HHS:  A Professional Learning
Community

Hollister High School is experiencing tremendous growth due to the successful tourism industry in Taney County. Hollister School District sees this as a positive situation and has built a new high school and added teachers in order to maintain high standards of excellence.  The District’s administrative leadership team guides professional development as a professional learning community. The high school has implemented programs to support the district’s vision of the school as a community of learners. Together, Hollister High School and the community are focused on improving performance and opportunities for all students.

In order to meet these goals, the high school now has common learning outcomes and assessments, teacher collaboration based on student data, grade level teams, and privilege cards that reward students for positive behaviors and choices. To ensure that the school continues to meet the needs of all students, several teams have been formed to develop programs that will work in this school.  These teams continually work to analyze data and revise curriculum and classes to meet student needs.

Two teams provide valuable input for decisions concerning a variety of issues.  The student-based Tiger Advisory Panel (TAP) meets with the principal each month. This group helps to guide decision making from a student’s perspective.  The process continues in the teacher-based Tiger Leadership Team (TLT), which meets monthly.

Another teacher-based group is CARE team. This team works to help at risk students achieve success. Case management is handled once a week when the team develops a plan for individual student success.

Programs developed for student success include PASS, a tutoring and credit recovery program; TNT (Tigers Need Time), study time within the school day for students with D’s and F’s; and Advisory, which allows teachers to help guide students in their academic pursuits.

Hollister High School embraces the concept of Assessment FOR Learning.  Key strategies of AFL are to provide (1) student-friendly learning targets, (2) examples of strong and weak work, (3) regular descriptive feedback and focused revision, (4) self assessment and goal setting, (5) guidance in tracking their own learning, (6) time to reflect on learning, and encouragement to share with others. Lessons are designed to focus on one objective at a time.

Open communication is vital. Grade reports are sent every 3 weeks to parents, giving all parties involved time to work together to solve the issue.

As a professional learning community, teachers are given time for collaboration, team meetings, and other professional development activities; therefore, students are dismissed at 2 p.m. on Fridays.

As stated in our mission, this school believes that all students can learn if they are given the time and support to make learning possible. All programs, from academics to clubs and activities, and athletics are designed to help students achieve their potential.