Section 3: Desired Results for Student Learning

Analysis of Student Learning Needs: Description of Students' Current Level of the Desired Results for Their Learning

Knowledgeable Person

The results of assessments of our students' performance on all portions of the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) indicate consistent improvement over the past three years, with the most significant improvement occurring this past year. The faculty at Kendrick High School would like to challenge our 11th grade students to continue this trend with even higher scores, especially in social studies and in science. Moreover, we would like to challenge our 9th and 10th grade students to improve their performance on the Standford Achievement Test (SAT-9) which is the battery of tests replacing the Tests of Achievement and Proficiency (TAP). Furthermore, the data from section 1 suggest that in order for our students to continue "LEARNING FOR LIFE," we must do a better job at preparing them for the Scholastic Apptitude Test (SAT). Their SAT scores must improve so that they can be competitive in the field of higher education.

It was the consensus of the stakeholders surveyed that as we put more emphasis on reading and give the students more time on task with block scheduling, they will become more knowledgeable.

Critical Thinker

While it is important for students to have an extensive core body of knowledge from all the content areas, it is equally important for them to be able to problem- solve, think critically, and be able to apply this knowledge to new situations. However, performance assessments of student learning regarding problem solving and critical thinking skills in science labs, social studies investigations, and the critical analysis of various forms of literature indicate that students have difficulty in applying thinking and reasoning skills.

Structured interviews with teachers on students' ability to effectively apply critical thinking skills yielded numerous comments and concerns about students' lack of ability to effectively solve problems or apply critical thinking skills.

Furthermore, the item-analysis of the results of system-wide assessments and school-level performance assessments in all areas revealed that our students demonstrate an understanding of major concepts, but they experience difficulty in applying critical thinking skills.