained approximately the same. Student performance on the ACT in the core areas has fallen below the state composite since 1996 – 1997 by a range of 0.7 to 1.1 points. Student performance on the Iowa Test of Educational Development (ITED) has been consistently low with all students scoring at or below the 25-49 quartile; all of the students at THS who take this test are 9th grade at-risk students repeating the 9th grade for at least the second time. Data collected for the new Louisiana Graduation Exit Examination for the 21st Century (GEE 21) indicate that THS students achieve in English Language Arts above the district and state averages. Math scores, however, while above the state average, are below the district average by 1%. Changes over the past five years at THS vary from curriculum content to class schedules. These changes have been implemented with a focus on growth for the faculty and ultimately, the students. District-wide curriculum documents have been written based on the National Content Standards for each curriculum area. These documents are utilized by all teachers for the preparation of daily lessons. A Master Teacher position was implemented during the 2001-2002 school year. This position provides a focus on curriculum and instruction as the role of the Master Teacher is primarily one of curriculum facilitator. Curriculum needs are addressed by the Master Teacher daily. Other positions which have been added in the last few years include the Assist Teacher and a Pre-GED teacher. The Assist Teacher works with special education students that possess behavior problems in an effort to keep these students in class; while the Assist Teacher primarily focuses on special education students, he also extends his services to regular education students with behavior problems. The Option III Pre-GED program, instituted this current school year (2001-2002), is a program designed to aid students who are considering dropping out of school due to a failure to achieve academic success. The program offers these students the opportunity to receive a Louisiana Equivalency Diploma and/or a Skills Certificate. In addition to these academic programs, THS has also added to the athletic arena: swim, girl’s soccer, golf, and cross-country teams. For the past two years an “artist in residence” has been available for cross-curricular lessons connecting art into the core and non-core subject areas. The Louisiana Division of the Arts (Art and Education) grant program has made these cross-curricular lessons with the aid of an artist possible. English, math, science, social studies, and shop teachers have offered their students the advantages of experiencing these cross-curricular lessons. The advent of the Louisiana Systemic Initiatives Program (LaSIP) has led to the use of Texas Instrument (TI) calculators and calculator-based laboratories (CBL’s) by many of the math and science teachers. Class sets of TI-82’s and/or TI-83’s are available for math and science students to increase their knowledge of not only the curriculum content, but also in the area of technology. Through the funding of a Technology Literacy Challenge Fund (TLFC) grant THS now has a computer lab with twenty-one Internet connected computers available for classroom instruction. Faculty receives technology training based on the Louisiana INTECH (A Framework for Integrating Technology in the Student-Centered Classroom) program every other week during planning periods. The computer lab is usually booked at least three weeks in advance by THS faculty. Block scheduling, implemented in 1996 – 1997, has led to a higher graduation rate. During the 1995 - 1996 school year THS graduated 241 seniors; during the 2000 – 2001 school year THS graduated 288 seniors. Students are afforded the opportunity to earn thirty-two Carnegie units on the block schedule rather than the twenty-four Carnegie units offered on a traditional six period day. This opportunity allows students to broaden their knowledge-base in a multitude of areas: the college bound student may take more college prep courses, students directly entering the work force may take more vocational type courses, etc. During the 1999 – 2000 school year THS implemented as part of a district-wide program a dress code and I.D. policy. These policies have been implemented with the philosophy that a more secure environment will result by promoting an atmosphere for greater discipline, circumventing distractions and social connotations in an effort to increase learning opportunities. In summary, THS continuously strides to increase student achievement. Changes in curriculum, staff, and policies are met with a positive attitude as THS moves into the 21st century. 2002 |
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