JEHS ranked in top 10 percent of high schools across the U.S.
The report is based upon college readiness, how students perform on state-mandated tests and AP class enrollment. About 55 percent of the students at the school are enrolled in AP classes. The report also took into account graduation rates and mathematics and reading proficiency.
JEHS earned a silver medal and was ranked 180 in the state (it ranked 2,045 in the country).
School leaders were happy to earn the recognition, and said the school offers a multitude of programs that prepare students for success. They credited its learning lab, math labs, SOAR program, realigned Academic Intervention Services (AIS) and the teachers work in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).
“This has a lot to do with teachers building strong relationships with students and making sure they succeed,” said Principal Mark Schermerhorn.
“We have wonderful opportunities and programs for our students here, and we’re also starting to see the results of all the hard work our teachers have done in their PLCs.”
Student achievement is at the heart of the PLC model. Teachers in a PLC are committed to answering four questions:
- What do we want our students to learn?
- How will we know they are learning?
- How will we respond when they don’t learn?
- How will we respond if they already know it?
They also use data (formative assessments) from exit tickets, quizzes, tests, essays, and problem sets to group students according to need.
“While this is certainly a great honor, we’re always looking to improve. We’re invested in making every student successful,” Schermerhorn added.