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Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School

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Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School
Woodland Hills High School.png
Address
Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap
2550 Greensburg Pike

Pittsburgh
,
Pennsylvania

United States
Information
TypePublic
Established1987
School districtWoodland Hills School District
SuperintendentJames P. Harris, Jr.[1]
PrincipalDr. Phillip Woods[2]
Staff125.20 (FTE)[3]
Grades9-12
Enrollment1,381 (2018-19)[3]
Student to teacher ratio11.03[3]
Color(s)Turquoise, black, white
MascotWolverine
Websitehttps://www.whsd.net/1/Home

Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School is a large, suburban public high school providing grades 9-12 for the Woodland Hills School District located in Churchill, Pennsylvania, USA. It serves the communities of Braddock, Braddock Hills, Chalfant, Churchill, East Pittsburgh, Edgewood, Forest Hills, North Braddock, Rankin, Swissvale, Turtle Creek and Wilkins Township. In April 2014, the principal, Dan Stephens, retired and an interim principal was appointed.[4] In 2013, enrollment was reported as 1,244 pupils in 9th through 12th grades, with 69% of pupils eligible for the federal free or reduced-price lunch due to family poverty. Additionally, 16.6% of pupils received special education services, while 9.8% of pupils were identified as gifted.[5] According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 100% of the teachers were rated "Highly Qualified" under the federal No Child Left Behind Act. The school is a Title I school.

Students may attend Forbes Road CTC for training in the trades. The Allegheny Intermediate Unit IU3 provides the school with a wide variety of services like specialized education for disabled students and hearing, speech and visual disability services and professional development for staff and faculty.

Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School was the result of a 1981 court-ordered desegregation merger. Before the merger, it was named Churchill High School.

Graduation rate[]

In 2013, Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School District's graduation rate was 81.5%.[6] In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4-year cohort graduation rate. Woodland Hills High School's rate was 81.3% for 2010.[7]

  • 2012 - 81%[8]
  • 2011 - 77.8%
According to traditional graduation rate calculations
  • 2010 - 78% [9]
  • 2009 – 83%
  • 2008 – 80% [10]
  • 2007 – 80% [11]

Western Pennsylvania local academic ranking[]

Woodland Hills was ranked 97th out of 124 western Pennsylvania school districts in 2013 by the Pittsburgh Business Times. The ranking was based on the previous three years of student academic performance on the PSSAs on mathematics, reading, writing and science.[12] (includes 105 districts in: Allegheny County, Armstrong County, Beaver County, Butler County, Fayette County, Washington County and Westmoreland County, but excludes Duquesne City School District and Midland Borough School District due to their not operating a high school). In 2012, Woodland Hills ranked 102nd in the western Pennsylvania region for academic achievement.[citation needed]

Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program[]

In July 2012, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) released a report identifying Woodland Hills School District having six schools among the lowest achieving schools for reading and mathematics in 2012. Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School was among the 15% lowest achieving schools in the Commonwealth. Parents and students may be eligible for scholarships to transfer to another public or nonpublic school through the state's Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program passed in June 2012.[13] The scholarships are limited to those students whose family's income is less than $60,000 annually, with another $12,000 allowed per dependent. Maximum scholarship award is $8,500, with special education students receiving up to $15,000 for a year's tuition. Parents pay any difference between the scholarship amount and the receiving school's tuition rate. Students may seek admission to neighboring public school districts. Each year the PDE publishes the tuition rate for each individual public school district.[14] Fifty-three public schools in Allegheny County are among the lowest-achieving schools in 2011. According to the report, parents in 414 public schools (74 school districts) were offered access to these scholarships. For the 2012–13 school year, eight public school districts in Pennsylvania (Sto-Rox, Chester Upland, Clairton City, Duquesne City, Farrell Area, Wilkinsburg Borough, William Penn and Steelton-Highspire) had all of their schools placed on the list.[15] Funding for the scholarships comes from donations by businesses which receive a state tax credit for donating.

AYP History[]

In 2012, the school was in Making Progress: in Corrective Action II fifth year Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status. In 2011, it was in Corrective Action II 5th Year AYP status.[16]

Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, the school administration was required to notify parents of the school's poor achievement outcomes and to offer the parent the opportunity to transfer to a successful school within the district. Additionally the school administration was required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to develop a School Improvement Plan to address the school's low student achievement. Under the Pennsylvania Accountability System, the school district must pay for additional tutoring for struggling students.[17] The High School is eligible for special, supplemental funding under School Improvement Grants which the school must apply for each year.[18]

  • 2010 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (fourth year)
  • 2009 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (third year)[19]
  • 2008 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (second year)[20]
  • 2007 - declined to Corrective Action 2 (first year)[21]
  • 2006 - declined to Corrective Action 1[22]
  • 2005 - declined to School Improvement 2
  • 2004 - declined to School Improvement 1
  • 2003 - Warning

Academic achievement[]

2013 School Performance Profile

Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School achieved 69 out of 100. Reflects on grade level reading, mathematics and science achievement. In reading/literature - 70% were on grade level. In Algebra 1, only 57% showed on grade level skills. In Biology, just 31% showed on grade level science understanding.[23] According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2,181 public schools (less than 73 percent of Pennsylvania public schools), achieved an academic score of 70 or higher. Pennsylvania 11th grade students no longer take the PSSAs. Instead, they now take the Keystone Exams at the end of the associated course.[24]

PSSAs

Pennsylvania System of School Assessments (PSSA) are No Child Left Behind Act related examinations which were administered from 2003 through 2012. The exams were administered in the Spring of each school year. In 2013, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania changed its high school assessments to the Keystone Exams in Algebra 1, Reading/literature and Biology1. The exams are given at the end of the course, rather than all in the spring of the student's 11th grade year.[25]

11th grade reading:

  • 2012 - 65% on grade level, (15% below basic). State - 67% of 11th graders are on grade level.[26]
  • 2011 - 56% (20% below basic). State - 69.1%[27]
  • 2010 - 59% (19% below basic). State - 66% [28]
  • 2009 - 59% (21% below basic). State - 65% [29]
  • 2008 - 50% (29% below basic). State - 65% [30]
  • 2007 - 51% (27% below basic). State - 65% [31]

11th grade mathematics:

  • 2012 - 51% on grade level (25% below basic). In Pennsylvania, 59% of 11th graders are on grade level.[32]
  • 2011 - 40% (34% below basic). State - 60.3% [33]
  • 2010 - 46% (34% below basic). State - 59% [34]
  • 2009 - 46% (33% below basic). State - 56% [35]
  • 2008 - 33% (44% below basic). State - 56% [36]
  • 2007 - 35% (41% below basic). State - 53% [37]

11th grade science:

  • 2012 - 17% on grade level (32% below basic). State - 42% of 11th graders were on grade level.[38]
  • 2011 - 16% (41 below basic). State - 40%[39]
  • 2010 - 26% (30% below basic). State - 39%
  • 2009 - 23% (34% below basic). State - 40% [40]
  • 2008 - 16% (40% below basic). State - 39% [41]
  • 2007 - tested. results withheld by PDE.

For the 2011–12 school year, Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) ranked Woodland Hills High School 449th out of the 676 public high schools in Pennsylvania. The ranking was based solely on the combined math and reading PSSA test scores from that high school.[42]

College remediation rate[]

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 50% of the Woodland Hills High School graduates required remediation in mathematics and or reading before they were prepared to take college level courses in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education or community colleges.[43] Less than 66% of Pennsylvania high school graduates, who enroll in a four-year college in Pennsylvania, will earn a bachelor's degree within six years. Among Pennsylvania high school graduates pursuing an associate degree, only one in three graduate in three years.[44] Per the Pennsylvania Department of Education, one in three recent high school graduates who attend Pennsylvania's public universities and community colleges takes at least one remedial course in math, reading or English.

SAT scores[]

In 2013, the district's Verbal Average Score was 446. The mathematics average score was 447. The writing average score was 424. The College Board reported that statewide scores were 494 in reading, 504 in mathematics and 482 in writing. The nationwide SAT results were the same as in 2012.[45]

The Pennsylvania Department of Education compared the SAT data of students in rural areas of Pennsylvania to students in urban areas. From 2003 to 2005, the average total SAT score for students in rural Pennsylvania was 992, while urban students averaged 1,006. During the same period, 28 percent of 11th and 12th graders in rural school districts took the exam, compared to 32 percent of urban students in the same grades. The average math and verbal scores were 495 and 497, respectively, for rural students, while urban test-takers averaged 499 and 507, respectively. Pennsylvania's SAT composite score ranked low on the national scale in 2004. The composite SAT score of 1,003 left Pennsylvania ranking 44 out of the 50 states and Washington, DC.[46]

AP courses[]

In 2013, Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School offered 12 Advanced Placement (AP) courses at a higher cost than regular courses. Students have the option of taking College Board approved courses and then taking the College Board's examination in the Spring. Students, who achieve a 3 or better on the exam, may be awarded college credits at US universities and colleges. Each higher education institution sets its own standards about what level of credits are awarded to a student based on their AP exam score. Most higher education give credits for scores of 4 or 5. Some schools also give credits for scores of 3. High schools give credits towards graduation to students who take the school's AP class. At Woodland Hills School District the AP courses are weighted, but students must earn a grade of B or better to receive the weighted value.[47] At Woodland Hills Junior / Senior High School just 21% of students who took an AP course earned a 3 or better on the AP exam.[48] At Woodland Hills students who fail to achieve a 70% or better during the first marking period of an AP course may be reassigned to another course at the appropriate grade level.

Gifted Department[]

The Gifted and Talented Education department currently[when?] has three teachers.

The department is particularly strong in the Science Olympiad competitions as well as its selection of particular students to Hometown High-Q. The department also produces a yearly award-winning magazine - Graphiti - which features student literature and artwork. The department also offers classes in American Sign Language, Creative Writing, Robotics and a Theater Workshop.

One particularly strong part of the department is its Mock Trial team. The team has been Allegheny County champions three of the past six[when?] years, and the team made it to the semi-finals at the state level in 2009.

Sports[]

The school's athletic teams are part of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) and the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL).

Notable accomplishments[]

  • Girls' track - WPIAL Champion: 1987
  • Girls' basketball - WPIAL Champion: 1997, PIAA State Runner-Up: 1997
  • Bowling - WPIAL Champion: 2008
  • Rifle - PIAA State Champion: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017. PIAA Runner-Up: 2012. WPIAL Champion: 1992, 1998, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016
  • Football - PIAA State Runner-Up: 1996, 2001, 2002. WPIAL Champion: 1996, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2009.

The football program has produced nearly 100 Division I football recruits. In 2010, the school had six graduates in the NFL, the most of any high school in the United States: Jason Taylor, Steve Breaston, Lousaka Polite, Ryan Mundy, Shawntae Spencer and Rob Gronkowski.[49] Other Wolverine alumni in the NFL include Miles Sanders, Terrence Johnson, Lafayette Pitts, Rontez Miles, Darrin Walls and Quinton Jefferson.

References[]

  1. ^ "Berks schools administrator is the new superintendent at Woodland Hills". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Phillip Woods, the new man in charge at Woodland Hills Jr./Sr. High School". New Pittsburgh Courier. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Woodland Hills JSHS". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  4. ^ Clarece Polke (April 9, 2014). "Woodland Hills High School principal leaving after six years". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  5. ^ "Best High Schools, 2013", US News and World Report
  6. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, School Performance Profile Woodland Hills High School 2013, October 4, 2013
  7. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (March 15, 2011). "New 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate Calculation Now Being Implemented".
  8. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "Woodland Hills School District AYP Data Table 2012".
  9. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2010). "Woodland Hills High School Academic Achievement Report Card Data table".
  10. ^ The Times-Tribune (June 25, 2009). "Allegheny County School Districts Graduation Rates 2008".
  11. ^ Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (2008). "High School Graduation rate 2007" (PDF).
  12. ^ "Honor Roll Local Ranking Information". Pittsburgh Business Times. April 4, 2013.
  13. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (July 2012). "Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit Program".
  14. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (May 2012). "Tuition rate Fiscal Year 2011-2012".
  15. ^ Olsen, Laura, "State list of failing schools has 53 in county", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 26, 2012
  16. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills High School Academic Report Card 2011, September 29, 2011
  17. ^ US Department of Education (2003). "NCLB Parental Notices" (PDF).
  18. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "School Improvement Grant".
  19. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills High School AYP Overview 2009, September 14, 2009
  20. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills School District AYP Overview 2008, August 15, 2008
  21. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills High School AYP Overview 2007, 2007
  22. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, AYP History 2003-2012 by LEA and School, 2013
  23. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (October 4, 2013). "Woodland Hills High School Academic Performance Data 2013".
  24. ^ Eleanor Chute and Mary Niederberger (December 11, 2013). "New assessment shows fuller picture of Pa. schools". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  25. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2014). "State Assessment System".
  26. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2012). "2011-2012 PSSA and AYP Results".
  27. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2011). "2010-2011 PSSA and AYP Results".
  28. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2010). "2009-2010 PSSA and AYP Results".
  29. ^ The Times-Tribune (September 14, 2009). "Grading Our Schools database, 2009 PSSA results".
  30. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (August 15, 2008). "2007-2008 PSSA and AYP Results".
  31. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2007). "PSSA Math and Reading results".
  32. ^ "How is your school doing?". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 15, 2012.
  33. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2011, September 29, 2011
  34. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2010, October 20, 2010
  35. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009, September 14, 2009
  36. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2008, August 15, 2008
  37. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Woodland Hills High School Academic Achievement Report Card, 2007
  38. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2012". Missing or empty |url= (help)
  39. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2011). "2010-2011 PSSA results in Science".
  40. ^ The Times-Tribune (2009). "Grading Our Schools database, 2009 Science PSSA results".
  41. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2008). "Report on PSSA Science results by school and grade 2008".
  42. ^ "PSSA scores". Schooldigger.com. Retrieved 23 October 2012.
  43. ^ Pennsylvania Department of Education (January 20, 2009). "Pennsylvania College Remediation Report".
  44. ^ National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 2008
  45. ^ College Board (2013). "The 2013 SAT Report on College & Career Readiness".
  46. ^ The Center for Rural Pennsylvania (August 2006). "SAT Scores and Other School Data".
  47. ^ Berwick Area School District Administration, Advanced Placement Courses information for Parents and Students, 2013
  48. ^ PDE, School Performance Profile Academic Performance Data - Woodland Hills High School, December 2013
  49. ^ https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Friday-night-stars-California-and-Texas-produce?urn=nfl-272416

External links[]

Coordinates: 40°26′11″N 79°51′23″W / 40.4363°N 79.8564°W / 40.4363; -79.8564

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