Hinsdale High School Teachers Association

Paul Faeh, Social Studies Teacher at South, has been named a top three finalist in the 2010 Illinois History Teacher of the Year Award given by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Gilder Lehrman History Institute.

Congratulations Paul!

As has been done in the past, the principal at Central has written a letter to the editor of the local papers for American Education Week, sharing his thoughts on the faculty and staff at Central.

American Education Week is celebrated the week of November 15th through the 19th.  During this special week of recognition for educators, I would encourage students and parents of Hinsdale Central to take time to thank and show their appreciation for educators, sponsors, coaches and mentors who have profoundly impact their lives.

Often students will not realize the full extent of their appreciation until they leave Hinsdale Central.  Like most of us, they won’t understand how special something is until it is over.  Fortunately for both the students and the staff members, District 86 conducts a graduate survey.  While the intent of the district is to gather information from graduates that will help improve the education offered in our high schools, the survey often provides graduates an opportunity to express their appreciation for the staff,  at a time when they have fully realized the impact Hinsdale Central staff have had on their lives.

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The Doings is on the story about award winning South Economics teacher Jeff Waterman:

Hinsdale South teacher Jeff Waterman has a lot of faith in his students.

So much faith he put up $50,000 of his own money for students to use on stocks when he started an investment club at the Darien high school. He also takes economics education from boring and dry to intriguing and interesting, using stories and memory tricks in the classroom.

Waterman’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. On Oct. 26, he received a 3M Star in the Classroom Award in Chicago, along with 12 other Illinois teachers.

[…]

“I was identified in the competition for the (National) Economics Challenge,” Waterman said. “We won state and finished 16th in nationals.

“With our students doing well, it put me on their radar.”

Winning state in its first try over competition such as Homewood-Flossmoor and Stevenson high schools was unexpected and rewarding, Waterman said.

[…]

“He was one of the best teachers I have ever had,” said Christine Miller, a freshman at the University of Virginia and a member of the state-winning Hinsdale South Economics Challenge team. “I have often heard of economics being referred to as, arguably, a boring and difficult subject, but because of his class, I plan on majoring in economics.”

Dan Zagri, a freshman at Harvard University, had Waterman as a sophomore at South, but returned as a member of the Economics Challenge team as a senior.

“He’s an unbelievable resource for students, and an astounding example of someone who truly enjoys doing something worthwhile,” Zagri said. “He’s not doing it for the recognition, but he certainly deserves it.”

For more information, see our previous post on Jeff’s success.

How well does D86 prepare students for their journeys into higher education? The ECRA Group was hired by the Board of Education to survey our past graduates to find out. The survey of District graduates is best explained by the ECRA group directly from their report:

Hinsdale District 86 partnered with ECRA Group, Inc., a leader in educational research, to garner perceptions of graduates’ high school experience and gauge a picture of the paths they took after high school.

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In the winter of the 2009-2010 school year, quantitative and qualitative data were collected through an online survey of graduates from the years 2005 through 2009. The survey instrument was a modified version of the Graduate Survey instrument used in 2008, based on suggestions presented by District 86 administration.

[…]

During the survey process, an attempt was made to reach all graduates from the 2005 through 2009 classes. Results are compared to those gathered in 2008 from the 2002 through 2006 classes. A postcard mailing was sent to all 2005 through 2009 graduates at their last known address, and emails were sent to parents with the request that the survey access be sent on to graduates. ECRA also used the social networking site Facebook as a tool to recruit survey respondents.

The survey results generated responses from 493 former graduates of District 86 (compared to 345 in 2008), with a margin of error of three-percent according to ECRA.

Highlights of the data included 97% of graduates grading the quality of education received in District 86 an “A” or “B”, with 71% rating this an “A”. Regarding their high school preparation enabling them to compete with their collegiate peers, 90% rated their preparation as either “A” or “B”. Where it came to their own preparation for higher education, 94% rated the district as either “A” or “B”, with 64% rating their preparation an “A”. When grading their former teachers, 92% rated district teachers either “A” or “B”, with the majority rated “A”.

Regarding teachers, Principal Mike McGrory shared the following with the faculty ECRA’s report:

Hinsdale Central Graduates gave high praises to their high school. A major theme that emerged from the responses was the appreciation for Hinsdale Central teachers, who were described as amazing, encouraging, caring, passionate about teaching and learning, and always willing to help. Graduates felt well-prepared for a higher education, and the diversity of opportunities afforded students did not go unnoticed by graduates. Graduates gave high compliments to the athletic and music programs. The guidance services offered at Central were also noted as beneficial.

Some even said that they felt over prepared for college, which made adjusting to college coursework more manageable. Some felt that having experienced the rigorous and competitive environment at Central helps them compete with their peers today. They enjoyed the additional opportunities to excel and felt that the relationships they formed with other students, teachers and coaches were highly valuable. They also mentioned numerous teachers, coaches and administrators by name and praised the efforts these educators put in every day to help students reach their full potential.

Many students expressed that they did not realize the full benefit they reaped from attending Central until after they left. To quote one student, “When I got to school, I was shocked at how well Central had prepared me for college-level schooling.” Others noted that they felt a sense of the importance and closeness of community during their high school years, and this community support helped motivate them to succeed.

During the October 4 Board of Education Committee of the Whole Meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Bruce Law updated the Board on the following question:

“Have we extended the Hinsdale District 86 tradition of excellence?”

The answer was presented in data for student achievement. Student growth was measured in the difference between Explore testing taken in 8th grade and ACT testing taking in a student’s junior year:

Hinsdale South did not make AYP last year. However, it is important to observe that over the past five years the doubling at Hinsdale South of those sub- groups that historically and generally have under-performed has not always had the predictable, downward effect on PSAE scores or academic growth. Moreover, Hinsdale South juniors for whom the school has both an Explore test (taken in eighth grade) and the ACT (taken in eleventh grade) consistently made as much progress as national norms of progress for nearly every sub-group, even in those sub-groups that did not make AYP.

Students at Hinsdale Central also grew beyond national norms, which is striking because Central students started with higher Explore scores. The PSAE tells us how academically tall students are; we use the Explore and ACT tests to see how much they grew, regardless of their original academic stature. Thus while we clearly see more students in certain sub- groups need to be lifted up to state standards by their junior year, the amount of growth at both Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central strongly suggests that our students work very hard under the instruction of highly effective teachers.

Where differences in Explore and ACT tests showed growth, AP classes were used to demonstrate rigor:

AP classes are more demanding than regular courses in the same subject area and thus serve reasonably well as a proxy for curricular rigor. Although the percentage of students taking at least one AP course during their four years rose only slightly at Hinsdale Central and decreased at South in 2010 over 2009, both schools had more students taking AP courses in 2010 than five years ago. Compared to 2006, six percent more students at Hinsdale Central took an AP course in 2010, and the percentage of tests of Central students earning at least a three on a five point scale on AP examinations—and therefore passing, according to the College Board—rose slightly. That is remarkable.

How do District 86 students compare to other students nationally on AP exams:

Compared to 2009 results, the most recent year the College Board makes data available, 13 percent of students in the US who took an AP course scored at least a three, compared to 48 percent at Central and 37.1 percent at South. For students to learn at high levels in rigorous courses, teachers must offer an instructional program to empower students to succeed, and the percentage of students who consistently pass AP exams indicate the strength of the instructional program.

Congratulations to Hinsdale South Economics Teacher Jeff Waterman for being named a 2010 3M “Star in the Classroom” award recipient. From Econ Illinois Website:

Winners of the 2010 3M Economic Educator Awards will be lauded for their outstanding commitment to economic education.

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Criteria for Stars in the Classroom: Effective implementation of Econ Illinois programs in the classroom, helping students learn more about our economy and their roles as workers, consumers, investors and voting citizens.

Jeff and twelve other teachers will be recognized at the Econ Illinois Economic Education Day luncheon on October 26 held at the Union League Club of Chicago. Congratulations Jeff!

HHSTA would like to extend our congratulations and recognition to Central Art Department Chair and Art teacher Laura Milas for receiving the Illinois Art Education Association’s Art Educator of the Year 2010 Award. From the IAEA website:

The IAEA Awards Program is intended to recognize art educators who are committed and dedicated to their students and the art education profession. This program, which recognizes excellence in individuals and programs, helps provide for the development of quality art education throughout the state of Illinois.

Congratulations!