SWOT ANALYSIS – ASSUMPTION HIGH SCHOOL



Fr.Juvenalis Ndaula

EDAD.590

SWOT ANALYSIS – ASSUMPTION HIGH SCHOOL – (Academic Excellency)

The SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method often used to highlight and identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in any organization. It is particularly helpful in identifying areas for development. The SWOT analysis conducted at Assumption High School is basically all about Academic Excellency, problems that hinder student achievement and recommendations that will help handle future problems and issues for the success of students. The analysis was conducted basing on the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP), annual report, Assumption High School site visit overview, interviews, and real experience obtained from the Internship.

STRENGTHS

Internal Strengths

Assumption High School (AHS) is a well known school for its vision statement: “To be the premier Catholic high school community, committed to excellence.” This has become a reality for all the years of her establishment since 1958. Very rarely will one find a school with Assumption’s atmosphere - it is really a special thing. The spiritual, moral and academic culture is strong, and the faculty is extremely involved with ongoing professional improvement. This all leads to the continued success of the students. The APR data analysis (Proficiency) 2008-2009 shows that the students are doing a good job academically, this can also be accessed graphically in the APR state student achievement data in Maths, Reading, and Science. The average GPA for the entire school during the 2008- 09 school years was 3.29 and AHS ranked in the top 20 for the Iowa AP index. The grade distribution shows that the students are performing highly.

Assumption High School has an intended academic plan that is focused at solving future challenges. During the 2008-2009 school years some additions were made to help continue the tradition of success. These include peer tutoring, freshman mentoring program, study teams which identify and address students’ struggles, and an increase in the staffing of the Learning Resources Center. There is also an increase of the number of highly trained teachers due to increased enrollment and expanded course offerings. However, the school offers a variety of curriculum with appropriate rigor-geared to prepare students for future challenge and opportunities. The school has strengthened partnership between faculty and students through advisory. To encourage students succeed, Assumption High School has established academic recognitions which are read on daily announcements and also emailed home. All students attend senior Honors and Award ceremony and participate “On A Role.” All in all, the school encourages personal responsibility for learning where students are guided towards becoming life-long learners, students are being held accountable to meet with teachers for additional assistance.

External Strengths

To improve student achievement the school has increased AP and college credit courses online classes whereby Chemistry and Physics are being offered. Also ACT preparation is available online at no cost to students. More importantly, “stewardship” has been introduced. Students are required to complete ten hours of community services each semester. However, the diocese has invested in supporting the efforts to align curriculum K-12. Different parishes in the diocese contribute to the school budget. The subsidy has been used to improve the instructional tools. The school is now working on the state initiative called Iowa Core Curriculum for essential skills in literacy, math, science and social studies. Parents and accredited community members on the other hand have boosted the learning of students through tutoring and involvement in school activities and meetings. Furthermore, student services meet monthly with counselors from grade schools and have worked together with “I HAVE A PLAN.”

OPPORTUNITIES

Internal Opportunities

There is an intended effort to create additional opportunities for juniors and seniors to participate in ACT testing preparations. While the school intends to have great and effective teachers, the school encourages the faculty in achieving advanced degrees. Currently, 54% of the faculty have advanced degrees. Professional development has been going on through faculty in-services, to try to implement new strategies in collecting IPI data to help understand the pattern of engaged learning overtime.

External Opportunities

The school provides opportunities for upper elementary faculty to meet with AHS faculty to coordinate curriculum. This has been done at diocesan level with curriculum writing. In any case, the school has volunteer opportunities such as Board of Education, April Knight, Athletics and Extra Curricular. However, there is also an opportunity of college classes on campus through Scott Community College and PSEO (Post Secondary Enrollment Opportunity), classes are available to those who qualify. While it is important to have foreign students for the strength of multiculturalism, the school is expecting to have one international student from Nigeria. This interest will lead to the initiation of a foreign student and teacher exchange program in the future.

WEAKNESSES

Internal Weaknesses

The school does not have enough personnel and expertise to re-evaluate department days as to ensure their continued sustainability for instructional needs as to raise the proficiency. The Building Leadership Team is comprised of only three teaching staff, something that hinders the efforts to develop the staff professionally. There is a need of hiring some experts from the district or AEA to help in training and coach the Building Leadership Team also to help in mapping and aligning the Iowa Core Curriculum as to incorporate it into diocesan curriculum. There are complaints about the imbalance enrollment as it is shown in the demographics. During site visit that was done on the 5th October 2010 at AHS in which I was invited, students were interviewed and seemed not to be happy on the imbalance demographics statistics.

Stewardship was earlier on said to be one of the strength a school needs to cherish, yet there are some weaknesses on the part of completing ten hours. Currently, both the teacher entrusted with that department and the principal seem to look for new ways of handling and dealing with those kids who do not complete ten hours. Otherwise there is still a failure to hold one accountable for the failure to complete ten hours. In some schools those who don’t complete those hours are not allowed to walk during graduation. However, despite the fact that AHS has been doing well in discipline, yet there is still discrepancy in that because disciplinary issues have been rising for a couple of years. The data show that dress code fines have been increasing. In the year 2006-2007 the cases were 600 and the period between 2007-2008 the cases reported were 841. Tardy detentions and Rules violation have been increasing too. But the period between 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 things have changed a little bit to better as reported in the school disciplinary report. In any case, the school is also faced with few resources to meet needs of students with more diverse abilities.

External Weaknesses

There is poor collaboration between the school and the district as to the services rendered to the students with special needs (learning disabilities) The district sometimes provides transport for these kids to be taken to public schools, something that cost them much time on the way, the time that would be utilized efficiently if special education teachers would follow these kids at their school. However, the administration still faces schedule fixing problem with new initiatives from the state fitting it all in.

THREATS

Internal Threats

Some teachers in the building are still reluctant for the implementation of the Iowa core. According to their views the veterans seem not to support the plan and are frustrated, for them it is time consuming; the Iowa core frustrates the diocesan curriculum, the plan frustrates the already existing curriculum, for instance, the teaching standards and benchmarks of the diocese particularly standard 9 requires students to be taught of Catholic faith and morals something not found I the Iowa Core, also the diocesan curriculum does not have a financial literacy program. In any case, some teachers say that introducing the Iowa core would be the duplication of what teachers do (too much to do), for them it demands time and energy to make mapping and alignment – time consuming. Moreover, there are no funds allocated for mapping, alignment, compensating teachers and implementation of the Iowa Core. The Force Field Analysis I did at AHS reaffirms such threats in the restraining forces on the implementation of the plan (Iowa Core).

However, the building has poor air conditioning something that has contributed to some of the students not feeling comfortable when learning (Learning Environment). Some of the students seem to cheat in exams (plagiarism) something that would deteriorate the learning of students.

External Threats

The dwindling economy, loss of jobs count as the first threats Assumption High School is facing. Students whose parents can’t pay the tuition will probably drop from the school. The school will probably be the school for rich families.

The social pressure which is instigated by the change of American culture (homosexuality) may alter the education perspectives and students upbringing in morals in the future. While the same sex oriented children are not enrolled at AHS, the Equity Policy of the district allows the enrollment of all kids in schools and it frustrates the mission of the school.

The sexual scandals in the Catholic diocese of Davenport have also played a big role in making some of the parents not to enroll their children at AHS. Efforts by the diocese to bring back hope and prevent erosion of the Catholic faith and values will restore confidence of parents in the education provided in Catholic schools.

However, other high schools around have become another threat for AHS. The competition pressure existing within these schools has created a sense of commitment and struggle to achieve and outperform other schools.

The decline of subsidy from different parishes in the diocese has created a kind of pressure and financial constraints on the implementation of some programs for the achievement of students.

Briefly, the analysis made at Assumption High School (AHS) shows that AHS has tried to provide what the students need to have for their learning. Students have peer tutoring, freshman mentoring program, study teams and advisory in which teachers spend time to meet students individually for advice as to academic achievement. However, student services meet monthly with counselors from grade schools and have worked together with “I HAVE A PLAN.” AHS offers AP classes, calculus, Biology, U.S History, Government classes, Chemistry, Physics, and college classes. However, students are well disciplined something that boost their achievement. Teachers are now being trained on Differentiated Instruction (DI) and Iowa Core Curriculum (ICC). Teachers are currently teaching following the DI. In any case, there are several recommendations which a school needs to work on in support with the administration, and the diocese in collaboration with the central office (district).

• Improve classroom climate for academic achievement (Put new Air Conditioning)

• Make a follow up on students who plagiarize during exams (Accountability)

• Have more enough personnel and expertise to re-evaluate department days as to ensure their continued sustainability for instructional needs

• The district in collaboration with the diocese has to support and assist in all programs for enhancing student learning: professional development in differentiated instruction, and Iowa Core, provide resources for students with learning disabilities (special education teachers, transportation, instructional tools etc.)

• Improve the initiatives of foreign students and teacher exchange program

• The Iowa Core Curriculum need to be implemented into diocesan teaching standards and benchmarks. The following actions need to be taken: Creating a sense of urgency for change, having a joint staff sessions, trainings and workshops involving all catholic schools in the diocese of Davenport, trainings to all teachers, parents and other stakeholders on the Iowa Core – Have all the community on board, the district in collaboration with the diocese should support private schools financially and provide expertise for mapping, alignment and implementation of the Iowa Core, teachers need to be compensated for the extra time on Iowa Core – time consuming, the school has to hire more science and financial literacy teachers to meet the demands of kids who will be enrolled in science and finance subjects, the state needs to complete the Iowa Core (unfinished business) to avoid repetitive mapping and alignment, and there should be volunteerism on part of Building Leadership Team and teachers.

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