Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

PHS focusing on writing

A writing-based curriculum is being emphasized at Prescott High School these days.

Willie Wilson, dean of students, told the Prescott School Board this at the Boards annual public meeting. The idea is to track the progress of the students from their freshman through senior years. This is part of PHSs plan to upgrade the Arkansas Consolidated Schools Improvement Plan (ACSIP).

PHS instructors will continue grading writing assignments, highlighting test-taking skills. The aspect of the test-taking skills will be timed writings staggered throughout the year to prepare the students for the standardized tests such as the Literacy Exam, the ACT and SAT.

Another component will be a blitz a week before the literacy exam to help motivate and get the students focused. A preliminary diagnostic exam will be developed to see where students are weak at the end of their sophomore year so more attention can be given to these areas during the studentss junior and senior years.

The Advanced Placement (AP) English program has been expanded to cover all four levels. The district now offers AP Literature, AP Language and Composition, Pre-AP for sophomores and Pre-AP for freshmen.

A problem in the English Department, Wilson said, is class sizes created with the AP programs. These classes typically contain 15-18 students per class, while the regular English classes contain 30, the maximum allowed by state. The large classes in regular English is making it tougher on the instructors.

PHS had three priorities for its ACSIP plan last year, but has added one for this year. The plan includes parent involvement, math, special education and language arts.

Under parent involvement, he said, grade level parent meetings will be held with students taking the end of course exams. This was supposed to take place last year, but health problems for Wilson and PHS Principal Carroll Purtle prevented it.

Math teachers will have the same prep period for consulting with one another to recheck curriculum maps and talk about the best way to deal with student learning situations.

This years math scores, he said, more than doubled the states requirement and are some of the best in the state at 66 percent proficiency.

A new priority for special education this year is to use co-teaching models and work to keep as many students out of special ed as possible. These models will be used for Algebra A, with plans to expand them to Algebra B next year.

Test scores in language arts increased in 2003-2004, but dropped last year. Teachers were challenged to find the problems and figure out solutions.

Work on this began in August with the first step being a more rigorous curriculum for freshmen and sophomores. This was done by adding the pre-AP courses to get them ready for AP in their junior and senior years.