Solanco High School

Solanco High School
Address
585 Solanco Road
Quarryville, Pennsylvania, Lancaster, 17566
United States
Information
School type Public, Secondary
School district Solanco School District
Superintendent Martin J. Hudacs[1]
Principal Brian Gallagher[2]
Grades 9th–12th
Enrollment 1,188 pupils in 2012[3]
Color(s) Black and gold
         
Mascot Golden Mules
Information (717) 786–2151[2]
Website Solanco High School

Solanco High School is a midsized, rural public secondary school. It is a part of the Solanco School District. The school is located in southern Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in 2010, the school reported an enrollment of 1,188 pupils in grades 9th through 12th, with 320 pupils eligible for a federal free or reduced price lunch due to the family meeting the federal poverty level. The school employed 75 teachers yielding a student teacher ratio of 15:1.[4] According to a report by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2 teachers were rated "Non‐Highly Qualified" under No Child Left Behind.[5]

In 2012, Solanco High School declined to School Improvement I AYP status due to low student achievement in both reading and mathematics, along with a low graduation rate.[6] In 2011, Solanco High School declined to Warning AYP status.[7] In 2012, 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 parents the opportunity to transfer to a successful school within the District. Additionally, Solanco High School Administration was required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, to develop a School Improvement Plan to address the high school's low student achievement. Under the Pennsylvania Accountability System, the school must pay for additional tutoring for struggling students. [8] The High School is eligible for special, extra funding under School Improvement Grants which the school must apply for each year.[9]

Graduation Rate

In 2012, Solanco High School’s graduation rate was 87%.[10] In 2011, the graduation rate was 86.8%. In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4 year cohort graduation rate. Solanco High School's rate was 86.99% for 2010.[11]

According to traditional graduation rate calculations

PSSA results history

11th Grade Reading:

11th Grade Math:

11th Grade Science

Science in Motion Solanco High School did not take advantage of a state program called Science in Motion which brings college professors and sophisticated science equipment to the school to raise science awareness and to provide inquiry-based experiences for the students. The Science in Motion program was funded by a state appropriation and cost the school nothing to participate.[32] Elizabethtown College offers the program in Lancaster County.

College Remediation Rate

According to a Pennsylvania Department of Education study released in January 2009, 37% of the Solanco 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.[33] 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.[34] 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.

2012 SAT: average scores
Lancaster County schools
School District Verbal Math Writing Total
Cocalico 498 515 491 1504
Columbia Borough 463 471 431 1365
Conestoga Valley 508 523 492 1523
Donegal 501 488 476 1465
Eastern Lancaster County 490 506 468 1464
Elizabethtown Area 510 522 486 1518
Ephrata Area 508 523 477 1508
Hempfield 519 547 499 1565
Lampeter-Strasburg 526 542 512 1580
Lancaster 415 426 402 1243
Manheim Central 510 514 496 1520
Manheim Township 537 557 524 1618
Penn Manor 497 516 479 1492
Pequea Valley 479 494 466 1439
Solanco 487 489 460 1436
Warwick 522 532 499 1553
County average 498 510 479 1487
Pennsylvania average 473 481 450 1404
U.S. average 497 514 489 1500
Possible on each test: 800 points
Source: Public School SAT Scores, PA Department of Education
U.S. Average Source: 2011 SAT Report, CollegeBoard

Dual enrollment

The high school offers a Dual Enrollment program. This state program permits high school students to take courses, at local higher education institutions, to earn college credits. Students remain enrolled at their high school. The courses count towards high school graduation requirements and towards earning a college degree. The students continue to have full access to activities and programs at their high school. The college credits are offered at a deeply discounted rate. The state offered a small grant to assist students in costs for tuition, fees and books.[35] Solanco partners with Millersville University, Harrisburg Area Community College, Lancaster Bible College, Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology and Pennsylvania State University. Under the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement, state funded Pennsylvania colleges and universities accept these credits for students who transfer to or apply to their institutions.[36] In 2010, Governor Edward Rendell eliminated the grants to students, from the Commonwealth, due to a state budget crisis. For the 2009-10 funding year, Solanco School District received a state grant of $2,568 for the program.[37]

Graduation requirements

Among Pennsylvania's 500 public school districts, graduation requirements widely vary. Solanco School Board has determined that a pupil must earn 26 credits to graduate including: math - 3 credits, English - 4 credits, social studies - 3 credits, science - 3 credits, Arts and Humanities - 2 credits Physical Education (Fitness 1.5 credits and Wellness 0.5 credits) and 8 electives. An additional credit in English, math, science or social studies at the student’s choice is required. Students must earn 6.00 credits to advance to 10th grade. They must earn 12.00 credits to advance to 11th grade

By law, all Pennsylvania secondary school students were required to complete a project as a part of their eligibility to graduate from high school. The type of project, its rigor and its expectations are set by the individual school district.[38] At Solanco students may take one of several of courses to meet the requirement. Effective with the graduating class of 2017, the Pennsylvania Board of Education eliminated the state mandate that students complete a culminating project in order to graduate.[39]

By Pennsylvania School Board regulations, beginning with the class of 2017, public school students must demonstrate successful completion of secondary level course work in Algebra I, Biology, and English Literature by passing the Keystone Exams.[40][41][42] For the class of 2019, a Composition exam will be added. For the class of 2020, passing a civics and government exam will be added to the graduation requirements. [43] In 2011, Pennsylvania high school students field tested the Algebra 1, Biology and English Literature exams. The statewide results were: Algebra 1 - 38% on grade level, Biology - 35% on grade level and English Lit - 49% on grade level.[44] Individual student, school or district reports were not made public, although they were reported to district officials by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Students identified as having special needs and qualifying for an Individual Educational Program (IEP) may graduate by meeting the requirements of their IEP.

Classrooms for the Future grant

The Classroom for the Future state program provided districts with hundreds of thousands of extra state funding to buy laptop computers for each core curriculum high school class (English, Science, History, Math) and paid for teacher training to optimize the computers use. The program was funded from 2006 to 2009. The Solanco School District did not apply to participate in 2006-07. In 2007-08 Solanco High School received $427,158. The school received $77,938 in 2008-09 for a total funding of $505,096.[45] In Lancaster County the highest award was given to Lancaster School District - $1,193,377. The highest funding state wide was awarded to Philadelphia City School District in Philadelphia County - $9,409,073. In 2010, Classrooms for the Future grant funding was curtailed by Governor Rendell.

Extracurriculars

Solanco School District offers a variety of clubs, activities and an extensive and an extensive, costly sports program. Eligibility for participation is determined by school board policy and in compliance with standards set by the Pennsylvania interscholastic Athletics Association (PIAA). Member of the Lancaster-Lebanon 2 Sports League.

By Pennsylvania law, all K-12 students residing in the district, including those who attend a private nonpublic school, cyber charter school, charter school and those homeschooled, are eligible to participate in the extracurricular programs including all athletics. They must meet the same eligibility rules as the students enrolled in the district's schools.[46]

Sports

The District funds:

Boys
Girls
  • Basketball - AAAA
  • Cross Country - AAA
  • Indoor Track and Field - AAAA
  • Field Hockey - AAA
  • Soccer (Fall) - AAA
  • Softball - AAAA
  • Girls' Tennis - AAA
  • Track and Field - AAA
  • Volleyball - AAA

References

  1. ↑ "Superintendent's Message". Solanco School District. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Solanco High School". Solanco School District. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  3. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data - Solanco High School, 2012
  4. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, Common Care Data - Solanco High School, 2010
  5. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Professional Qualifications of Teachers Solanco High School 2012, September 21, 2012
  6. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, (September 21, 2012). "Solanco High School Academic Report Card 2012,".
  7. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Solanco High School Academic Report Card 2011, September 29, 2011
  8. ↑ US Department of Education, (2003). "NCLB Parental Notices" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 15, 2011.
  9. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "School Improvement Grant".
  10. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "Solanco School District AYP Data Table 2012".
  11. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (March 15, 2011). "New 4-year Cohort Graduation Rate Calculation Now Being Implemented".
  12. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Area School District Academic Achievement Report Card Data table 2010, October 20, 2010
  13. ↑ The Times-Tribune (June 27, 2010). "PA School District Statistical Snapshot Database 2008-09".
  14. ↑ The Times-Tribune (June 25, 2009). "County School Districts Graduation Rates 2008".
  15. ↑ Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children (2008). "High School Graduation rate 2007" (PDF).
  16. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2012). "2011-2012 PSSA and AYP Results".
  17. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2011). "2010-2011 PSSA and AYP Results".
  18. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2010). "2009-2010 PSSA and AYP Results".
  19. ↑ The Times-Tribune (September 14, 2009). "Grading Our Schools database, 2009 PSSA results".
  20. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (August 15, 2008). "2007-2008 PSSA and AYP Results".
  21. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2007). "PSSA Math and Reading results".
  22. ↑ Pittsburgh Post Gazette (October 15, 2012). "How is your school doing?".
  23. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Solanco High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2011, September 29, 2011
  24. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Solanco High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2010, October 20, 2010
  25. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Solanco High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2009, September 14, 2009
  26. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Solanco High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2008, August 15, 2008
  27. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, Solanco High School Academic Achievement Report Card, 2007
  28. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 21, 2012). "Solanco High School Academic Achievement Report Card 2012" (PDF).
  29. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 29, 2011). "2010-2011 PSSA results in Science".
  30. ↑ The Times-Tribune (2009). "Grading Our Schools database, 2009 Science PSSA results".
  31. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2008). "Report on PSSA Science results by school and grade 2008".
  32. ↑ The Pennsylvania Basic Education/Higher Education Science and Technology Partnership, Science in Motion annual report, 2012
  33. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (January 20, 2009). "Pennsylvania College Remediation Report,".
  34. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 2008
  35. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2010). "Dual Enrollment Guidelines".
  36. ↑ Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (March 2010). "Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Agreement".
  37. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2009). "Pennsylvania Dual Enrollment Allocations to school districts for 2010-11".
  38. ↑ Pennsylvania State Board of Education. "Pennsylvania Code §4.24 (a) High school graduation requirements".
  39. ↑ Pennsylvania State Board of Education, Proposed changes to Chapter 4, May 10, 2012
  40. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2010). "Keystone Exam Overview" (PDF).
  41. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (September 2011). "Pennsylvania Keystone Exams Overview".
  42. ↑ Pennsylvania State Board of Education (2010). "Rules and Regulation Title 22 PA School Code CH. 4".
  43. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education, State Board of Education Finalizes Adoption of Pennsylvania Common Core State Academic Standards and High School Graduation Requirements, March 14, 2013
  44. ↑ Pennsylvania Department of Education (2011). "Keystone Exams".
  45. ↑ Pennsylvania Auditor General (December 22, 2008). "Classrooms for the Future grants audit" (PDF).
  46. ↑ Pennsylvania Office of the Governor Press Release (November 10, 2005). "Home-Schooled, Charter School Children Can Participate in School District Extracurricular Activities".

Coordinates: 39°52′01″N 76°09′15″W / 39.8669°N 76.1541°W / 39.8669; -76.1541

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