There was a tremendous amount of information and feedback for us to digest from the high school study. We asked UNI’s Strategic Marketing Services to identify the themes. Our intention is to release information around those themes in a series of blog posts. The following were identified:
There is an appreciation for the strong sense of community, small school environment and school safety.
Teacher involvement and the positive learning environment are seen as a plus.
External academic opportunities are seen as overwhelmingly positive while also being a cause for concern.
Cultural improvement at all levels is viewed as a need with cliques mentioned as a concern.
Consistency with discipline is viewed as an area needing improvement.
There is a desire for increased rigor and enhanced college preparation.
A larger emphasis on life skills is suggested.
The first themes we will explore and expand upon are THEME #3 and THEME #6.. The external opportunities offered for academics through Waverly-Shell Rock, the Waterloo Career Center and local colleges and universities are viewed positively by some, while the lack of those opportunities being offered on campus is viewed negatively by others. Academic rigor, course offerings and college preparation were frequently mentioned across the four reports. We will provide information, next steps and things to look forward to in the future.
Some anonymous survey responses related to these themes are included below.
“As we continue to grow, hopefully more teachers are added so we can focus on students and not be stretched so thin.”
“Bring back some of the classes like shop. Have more hands-on activities throughout the year.”
“I think there were some great opportunities, as in college credit. They gave us a chance to take college credits and some upper level classes at WSR. That was a great option. But I don’t know, I guess this isn’t quite their fault, but it would have been nice to not have to leave other classes early so I can show up to WSR on time. Hopefully as they keep growing, they can start offering more of those advanced classes.”
THEME 3: External academic opportunities are seen as overwhelmingly positive while also being a cause for concern.
Course Offerings
Our high school students have access to the majority of their core instruction and many electives on campus. This includes math, science, social studies, English, Spanish, business, art, vocal music, band, technology, core area electives and online classes through Edgenuity. Due to our location we are fortunate in our ability to offer access to academic opportunities through Waverly-Shell Rock, The Waterloo Career Center, Hawkeye Community College, The University of Northern Iowa and Wartburg College either onsite at those locations or online. Finances weigh heavily on what courses we can offer at Janesville and what makes sense to access through other educational institutions. Here is a look at the cost associated with the classes students took outside of our district during the 2021-22 school year.
Waverly - Shell Rock finances for 2021-22 school year: Students (24) - Different Classes (27) - Number of Credits (55 ) - Cost to Janesville ($24,842.95)
Waterloo Career Center finances for the 2021-22 school year: Students (10) - Different Classes (11) - Number of Credits (14) - Cost to Janesville ($6,300)
Hawkeye Community College/Concurrent finances for 2021-22 school year: Students (37) - Different Classes (48) - Number of Credits (134) - Cost to Janesville ($49,510)
The total cost of the 203 credits earned by our students through other educational institutions was $80,652 (plus transportation cost to WSR). The cost of employing one teacher, including salary and benefits is between $55,585 - $87,545. The salary portion of this figure depends upon their experience and education level. In one school year, a teacher’s schedule would allow them to teach up to 14 different classes. However, we would not ask a teacher to have 7 different preps/different classes every single day. The wide variety of courses our students are able to access through other local institutions is a significant cost savings to us in comparison to hiring teachers for each of those content areas.
Staffing
Survey results included a shared belief of the district being understaffed as a factor in limited course offerings. We know we are currently understaffed. For the 2022-23 school year we believed enrollment was going to be up about five students, however we ended up with an additional 27.5 students. Many new families and students came to us in August spread out amongst the grade levels. This was a direct result of the new open enrollment rules and regulations. A wonderful issue to face, but logistically challenging. A history of staffing levels (teachers) since the 2013-14 school year is provided below.
School Year - FTE (Entire District) - Certified Enrollment - Served Enrollment
2013-14 27.188 374.8. 358.8
2023-24 42.438 441.92* 443.32*
***K-12 Enrollment, preschool not included***
*23-24 enrollment information is from October 1, 2022
We have added significantly to our staff since 2013. The largest student enrollment increase has been at the elementary and middle school level which is where the majority of staff have been added to date. We have increased staffing from 6 elementary teachers to 12 and 3 core middle school teachers to 6 for the 2023-24 school year. Although this is a high school study, having the information about how our growth has impacted staffing as a district is important. As larger classes make their way to high school we are addressing the need to increase high school staff as soon as next year with the intention of continuing to add in the future.
High School staffing changes and rationale for the 2023-24 school year:
English 1.0 to 2.0 FTE - Two full time teachers allow us to split all grade levels for English, while also adding Advanced Placement Literature and Composition, Advanced Placement Language and Composition and new English electives. English was given first priority because it is the only core class requiring 4 years to meet graduation requirements
Band 1.0 FTE to 1.5 - Mrs. Limyao conducts 5 bands (5th grade, 6th grade, 7th-8th grade, high school and jazz band). Due to the number of students taking band and the time it takes to work with each large group she is unable to offer lessons to all band students. Mr. Rouw, who student taught with Mrs. Limyao last year, was hired to join the band department part-time.
Art 1.0 FTE to 1.5 - Mrs. Hamil currently teaches K-12 art. Our art numbers at the high school level have increased significantly the last few years. Four periods of her day are currently dedicated to elementary and middle school art. This leaves 3 periods for high school. It is not possible for all students who want to take high school art to make it work in their schedule with the limited number of offerings. The result is students who want to take art are unable, or they request to take art while she has another class. This is less than ideal. Next year Mrs. Graham will teach elementary art in order to provide more opportunity and flexibility for high school students to take art.
HS Spanish online to 1.0 FTE - We started the year with online Spanish. Mr. Friedrich returned to the country and is back offering Spanish 1-4 in person. We are grateful for his return and this opportunity for our students.
We recognize the need to increase staffing with the continued growth of our high school student body. Ideally we will increase the number of staff who teach advanced placement courses and have master’s degrees allowing them to teach courses for college credit on campus.
THEME 6: There is a desire for increased rigor and enhanced college preparation.
ACT Preparation
Survey results indicated some students felt unprepared to take the ACT and desired more resources to support their preparation. ACT data from 2019 to the present is provided in the table below.
Year Number of Students Tested Average Comp Score
19-20 9 23.9
20-21 12 22.6
21-22 6 23
22-23 2 29
A concern we are addressing currently is the lack of ACT preparation support offered. We contracted with The Doorway to College Foundation and are offering a 5 hour ACT course at the school on Saturday, April 1st at a cost of $95 per student. Students will walk away with information and materials to help them prepare.
Low participation in the ACT with a significant drop in recent years is a concern. In order to increase participation we are now offering every high school student the opportunity to take the ACT free of charge one time in our building. Our goal is to make it accessible to all students to increase opportunities for postsecondary education.
The annual school report card is a tool which tells us how students are performing and growing in various subcategories and allows us to compare ourselves to other schools. The report card includes a measure of postsecondary readiness. One metric which contributes to the overall score within the category of postsecondary readiness is the number of students who take the ACT and SAT. As indicated above our participation rate is low with a decline in participation the last few years. One way we are addressing this is by helping students prepare and removing any financial or logistical barriers to taking the ACT.
The school report card information can be found here Janesville Junior/Senior High School performed quite well the past five years, however there is always room for improvement. Our scores are included below.
Reporting Year School Rating School Raw Score Average State Raw Score
2022 Commendable 56.36 54.65
2021 Acceptable 53.22 54.7
2019+2020* Commendable 59.97 54.94
2018 High Performing 63.12 54.91
*COVID canceled testing. We received the same score two years in a row
Academic Rigor
Some of the feedback in the surveys related to rigor was rather specific to individual circumstances and it will not be possible to respond to all of the feedback with the same specificity. All academic courses within the school are designed to align with the Iowa Core Standards or national academic standards specific to elective content areas. Teachers use a curriculum design process and collaborate with others to write their units based on these standards. When possible, a curriculum written by a publishing company which meets the standards in both content and rigor is adopted by the district.
As a school we have content specific leadership teams for literacy, math, science and social studies. These teams are made up of teachers K-12. Each of these teams has developed a set of shared beliefs around curriculum and instruction. Each of these teams is responsible for making decisions regarding curriculum and instruction. When we review curriculum for adoption we use a three step process. Our first step is to research best practices and review shared beliefs. We often do this in collaboration with our AEA consultant in the specific content area, resources from the DOE and by reaching out to other known experts in the field. Next we locate and review curricular resources aligned with core standards and our shared beliefs in both content and instructional practice. Our last step is to select a curriculum, often by first completing a pilot and then making a final decision on selection. Once a new curriculum is selected teachers engage in professional learning to learn evidence based practices and strategies for implementation. This learning includes but is not limited to workshops, conferences, courses, instructional coaching cycles, book studies, collaboration with peers, learning labs and feedback and reflection from formal observations.
In addition to the courses offered through local colleges and universities as previously mentioned, we are adding Advanced Placement courses in English. Writing was one area mentioned as a concern by former graduates in preparation for college. Our goal is to add more AP courses and opportunities for earning college credit on campus.
We plan to further evaluate and review specific content or instructional concerns mentioned in the survey related to rigor and instructional practice.
