BEVERLY — Beverly High School has dedicated teachers, a wide variety of courses, and a safe and positive atmosphere. It also has out-of-date textbooks, too many study halls, and a disparity between its higher- and lower-level classes.
Those are some of the observations contained in a recently released report that evaluated the quality of education at the high school. It was compiled by a team of 15 educators who spent four days observing classrooms, shadowing students, and meeting with teachers, administrators, students and parents.
The 82-page report was generally positive, describing Beverly High as a "very good school." It will be used to determine the high school's accreditation status, which should be announced in the next few weeks.
Principal Sean Gallagher said he was pleased with the report's overall assessment, while acknowledging that the school must improve in the areas that were cited as deficient.
"We have a good school," he said. "We want to have a great school. We're motivated to become the best school." Among the report's criticisms is that Beverly High students spend too much time in study halls. The report says the school's block scheduling — a format that calls for longer classes and which was otherwise praised by the evaluators — prevents students from taking a full load of courses, forcing them to spend time in study halls. Gallagher said most students have at least one study hall per day.
One solution is to hire more teachers, but Gallagher said budget restraints make that unlikely. Instead, he said the school has formed a committee to look at scheduling changes that will allow for more classes and fewer, if any, study halls.
"We're working on eliminating (study halls) for September 2011," he said.
The report also said the high school in many cases is not meeting the needs of "struggling learners." The level of student engagement is much lower in college prep classes than in advanced placement classes, it said. The evaluators blame the disparity on a lack of training for teachers on how to teach those students.
Gallagher said the school began addressing that problem a few years ago by providing more training for teachers on how to integrate "reluctant learners" into higher-level classes. He said the school plans to gradually eliminate lower "college preparatory 2" classes.
As for Gallagher himself, the report praised the principal for his open-door policy with teachers and his ability to articulate a "clear vision for achieving the school's mission." At the same time, it said that vision has not been clearly communicated to teachers.
Gallagher said he's attempting to solve that problem by meeting with teachers in smaller groups rather than talking to 100 teachers at a time at a faculty meeting. He is also using "teacher leaders" to help him communicate with the various departments.
The report sharply criticized the city for what it called inadequate funding of the schools. Teachers are not provided enough professional development and textbooks are outdated, it said. Students cannot take textbooks home from some classes because there aren't enough of them, according to the report.
Gallagher said students will be able to access more online resources starting in September, when all students begin using laptop computers.
That program, called the "1-to-1 laptop learning initiative," is one of three major changes that will help address many of the points raised in the accreditation report, Gallagher said.
One of those changes is the opening of the new academic wing in November and the renovation of the auditorium, cafeteria and field house. Due to the poor condition of the old building, Beverly High is still on probation status with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges based on its last accreditation review 10 years ago. Gallagher said the $81 million renovation should end those concerns.
"Some of the evaluators were jealous of our (new) building," he said.
The third key change, Gallagher said, is the awarding last October of a Smaller Learning Communities Grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Beverly was the only high school in New England and one of 28 nationwide to win the grant, which could be worth up to $1.9 million over five years.
Gallagher said the grant will pay for teacher training and planning for such programs as a freshman academy, "dual enrollment" that allows students to earn college credits while still in high school, and service learning projects for seniors.
The grant will also allow for the expansion of an advisory program that matches every student with an adult in the building.
"It's taking a big high school and breaking it down so that every student knows an adult," Gallagher said.
Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2675 or by e-mail at pleighton@salemnews.com.
REPORT ON BEVERLY HIGH SCHOOL
Pros
Wide variety of courses and extra-curricular activities
Committed teachers and staff
Safe, positive, supporting climate
Teachers trained on use of technology
Strong partnerships with local colleges, businesses and community groups
Principal has open-door policy and is responsive to teachers' concerns
Longer 'block schedule' classes allow for more instruction
Low student loads for teachers
Celebrates student successes
Cons
Too many study halls
High school curriculum not aligned with middle school curriculum
Few opportunities for teachers to train and collaborate
No process for analyzing student progress
Lack of programs for students who are not college-bound
Outdated textbooks
Curriculum not revised often enough
High failure rate of low-income and special education students
Differences in quality between higher and lower-level classes
Source: Commission on Public Secondary Schools
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