Simsbury High School

SIMSBURY HIGH SCHOOL

ANNUAL REPORT 2016 - 2017

Andrew O’Brien Principal

Stephen Patrina Assistant Principal

Kenneth Pera Assistant Principal

Georgia Robert Assistant Principal

1 SIMSBURY HIGH SCHOOL

ANNUAL REPORT 2016 - 17

Table of Contents

Introduction...... 3 District Vision for the Simsbury Public Schools...... 4 Core Values and Beliefs...... 5 School Description...... 6 Progress Toward Board of Education Goals...... 8 Simsbury High School Outstanding Accomplishments...... 21 Concluding Remarks...... 22

2 SIMSBURY HIGH SCHOOL Annual Report 2016 -2017

Part I – Introduction

Each September, Simsbury High School publishes a Continuous Improvement Plan that describes the school community’s goals for the coming year. This Annual Report represents the end of a yearly cycle, where we note the accomplishments achieved on our goal work and provide the community with statistical information related to academic achievement, participation in school life, discipline, and other carefully selected markers of our success.

The Annual Report consists of three major sections:

 Foundational Documents – the report includes important information about the school’s mission and core beliefs, academic expectations, and a general description of school resources and programming.

 Improvement Indicators – Based on the Board of Education five-year goals, Simsbury High School has set an improvement agenda related to three areas of focus: 1) an effective teacher in every classroom, 2) college and career readiness, and 3) positive social choices by students. This report includes the school’s accomplishments for the year toward the achievement of those goals and also offers a look at next steps for the faculty related to these priority areas.

 Quality Indicators – The Annual Report includes a wide array of statistical data about achievement measures that the school community values. The presentation of this data is done in a manner to show not only the 2016 - 2017 achievement level for each indicator but also a three-year history.

As we reflect on the past school year, we are very proud of the accomplishments of our staff members and students. During 2016-2017 their combined efforts have yielded significant results. With clear progress on our improvement and performance indicators, Simsbury High School continues the tradition of excellence that has set it apart from other high schools in Connecticut and across the country.

5 Part II – School Description

Simsbury High school has the distinction of being one of the highest performing high schools in the state of Connecticut. The tireless pursuit of excellence continues to yield positive results in our classrooms and on the field. The accomplishments earned by our students can be attributed to the hard work of our faculty members who benefit greatly from the support of our parents and community members. Collectively we are able to promote the growth of the exceptional students that call our school home.

The Core Values and Beliefs of Simsbury High School are based upon three tenets; preparation, passion, and personal growth. This foundational document explains the shared commitments that we have with our students and the greater community while also serving as a compass guiding our educational planning and decision making. The members of the Simsbury High School learning community are dedicated to preparing our students for success by first working to identify their passion, and then fostering their personal growth through authentic learning experiences. It is this combination of support, challenge, and the shared pursuit of excellence that sets our school apart from others and makes it such an invigorating place for learning to occur. As you review the information contained within this document you will see a record of accomplishments that serve as tangible markers of our success and notes that identify areas of focus for the future. This process of data collection and reflection sets the stage for our cycle of continuous improvement moving forward.

Thank you for taking the time to review this report. However, to fully appreciate the work that occurs at Simsbury High School I would like to encourage you to visit our school. Once you have the opportunity to experience one of our plays, hear the written word of our students, see their excitement as they work to solve problems creatively, and observe the sportsmanship displayed by our athletes, you will have a much better understanding and appreciation of what makes this school so special.

Simsbury High School is a place unlike any other, and I am honored to serve the students, staff, and community members as their principal.

Sincerely,

Andrew O’Brien Principal Go Trojans!

Description of School-Based Leadership Teams 6 The cycle of continuous improvement at Simsbury High School is conducted collaboratively through the use of a variety of teams focused on teaching, learning, and school culture. Below you will find a brief description of some of the key groups in our school community that are responsible for carrying out the work necessary to achieve the goals we have identified.

 Professional Learning Communities – Every teacher at Simsbury High School is assigned to a weekly PLC, usually by discipline and grade level. Members of each PLC agree upon common course outcomes for students, develop assessments to measure those outcomes, and analyze student work as a way to improve instruction and refine curriculum.  SHS Administrative Team – The principal, three assistant principals, the athletic director and the school resource officer meet formally each week to monitor continuous improvement priorities and plan for upcoming work related to our school goals.  Department Supervisors – The leaders of our departments meet three times each month to discuss: initiatives related to the work of their departments, student assessment data, curriculum development, the supervision and evaluation of teachers, and many other teaching and learning items.  School Culture Task Force – Representatives from each department meet with the administrative team monthly to discuss improvements related to school procedures, policies, and initiatives. The group plays an important part in our efforts to enhance school culture.  Student Parent Teacher Council – The SPTC is the primary vehicle for the principal to conduct two-way dialogue with the parent community. The principal provides monthly updates to the group about school improvement efforts and solicits feedback about their perceptions.  Leadership Team – The principal convenes a team consisting of students, parents, teachers, administrators, and a community representative that meets five times during the year. Typically, this group focuses on a major issue that needs attention in the school, ranging from academic leveling to student stress to improvements in technology. During the 2016-17 school year, the Leadership Team revisited the topic of student stress in order to gauge student stress levels and to develop recommendations for stress reduction and management.

7 IMPROVEMENT INDICATORS: PROGRESS TOWARD BOARD OF EDUCATION FIVE-YEAR GOALS

8 College and Career Readiness

Improvement Indicator 4:

All students will be prepared for college and career success.

Measures:

 SAT (11th) : percentage of students receiving 530 or better in math, and 480 in critical reading and writing, as well as earning 1010 or better composite score.  AP:  percentage of seniors taking at least one AP class before graduating, and the percentage of all AP test takers receiving 3 or higher.  GPA (12th)  percentage of students at 2.67 (B-) or higher.  College enrollment & graduation:  Percentage of graduating seniors enrolled in college the fall immediately after graduation  Percentage of graduating seniors completing a college degree within 6 years

Strategy / What must change to accomplish the goal: (If/Then)

 If we deliver a rigorous curriculum across all grades and levels for literacy and mathematics, then students will be prepared to perform at their best capacity when taking significant college entrance exams, such as the SAT, which is a proven indicator of college and career readiness.  If teachers, counselors, and administrators continue to identify and encourage students who have the potential to succeed in Advanced Placement coursework, then more students will accept the challenge of completing at least one college-level course prior to graduation.  If teachers and administrators set goals about AP exam performance that target the specific courses where SHS can realize significant improvement, then the overall percentage of students earning a 3 or higher on AP exams will increase.  If we continue to provide both a rigorous curriculum and post-secondary planning that emphasizes the importance of continued education beyond high school, then we will prepare and encourage more students to enroll in college and successfully complete their degree.

9 Results Accomplishments:

 SAT (11th 2017 ) Students College Ready Math College Ready Critical Reading Both Math 530+ & CT Test Day Tested 530+ & Writing 480+ Reading & Writing 480+

Students % Students % Students %

2017 329 254 77.2 306 93.0 253 76.9 2016 361 262 72.6 316 87.5 254 70.4

Thirty two fewer students were tested in 2017; however scores increased significantly on both tests. Average math scores grew by 4.6%, and critical reading and writing scores increased by 5.5%. When considering the percentage of students who met the new benchmarks for college and career readiness on both tests, we saw an improvement of 6.5% compared to 2016.

 AP AP participation grew this year with seventy one percent of our students successfully completing at least one AP course before graduation compared to sixty nine in 2016. The percentage of students scoring 3 or higher on at least one exam remained high at 82%, and the number of AP tests taken by students across grades 10-12 was also very similar with 1035 testes taken in 2017 and 1039 in 2016.

 GPA The percentage of students graduating in the class of 2017 with a GPA 2.67 (B-) or higher was 80% which was very similar to the performance level of our 2016 graduates which was 80.5%.

 College Enrollment and Graduation College enrollment figures rose slightly for our graduates with 91% of the students from the class of 2017 pursuing a post-secondary education compared to 90.5% in 2016. The number of students who enrolled in four year programs was 84.5% as compared to 84.9% in 2016, and the number enrolled in two year programs in 2017 rose to 6.5% as compared 5.6% in 2016. The percentage of students accepted to Tier 1 colleges and universities (Barron’s list) increased significantly from 17% in 2016 to a record high of 23% in 2017!

 Percentage of graduating seniors completing a college degree within 6 years Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Student Tracker Aggregate Report shows that 71% of students from the graduating classes of 2007 and the class of 2008 who elected to pursue a college degree were able to do so within six years. At this time the state has not yet posted data for the graduating classes of 2009.

10 Next Steps:

 Review data from the SAT of upperclassmen and SBAC scores of incoming freshmen to identify areas of strength and focus.  Build proficiency in the use of our SIMS reports in order to identify individual student strengths and areas for growth when creating goals.  PLC’s will make necessary adjustments as needed to their curriculum, instructional strategies, and assessments in order to promote the development of skills that are assessed on the SAT.  Review Advanced Placement results with individual teachers, and include them in strategic planning for improvement.  Continue to monitor and reflect upon student performance and grading practices.  Continue to support students and their families in the development of the postsecondary planning process.

11 Positive Social Choices

All students demonstrate positive social choices at the high school level.

Measures:

 Increased percentage of students receiving school-based positive student recognition.  Increased percentage of students with one or no office referrals.  The number of students and staff members who participate in our new “Pay It Forward” initiative.

Strategy / What must change to accomplish the goal: (If/Then)

 If we proactively create a school climate where expectations are explicitly stated in positive terms and actively reinforced throughout the year by all adults, then student discipline will improve, resulting in fewer students getting referrals and fewer major infractions.  If we strongly encourage students to participate in the SHS Trojan Code as a way to demonstrate Respect, Honor and Responsibility in the school community, then more students will have motivation to adhere to the Trojan Code throughout the year.  If we recognize students who are making positive social choices through a formal “thank you” program, then more students will experience the benefit of contributing to a positive school climate.  If we develop formal ways to recognize adults in the building who contribute to a positive school climate, then we will have more buy-in to the Trojan Code initiative and all school climate measures will improve.  If staff members and students opt to designate their earned Trojan Code Tickets for use in the Pay It Forward initiative, then our school community will positively impact the larger community as the Rotary Club provides a dollar for each ticket collected at the end of the year which will ultimately be contributed to a worthy charitable organization.

Results Accomplishments:

 The percentage of students with no disciplinary offenses remained high at 82%.  91.3 % of Simsbury High School students had no more than one disciplinary referral in 2016-2017, which was slightly lower than the previous year’s total of 92.5%, but significantly higher than the PBIS national expectation of 85%.  The Pay It Forward program was a success! Each ticket submitted by students and staff members was matched with a dollar donation from the Rotary Club yielding $570.00 to the Simsbury Food Pantry. Next Steps:  Continuation of the Pay It Forward program.  Professional development for staff members with an emphasis on proactive, positive interactions among all members of the SHS community, and the function of behavior.  The development of quarterly goals with a focus on building positive relationships throughout the building.

12 Highly Effective Teaching and Leading

Highly effective teaching in every classroom supported by highly effective instructional leaders in every school building.

Measures for 2016 - 2017:

1. Leaders:  Work together to develop professional learning experiences and materials that will be presented to the entire faculty in support of school-wide rounds focusing on learning targets, formative assessment methods, and strategies to utilize when observing others. 2. Teachers:  Participate in school-wide rounds of observations, gather data related to the identified area of focus, debrief and reflect in heterogeneous groups, and share learning/outcomes as a school community with a focus on improving teaching and learning.  In PLC’s teachers will utilize peer observation to support the work of their discipline such as curricular revision, assessment practices, or instructional strategies.

13 Strategy/What must change to accomplish the goal: (If/Then)  If we clearly define highly effective teaching along with a system to regularly monitor it – school-wide rounds model, then educators will have greater focus in collecting evidence, providing feedback, and ongoing reflection for improvement around the identified area of focus.  If our administrators and department supervisors build a collective understanding of learning targets, Webb’s Depth of Knowledge, and formative assessment methods, then they will be able to design and conduct professional development sessions for teachers that will help them to integrate these understandings and skills into their instructional practice.  If our teachers participate in observations of and by their peers focusing on Instructional Standard Indicator (d): Monitoring student learning in order to adjust teaching and provide specific and timely feedback to students to improve their performance, and reflect on those observations in order improve their own teaching practices, then improvements in teacher practice and student learning will occur.  If we clearly define standards of highly effective teaching (with a focus on Instruction/Service Delivery Standard #4, Planning Standard #3, and Assessment Standard #5) and leading (with a focus on PE #2 Teaching & Learning) by building common language across the district for teachers and leaders, then we will have a greater ability to identify and promote highly effective teaching and leading practices.  If we build evaluators’ skill sets around the use of strategic conversations, with a greater focus on effective feedback to teachers that is specific, useful, and timely, then teachers will be able to readily incorporate such feedback into practice thereby increasing their instructional effectiveness and improving student learning.  If we provide opportunities for educators to engage in collaborative analysis of student work and assessment results, and educators regularly work together to refine their instructional practices and leadership skills in light of those results, then student learning will increase.  If we develop evaluator skill in designing rigorous and targeted student learning objectives that measure growth over time; share this skill with teachers as they develop their plans for student learning outcomes, then teachers will engage in skillful instruction to move student learning to higher levels.  If we measure student learning related to individual educators’ instructional practices, as well as grade level and district performance, then we can identify educators whose students are improving, share those best practices, as well as identify and support those educators whose students are not exhibiting the expected learning outcomes as defined through our curriculum-based and standardized assessments.

Results 14 Accomplishments:

The teacher evaluation program stipulates that each teacher have three observations and is provided with written feedback based upon the Simsbury Teaching Standards. Much of our focus this year related to the effective use of formative assessment, and learning targets.

 During a mid-year professional development session teachers provided a host of formative assessment mini-lessons for their peers to select from and to observe across disciplines using high and low tech methods. A number of presenters conducted live lessons with their students for the benefit of their colleagues. Teachers also benefitted from the opportunity to select teachers to observe with members of their PLC in order to see how formative assessments are used throughout the building to improve instruction.  A professional learning group was created where teachers were invited to learn about Learning Targets. Members explored a common text, discussed the merits of the learning targets, and supported one another as they worked to write learning targets for use in their classrooms.  Learning target group members conducted professional learning sessions for Department Supervisors during their meetings as well as the entire faculty.  Thirteen AP teachers taught classes that resulted in all of their students scoring 3 or higher on their AP tests.  A concrete plan was developed for the reduction of summative assessments (EOCA’s), and the creation of mid and end of year assessments for all classes to be administered using a half day schedule that will allow students and teachers to focus on student achievement at two critical junctures in the year.  The vast majority of teachers met their Student Learning Objectives (SLO’s), providing data at the year- end meeting to demonstrate significant growth.

Next Steps:

 Teachers will develop new mid-and end-of-year assessments in accordance with the Simsbury Assessment Think Tank (SATT) recommendations to streamline the number of summative assessments, capitalize on opportunities to assess progress towards Essential Learning Outcomes, provide feedback to improve student performance, and maximize instructional time.  SHS teachers and administrators will continue to write ambitious SLO’s that will promote student growth over the course of the year. SMART goals will be written for each SLO that target the growth of all students in specific performance bands based upon: historic data, pre-assessments, and standardized test performance where applicable.  Department supervisors, teachers, and administrators will create a task force to begin a more formal exploration of the achievement gap, and to develop strategies to improve the performance of our high needs students in the classroom and on the SAT.  Department supervisors and administrators will look for evidence that formative assessment findings are being used by teachers to provide feedback and to make timely adjustments to instruction.  Department supervisors and teachers will continue to leverage the power of peer observation to improve their practice in identified growth areas for their department.  Department supervisors, teachers, and administrators will discuss ways to improve the evaluation process and professional learning experiences that are offered in order to maximize professional growth and provide a greater degree of personalization.  Professional development sessions will be planned to offer teachers with a number of topics to explore including: learning targets, differentiated instruction, formative assessment, technology integration, Next Generation Science, and others as appropriate based upon interest and need.  For 2017-18, stakeholder feedback goals will be focused on the development of supportive relationships between teachers and the students within their classroom.

15 Indicator #7: Student Safety and Social/Emotional Well-Being

Focus Area 7:

Stakeholders express satisfaction with the district’s efforts related to safety and social/emotional well-being, as measured by:

 Percentages of students responding favorably on the following Social/Emotional Security Indicators:

o “In my school, there are clear rules against physically hurting other people.” o “If a student is bullied in school, how difficult is it for him or her to get help from an adult?” o “Overall, how much do you feel like you belong at your school?” o “Students in this school respect differences in other students.” o “How much respect do students at your school show you?”

 Percentages of stakeholders (staff, students, and parents) responding favorably to the following Student Safety Indicators: o “Overall, how safe do you feel as a teacher at this school?” (staff) o “Overall, how safe do you feel at your school?” (students) o “The principal makes safety a priority.” (parents)

Strategy / What must occur to accomplish the goal: (If/Then)  If students are provided a safe, physical environment in school, then they will be able to concentrate/actively engage in their learning.  If students feel they are in schools with positive school climates, then they will be able to devote more time to their learning.  If faculty and staff of the Simsbury Public Schools define and implement specific, measurable actions to address the physical and social/emotional security of students, then there will be an increase in positive school climate and students will feel safer in school.

16 **SMART Goals for 2017 – 2018:

2017 2015 Indicator Favorability Favorability % % Overall, how safe do you feel as a teacher at this 94 95 school? (faculty) The principal makes safety a priority (parents) 92 91

Indicator 2017 2016 Favorability % Favorability % In my school, there are clear rules against physically hurting other people. N/A 85.1 *This question was not included in the 2017 survey.

If a student is bullied in school, how difficult is it for him or her to get 11 help from an adult? 11

Overall, how much do you feel like you belong at your school? 45 57.4

Students in this school respect differences in other students. 53 40.2

How much respect do students at your school show you? 44 58

Overall, how safe do you feel at your school? 81 91

Results Accomplishments:

This year we invested time and energy to promote more positive interactions between staff members and students as well as fostering greater respect, compassion, and an appreciation of differences between students themselves. The improved SHS Connect format resulted in mixed groups of students from all grade levels who were brought together with an adult around a common area of interest. Guest speakers were brought in to discuss the thoughtful use of technology as many times negative interactions between students tend to occur via text message or social media. Students were left with the acronym “THINK” (Thoughtful, Honest, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind), to assist them when deciding whether or not to post a comment, and large visual displays of phones with the acronym were posted throughout the building. Dr. Ron Mallet spoke regarding his work with time travel, his upbringing as a young African American, and the strategies he used to propel him to the high level of success he has achieved today. We acquired a new Trojan mascot “Troy” to promote school spirit during pep rallies and games. We also took an in depth look at student stress through a school wide survey that was evaluated by our leadership team who then developed a number of recommendations for addressing this issue. Students built our new display cases, and selected artifacts and photos for inclusion to promote an understanding of our history and to recognize student accomplishments and participation in academics, athletics, and in our honor societies.

17 Next Steps:

 Teacher stakeholder feedback goals will relate to the development of supportive relationships with students within their classroom.  The Trojan Code Committee will continue to promote a positive and welcoming school environment.  Opportunities will be made available for students to deepen their connections to the school by becoming engaged in our improvement projects such as the Hall of Fame, and participating in leadership development programs offered through athletics and student activities.  The newly formed Diversity Committee will conduct programs and activities for staff and students to increase understanding and appreciation of the diversity that exists within our school and serves to make us stronger.  Administrators will meet with teams each season to discuss the importance of supporting one another.  A new reporting form will be developed so that incidents of unkind behavior or meanness can be reported more efficiently to administrators to review and respond to.

SIMSBURY HIGH SCHOOL QUALITY INDICATORS

18 Enrollment Summary 2017 Three-Year History Enrollment Summary Current 2016 2015 2014 Number of Graduates 360 359 372 388 Number of Graduates attending SHS for 4 years 310 333 343 354

Academic Indicators 2017 Three-Year History CAPT – Grade 10 – Science Current 2016 2015 2014 Percent of students meeting goal or better on CAPT Science 75 85.5 81.2 82.3 Percent of special education students meeting goal or better 35 33.3 33.3 29.0

Percent of students in the Advanced Band (Science) 56 65.9 60.9 61.7

2017 SAT Performance (Juniors): CT Test Day Current 2016

Simsbury 615.4 587.5 Critical Reading & Writing

Simsbury 598.7 587.8 Mathematics

SAT Performance Seniors: Best Scores

Critical Reading & Writing Simsbury 608.3 583*

Mathematics Simsbury 607.1 585

Total Simsbury 1215.4 1168 *2016 senior best scores were reading 580 and writing 586 thus average 583

2017 Three-Year History Advanced Placement Current 2016 2015 2014 Percent of Seniors successfully completing at least one AP course before graduation 71 69 68 72 Total number of AP Exams taken (all students) 1035 1039 947 980 Percent of AP Students scoring 3 or higher on at least one exam 81.6 82 79 78 2017 Three-Year History Post-Secondary Plans Current 2016 2015 2014 Percent of students pursuing four-year college 84.5 84.9 81.2 84.9 Percent of students pursuing two-year college 6.5 5.6 8 6.7 Percent of students accepted at Tier 1 colleges and universities (Barron’s list) 23 17 20 19 19 2017 Three-Year History Course Completion Current 2016 2015 2014 Percent of students completing at least 3 credits of World Language 77 75 71 74 Percent of students completing Algebra 2 by graduation 94 95 92 90 Percent of students completing a math course beyond Algebra 2 by graduation 85 87 86 85 Number of students enrolled in Engineering 174 171 160 154 Number of students enrolled in Biomedical 232 250 199 190 Number of students enrolled in Visual Arts 384 371 448 480 Number of students enrolled in Music or Theater 356 345 328 358 Percent of students meeting or exceeding Grade 10 Connecticut Physical Fitness Standards 65 66 66 69 2017 Three-Year History Other Quality Indicators Current 2016 2015 2014 Special Education Prevalence Rate (percentage) 14.7 13.6 11.5 10.9

Character Indicators 2017 Three-Year History Current 2016 2015 2014 Percent of students successfully completing the Honor Code 89 90.8 88.2 82.4 School Attendance Rates (average daily attendance) 96 95.8 95.7 95.3 School Attendance Rates (percent of students attending 95% of school days) 77.7 77 75.7 71 Percent of students with no disciplinary offenses 81.8 82.3 80.3 76.4 Percent of students with no more than one disciplinary offense 91.3 92.5 91.2 87.9 Total number of participants in interscholastic athletics 1441 1,477 1,490 1,547

PLC Questions (survey data) Percent of Teachers who answered “agree” or “strongly 2017 Three-Year History agree” to the following statements on an annual survey: Current 2016 2015 2014 My instructional practice has substantially improved as a result of participating in my primary PLC. 86.4 81.3 78.4 81.8 I have evidence that student learning is increasing as a result of the work of my primary PLC. 56.9 66.4 75.0 75.4

20 Outstanding Accomplishments 2016 – 2017

 Top scores in the State for the 2nd year in a row in CAPT Science  The best competitive season for the First Robotics Team 3464  3 students reached the 2nd round of the American Math Competition  Connecticut Bar Foundation James W. Cooper Fellows Quintin Johnstone Essay Winner  2017 Connecticut Governor’s Scholar Recipient  2017 DMV – Travelers Teen Safe Driving Video Contest Winner  National 2017 Scholastic Art Award Recipient  NIAAA Scholar Essay Winner  Simsbury High School Cabaret Singers raised $8,000.00 for Loaves and Fishes Ministries  Connecticut 2017 United States Youth Senate Delegate  25 National Latin Exam Awards Recipients  70 Chinese, French, Latin and Spanish students received recognition for their accomplishments in language study.  2 Gold Medals and 1 bronze medal winners from the Connecticut Council of Language Teachers State Poetry Recitation  21 students received recognition for the National French Exam  12 students inducted into the Latin National Honor Society  14 students traveled to Spain to study this summer  Spring 2017 10 students travelled to France  SHS’s PLC system was efficient and productive  FBLA received the Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit  A member of FBLA was a recipient for the Who’s Who Award for Connecticut FBLA for their outstanding involvement  SHS graduate performed lead role on Broadway  Student Recipient of The Ensign Darling Vocal Fellowship Award  K-12 Music recognized as one of the NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education  Students accepted for the CMEA Regionals  Students accepted into the Organization of American Kodaly Educators  1 All-Eastern Honor Choir Member  8 All-State choir members  3 Jazz students in CMEA Northern Regional  1 Jazz student in All-State  1 National Gold Key Scholastics  2 Visual Art students received top scholarship awards from the Avon Arts Association  570 “Pay It Forward Tickets” returned for a $570 donation to the Simsbury Food Bank  28 students traveled to the Galapagos Islands  A regional winner of the NCWITT Aspirations in Computing Award  A Unified Theatre Outstanding Director of the Year Award  15 Entrepreneurship students ran 4 profitable companies donating $481 to charitable causes  2 ABC students receive scholarships from local civic organizations  COLT Poetry Contest winners

21 2016-17 Annual Report Concluding Remarks

The 2016-2017 school year brought with it a number of noteworthy accomplishments. Our academic performance remains strong, acceptance rates into the countries’ most highly selective colleges and universities has reached an all-time high, and our student character data continues to be positive. The final report from our NEASC Visiting Committee has been cited as an exemplar for other schools beginning the self-study process, and the recommendations that the report yielded will enable us to reach new heights in the coming years. As noteworthy as these accomplishments are, there are a number of areas that we will look to capitalize upon in the 2017-2018 school year. It is our belief that by focusing on the achievement of all of our students, practicing teamwork, and providing consistent support for the wellness of our students and staff members, that we will be able to make the transition from being a very good school to becoming one that is truly great!

Ensuring that students graduate college and career ready is very important to us. Results on the Connecticut SAT day showed that our juniors were among the highest performing students within our district reference group in mathematics as well as critical reading and writing. This past year also saw an increase in the state’s benchmarks for college and career readiness and our students responded with 6.5% more of them reaching the elevated goals in math and critical reading and writing. As strong as these number were in 2016, increasing achievement in math will be an area of focus for us moving forward. Advanced Placement participation grew, and the number of students finding success in their AP courses remained high with thirteen AP teachers having no students who scored below a three. In juxtaposition to these increasing marks, the final year of the CAPT Science test proved to be challenging for our sophomores. However, upon review of the scores from across the state it was clear that other schools experienced difficulty as well, and once again Simsbury High School led the state with the highest CAPT achievement scores for the second year in a row. Now that the CAPT Science test has run its course, we will continue to make the transition to the Next Generation Science Standards, and prepare for the new assessment which will be coming in the spring of 2020. As impressive as these achievements were this past year, there is still work to be done to reduce the achievement gap on these important assessments. Moving forward we will be looking much more closely at the performance of our high needs students and those from our other subgroups as well to ensure that they experience growth.

Students continued to make positive choices in 2017 as evidenced by the low number of disciplinary offenses, high participation rates in extracurricular activities, and the significant number of students who earned the Trojan Code Distinction. A large number of students and staff members also opted to forgo personal rewards for their positive behavior by choosing to donate their recognition to others through the Pay It Forward Program resulting in a $570.00 gift to the Simsbury Food Pantry. Areas of focus in this area moving forward will include: the continuation of the Pay it Forward Program, school-wide quarterly challenge goals, and professional development emphasizing positive interactions and an in depth understanding of the function of behavior.

Highly effective teaching and learning has been promoted this year through in-house workshops related to formative assessment, teacher generated learning groups that explored the benefits of learning targets, new teacher web pages, and the school-wide use of peer observation to improve the monitoring of student understanding. Plans were also put into motion to streamline the number of summative assessments and to develop new mid and end-of-year assessments. The coming year will bring increased opportunities for peer observation and teacher choice in professional development sessions that will be developed.

Student safety and social emotional wellbeing continues to be an area of importance for us. While students and staff members continue to feel a sense of physical safety in our school, there is work to be done to improve students’ sense of belonging, respect for one another, and respect for differences. In addition to the Panorama Survey the Leadership Committee conducted an investigation into student stress. The work of the committee provided insight into student stressors and shed light on steps that can be taken to reduce pressure and provide students with strategies to manage the stresses they will encounter in their lives. In the coming year we will be exploring the potential benefits and questions associated with a later school opening, making goals to promote more positive interactions between students and staff members, working to bolster a greater sense of belonging to the greater school community, and fostering an understanding that our differences are among our greatest sources of strength.

The past year has been remarkable, and our students, teachers, parents/guardians, and community members should be proud of the work that has been accomplished. Simsbury High School continues to be one of the best public high schools in the state of Connecticut and the country. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with all of the members of our learning community, and I am looking forward to the coming year with an increased sense of pride and optimism as I am confident that our best days lie ahead of us. Thank you for taking the time to read this report and I look forward to seeing you in the future as we engage in the most important and fulfilling work that there is, promoting the growth of our young people!

Sincerely,

Andrew O’Brien Principal Go Trojans!