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Strategies

The High School Reform Task Force has discussed the following strategies in their efforts to change the culture of Florida's high schools. To view these strategies, please click on the goals below.

Goals of High School Reform

Increase the academic achievement levels of high school students.
Increase the percent of graduates prepared to enter postsecondary institutions without remediation.
Increase the percent of high school graduates.
Increase the percent of graduates who begin their postsecondary path to college or career while in a Florida high school.

Recommendations of the Task Force (PDF, 39KB)


Strategies of High School Reform
Goal 1 - Increase the academic achievement levels of high school students.

       1a: - Increase the percent of graduates prepared to enter postsecondary institutions without remediation.

Academic Achievement

  • Ensure the foundation of academic skills in middle school
  • Increase rigor of students
  • Identify essential skills correlated to Webb's/Bloom's Taxonomy
  • Implement end of course assessments, especially in the senior year
  • Include literacy benchmarks as part of all content areas
  • Organize summer literacy camps for grades 6, 7, 8
  • Offer differentiated diplomas based on academic paths
  • Institute smaller learning communities with various delivery systems
  • Institute a new way of thinking about middle school based on proficiency and credits; Ideas: FCAT stop-gap at 5th and 8th grade; provide remediation between 8th and 9th grades; 8th grade graduation based in proficiency; 5 year plan/8 year plan (start in 5th then recheck in 8th)
  • Develop a meaningful and technically-developed Academic Improvement Plan — Require course proficiency exams that count towards final course grade

Professional Development

  • Focus on restructuring, which requires changing the culture
  • Provide instructional leadership training for principals; develop professional learning communities
  • Provide data-driven, student-specific, research-based professional development
  • Focus on articulation between community colleges, districts, and high schools
  • Provide time for professional development; explore types of block schedules; increase time on task; extend school day or year; require 8 courses for students; move from 6 to 7 instructional periods for teachers

Other

  • Reallocate funds: class size requirements vs using resources for teachers


Goal 2 - Increase the percent of high school graduates.

Incentives/Disincentives

  • Increase access to scholarships, certificates
  • Change driver's license requirements
  • Make 18 the compulsory attendance
  • Make senior year relevant

Choice/Alternatives

  • Encourage non-college bound students look at career academies
  • Explore other ways to earn credit
  • Offer day and night courses
  • Increase relevance
  • Create career academies, school within a school, to feel part of a community
  • Graduation by credits
  • Offer differentiated diplomas
  • Increase availability of magnet schools
  • Offer credit-based competencies, not seat time [Proficiency instead of grade level, count number of years, graduate with 6 proficiencies — 4 in core area, 2 selected by students, indicators within proficiencies (gold, silver, bronze) can earn different levels in different proficiencies]
  • Provide funding for summer school
  • ProvideFlexible scheduling

Literacy

  • Organize Book Fairs to get parents involved
  • Increase number of proficient readers
  • Continue to progress monitor

Parents/Community

  • Recruit more business partnerships, offer shadowing
  • Involve parents with more outreach, go into the community

Relationship

  • Change culture
  • Improve guidance counselor to student ratio
  • Provide intervention for students at risk
  • Give teachers time to be academic advisors

Other

  • Establish core requirements, meet with advisors in middle school and 9th grade before thinking about career interests
  • Expose students to meaningful options in middle school
  • Implement IEP/Targeted assistance, personalized so students won't get lost in a big high school
Goal 3 - Increase the percent of graduates who begin their postsecondary path to college or career while in a Florida high school.

Community Support

  • Encourage school-business partnerships
  • Promote a more positive image of vocational/technical programs
  • Revise technical/career curriculum based on community needs
  • Recruit teachers from technical sectors
  • Provide financial support for vocational programs
  • Implement career clusters in high schools that lead to industry certification/readiness to enter postsecondary field of choice
  • Implement a program where teachers can earn in-service points for professional internships; this will provide on-the-job revitalization and opportunities for classroom modeling

Student Services

  • Expand guidance services for career counseling
  • Focus on teacher/student relationships
  • Emphasize career academies and career ladders for pupil progression
  • Offer differentiated diplomas and alternative assessments
  • Update exploratory curriculum in middle schools
  • Develop relationship with business community
  • Build learning communities through community teams and action-research teams
  • Enhance opportunities for students to pursue strengths
  • Expand exploratory pathways in middle school in grades 6 and 7; expose salary differences between jobs; encourage students to develop career plan by 8th grade
  • Change the four year program so there is not a four year deadline to graduate; no penalty for schools or districts whose students take more than four years; takes a change in culture; students could take fewer classes if they need to work

Other

  • Add value points to a school's grade for program completers