Reading Reflection 2 - BPHS

THREE practices at BPHS that had the most impact on the school....

1. Teaching - As aspiring teachers, I am sure that all of us would like to believe in the impact of powerful teaching. As this chapter noted, research is on our side. Statistics indicate that quality teaching is one of the highest indicators of student success. At BPHS, the idea of teaching and curriculum are almost inseparable. They describe their teaching as "challenging, authentic, and collaborative." Teaching or curriculum? Either way, it is having a huge impact.

2. Assessment - Somewhere in the history of education, assessment became a means of assigning a grade rather than a way to measure student learning and guide instruction. BPHS seems to have avoided this pitfall. Most of their assessments are formative, they encourage students to self-evaluate, offer students multiple ways of demonstrating their competence, and honor the process as much, if not more than, the product. That is far from a unit exam, and far more beneficial.

3. Climate - Upon graduating from BPHS, Carlton Jackson said, "I didn't go to a high school - I created one." This speaks volumes about the climate at this high school. Students at this small school are able to build relationships with staff, make connections to their community through school projects, make decisions about what they study, and have a voice in school governance issues. How can you not be motivated to do something which you, yourself, chose to do?

TWO practices from Second to None that I experienced in CPI...

1. Providing Comprehensive Support for all Students - This may be a stretch, as this is not exactly the "support" mentioned in Second to None, but my CPI school had many support programs for the academic success of their students. Free after school tutoring programs were run by the teachers to help students accomplish their academic goals.

2. Establishing Comprehensive Assessment System - My CPI school was very consistent, if not entirely comprehensive, in their assessment system. There were not varied ways for students to demonstrate their understanding, but each assessment was consistent between classes.

ONE best practice that I believe is no longer in place at the school...

Size - In the first years at BPHS, I imagine it was easy to keep numbers small. Students and parents alike were probably extremely reluctant to attend such a cutting edge academic program. As success grows and people feel more confident in the BPHS system, attendance is likely to swell. Their first graduating class had only 100 students. It would be interesting to see what attendance is like now.