Belton-Honea Path High School (2023)

  1. PLC Story
  2. PLC Practices
  3. Achievement Data
  4. Awards
  5. Resources

Belton-Honea Path High School (BHP) is a small rural school located in Anderson County, South Carolina. Serving as the sole high school in Anderson School District 2, it has a student population of 1,083. In 2021, Principal Mary Boarts led BHP in implementing Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) to foster a shift from a teacher-focused to a learner-focused culture, ensuring comprehensive learning for all students. This collaborative initiative involved other schools within Anderson School District 2, revealing the significant value of communities of practice for organizations. The interaction between individuals within these communities promotes personal growth and enhances learning capacity. Moreover, through collective collaboration and information sharing, novel approaches to problem-solving emerge, while the exchange of ideas to address common challenges facilitates the exploration of innovative concepts. Recognizing the importance of sharing ideas for success, BHP acknowledged the practical benefits of establishing communities of practice to manage knowledge within the organization.

After reflecting on current practices, interventions, and supports, BHP leadership recognized the limitations of their current system. Many of these parts were designed and operated individually, lacking the interconnected nature that could take the organization to new heights. Implementing a professional learning community model seemed like it could be the answer BHP was looking for. 

   The transition to PLC began in June 2020, during the COVID shutdown, when the full administrative team attended a virtual PLC Summit while spread out across the library. The opportunity to participate in this virtual conference provided a foundation for the work to begin. The administrative team left with knowledge and excitement about developing professional learning communities within the building. The conference served as the catalyst that ignited the invitation required for genuine transformation.  Following this conference, the BHP administrative team moved forward with specifically identified next steps which focused on determining our school’s vision and mission. It was the goal of the administrative team to ensure that the entire staff of BHP was on the same page as to the purpose of serving our students. At the conclusion of the 20-21 school year, BHP staff collaboratively created a vision and mission statement that laid the foundation for sustained school improvement. 

In August 2021, BHP initiated the efforts to establish a strong foundation for the PLC at Work process. To kick start this journey, a Two Day Solution Tree Workshop was organized at Belton-Honea Path High School. This workshop aimed to introduce the key concepts and principles of the PLC framework to the educators within the building.

BHP recognized the importance of ongoing support and collaboration for successful implementation. To facilitate this, school leadership organized a supervision rotation for teachers within the current school schedule to allow time for departments to meet and engage in meaningful discussions, share best practices, and deepen their understanding of the PLC process.

Team Leads were selected for each department in August 2021. Using teachers as leads played a crucial role in forming the BHP PLC Guiding Coalition. They served as a driving force behind the PLC implementation process. The Team Leads met regularly in monthly district-wide meetings where they discussed PLC practices, shared experiences, and received support and training.  

Furthermore, BHP took ownership of the PLC process by developing Collective Commitments and Team Norms. By establishing these shared agreements, educators created a sense of collective responsibility and commitment to the PLC journey. Teacher teams then collaborated to identify and unpack the Essential Standards that would guide their instructional focus and creation of common assessments. Teachers also designed data analysis tools to help them analyze student achievement data that would guide on-going interventions and future instructional adjustments.

To further enhance their understanding of effective PLC practices, BHP sent two separate  teams to visit Catoosa County, Georgia. They observed the PLC practices implemented in the Model PLC District and learned valuable insights from their experiences, which they brought back to Anderson Two.

In February 2022, the district funded all Team Leads and building level administration to attend The Summit on PLC at Work in Phoenix. This national conference provided an opportunity for the Team Leads to learn from renowned PLC experts, engage in meaningful discussions, and gather innovative ideas to implement in their respective schools, energizing the initiative.  Following the conference, the district organized the first Anderson Two PLC Summit in March 2022. This event took place during an in-service day. Staff that attended the Summit presented their key takeaways and insights to colleagues from around the district. This internal summit served as a platform for educators to exchange ideas, celebrate successes, and learn best practices.  From the event, teachers gleaned clarity of the district's vision of PLCs and more enthusiasm for the process with a focus on the four key questions.

Moving into year three, BHP continued to support and offer professional development for staff through Solution Tree. This included hosting Solution Tree speakers and sending staff to Conferences and workshops organized by Solution Tree.  In September 2022, Julie Schmidt presented her "Yes We Can" workshop, which focused on building a positive and empowering culture within PLC teams.  In November 2022, the district sent the BHP principal and a group of teachers to the "Amplify your Impact" conference in Charleston, SC. This provided a platform for staff to explore leadership strategies, gain insights from other successful PLC districts, and bring back valuable knowledge to guide their schools' Collaborative PLC teams.  And lastly, to strengthen subject-specific expertise and collaboration, representatives from BHP attended the Math PLC at Work conference in Houston in December 2022. 

Through these concerted efforts and a shared commitment to the PLC at Work process, BHP built a strong foundation of shared understanding and commitment among educators. The ongoing collaboration, professional development opportunities, and exposure to successful PLC models have empowered teachers and administrators to work together towards a common goal of improving student learning and achievement for All.

 

It's essential for any organization to have strong leadership, a shared language, and a clear process in place. But even with those key components, it's still critical to create an environment that fosters productivity and success. Leadership knew early on that schedules would have to be altered to build in time for teachers to collaborate and for students to receive what they needed.  To make this happen, BHP looked to develop a plan that would provide the needed time for collaboration and intervention.   The biggest challenge was the bell schedule.  Our district shares a career center with neighboring Anderson District One, which locks our schedules. Fortunately, both districts were on the same PLC trajectory and together were able to find a solution. An innovative change was implemented in the form of a Flex Time schedule. As part of this change, students were released at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, allowing high school teachers to have dedicated time for collaborative team meetings. This designated time enabled teachers to come together, review Common Formative Assessments, analyze student data, and make real-time adjustments to their instructional practices.  This was shared with our community prior to the end of the 2021-22 school year and implemented in 2022-23 with much success.  

A key component of the new bell schedule was a 45 minute FLEX period four days of the week. This time allowed for teachers to provide the intervention, remediation, and enrichment within the confines of the school day without impacting instructional time. The combination of the collaborative teacher time and the structural provision of FLEX periods allowed for the optimization of collaborative planning, data analysis, and remediation to ensure learning for all students. 

With the hurdle of time overcome, it fell on BHP leadership to ensure that the teacher teams didn’t become isolated.  It was vital that BHP foster the mindset that everyone had a shared responsibility for the success of all students.  Inspired by Ringold High School, BHP leadership created a data room that served as the hub for student data and success.  All teachers visit the data room each week to update the current achievement levels of their own students. This time also allows them insight into the current “snapshot” of school success. Teachers are able to check on current student progress in other courses, past student progress, and reference a wealth of individual student information at a glance.  The value of informal conversations and collaborations between teachers to identify strategies for fostering student improvement that has occurred due to the data room is immeasurable in itself.  The data room also serves as the meeting location for BHP leadership collaborative meetings.  Consisting of administration, counselors, and interventionists, the team analyzes the data room on a monthly basis to target and create improvement plans for students who may need tier II/III interventions. 

Our school has been driven to ensure learning for all students.   We see our PLC practices as living processes, and we are committed to making any adjustments necessary in order to ensure that we stay focused on student learning, maintain a collaborative culture, and have a results-driven mentality.  BHP is committed to this work and will provide whatever resources necessary to see that we maintain a culture of continuous improvement.

 

 

 

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

At Belton-Honea Path High School, we have a process in place to create and implement a guaranteed and viable curriculum. This process ensures that all students have access to a high-quality curriculum that is aligned with standards and designed to promote their learning and achievement. Additionally, we have strategies in place to monitor student learning on a timely basis, allowing us to identify areas of strength and areas in need of improvement.

To create a guaranteed and viable curriculum, we follow a systematic approach that involves collaboration, alignment, and ongoing review. Here is an overview of our process:

Collaborative Curriculum Development: Teachers within departments come together to collaborate on curriculum development. This collaborative approach ensures that the expertise and perspectives of educators across grade levels and subjects are taken into account. It fosters a sense of ownership and shared responsibility for the curriculum.

Alignment with Standards: Our curriculum is aligned with state standards, district expectations, and learning goals. We carefully examine the standards and identify the essential knowledge and skills that students need to acquire at each grade level. This alignment helps us ensure that our curriculum is comprehensive and focused on key learning outcomes. After departments worked collaboratively to choose essential standards, those standards were broken down to identify intended learning outcomes. 

Curriculum Unit Plans: We use curriculum mapping tools and resources to document and organize our curriculum. This includes outlining the scope and sequence of content, identifying instructional resources and strategies, and mapping out assessments. Curriculum unit plans serve as a roadmap for teachers, providing a clear overview of what needs to be taught and when. 

Ongoing Review and Reflection: Administration and teachers regularly review and reflect on our curriculum unit plans and assessments to ensure their effectiveness and relevance. This includes gathering feedback from other teachers and administrators and analyzing student performance data. We use this feedback to make adjustments and improvements to the curriculum as needed.

To monitor student learning on a timely basis, we employ several strategies to gather data and assess student progress:

Formative Assessments: Teachers use formative assessments throughout the learning process to gather evidence of student understanding and skill development. These assessments are designed to provide immediate feedback to both teachers and students, allowing for timely adjustments to instruction.

Common Assessments: We implement common assessments across grade levels and subjects to ensure consistency and comparability. Common assessments allow us to monitor student learning on a larger scale and identify trends and patterns that inform instructional decisions.

Data Analysis: Teacher teams analyze student performance data from assessments to identify areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. This analysis helps us identify individual student needs, instructional gaps, and areas where interventions may be necessary. This information comes together from all departments in BHP’s data room allowing a “snapshot” of student success at any given time. Teachers, counselors, administrators, and interventionists visit the data room weekly to update and analyze student data. Interventions and supports are put into place based on the weekly visits. 

Intervention and Differentiation: Based on the data analysis, teachers provide targeted Tier I/II interventions and differentiated instruction to students who require additional support or enrichment. This ensures that every student receives the necessary resources and strategies to meet their learning needs.  Students requiring targeted Tier II/III inventions are identified by leadership PLC’s from the data room and occur monthly. 

 Progress Monitoring: We regularly track and monitor student progress to assess the effectiveness of instructional strategies and interventions. This includes monitoring individual student growth over time and adjusting interventions as needed.

Overall, BHP uses a collaborative approach to develop a guaranteed and viable curriculum that is aligned with state standards. We employ various strategies to monitor student learning on a timely basis, allowing us to make data-informed instructional decisions and provide targeted support to students. Through this process, we strive to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education and are supported in their learning and achievement.

 

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

At Belton-Honea Path High School, we are committed to providing students with additional time and support for learning through systems of intervention and extension. These systems are designed to address the diverse needs of our students, ensuring that every learner receives the necessary resources and opportunities to succeed. Here's how we create and implement these systems:

Data-Driven Decision Making: We use a data-driven approach to identify students who may require intervention or extension. At a micro-level this includes analyzing student performance data from formative and summative assessments, benchmark assessments, and other sources. By examining data, we can identify students who may be struggling or excelling in specific areas and determine the appropriate level of support needed. At a macro-level this includes the weekly visits to the data room and monthly leadership PLC meetings that analyze student progression shown by the data room.

Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS): We have implemented a Multi-Tiered System of Support framework to provide targeted interventions and extensions. This framework consists of three tiers:

a. Tier 1: Universal Instruction: All students receive high-quality instruction aligned with grade-level standards and best practices. Teachers use research-based instructional strategies and differentiation to meet the diverse needs of students in the general education classroom.

b. Tier 2: Targeted Intervention: Students who require additional support beyond the core instruction receive targeted interventions in small groups. These interventions are designed to address specific skill gaps or provide additional practice and reinforcement. Teachers use evidence-based interventions and progress monitoring to track student growth and make instructional adjustments.

c. Tier 3: Intensive Intervention: Students who require more intensive support receive individualized interventions tailored to their specific needs. These interventions may involve more frequent and intense instruction, personalized learning plans, or specialized programs. Intensive interventions are provided by intervention specialists or other trained personnel.

Response to Intervention (RTI) Teams: We have established a Response to Intervention (RTI) team. This team consists of administrators and support staff who collaborate to develop intervention and extension plans for students. The RTI teams meet regularly to review student data, assess progress, and make decisions regarding appropriate interventions or extensions.

Flexible Grouping and Scheduling: We utilize flexible grouping and scheduling during FLEX to maximize instructional time and provide targeted support. Students are grouped based on their specific needs on a daily basis, allowing for differentiated instruction and targeted interventions. This may involve regrouping students for specific subjects or skills, providing additional time for intervention during the school day, or offering extended learning opportunities beyond regular classroom hours. Students who are not identified as having a direct or immediate intervention need are placed with a teacher who would hold the most wholistic value in guiding each of our student's educational progress. (i.e. SPED, AP, honors, band, choir, athletics, clubs, and extracurriculars)

Collaboration and Professional Learning: Teachers collaborate within subject-area teams and grade-level teams to share strategies, resources, and best practices for intervention and extension. Professional learning communities (PLCs) provide a forum for teachers to discuss student needs, analyze data, and develop instructional plans. Additionally, ongoing professional development opportunities are provided to equip educators with the knowledge and skills necessary for effective intervention and extension practices.

Family and Community Engagement: We involve families and the community in supporting student learning through intervention and extension. We communicate regularly with parents/guardians to keep them informed about their child's progress through bi-weekly progress reports via email. We also collaborate with community organizations and partners to offer additional resources and opportunities for students through business co-ops, vocational rehab, internships, mock interviews, industry tours, and a school-based job fair. 

By creating and implementing systems of intervention and extension, we ensure that students receive the necessary time and support for learning. Through data-driven decision-making, a multi-tiered system of support, collaboration, and family engagement, we strive to meet the unique needs of every student and help them reach their full potential.

 

3. Building teacher capacity to work as members of high performing collaborative teams that focus efforts on improved learning for all students.

At BHP, we place a strong emphasis on building teacher capacity to work as members of high-performing collaborative teams. These teams play a critical role in our efforts to improve student learning. Here's how our high-performing collaborative teams focus their efforts on improved student learning:

Shared Vision and Goals: Our collaborative teams have a shared vision and set clear goals for student learning. They align their efforts with the school’s mission and vision, as well as the goals outlined in the school improvement plan. This shared understanding ensures that all team members are working towards a common purpose and are committed to improving student outcomes. It is the focus of all BHP staff members that we “ensure learning for ALL students.” 

Data-Informed Decision Making: Our collaborative teams use a data-informed approach to drive their decision making. They analyze various forms of data, such as student assessments, classroom observations, and progress monitoring, to identify areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. By examining data during their weekly PLC team meetings, teams can identify trends, patterns, and individual student needs, which inform their instructional practices and interventions.  If Tier I interventions are not able to help students, the data would be transferred to the data room where BHP leadership can create a more intensive plan for the student.

Collaborative Planning: The teams engage in collaborative planning weekly during the school’s early release PLC time to design instructional strategies and interventions that meet the individual needs of their students. Teachers work together to develop common formative assessments, aligned with the curriculum and standards, to assess student progress and adjust instruction and apply remediation accordingly. Collaborative planning allows for the sharing of expertise, brainstorming of ideas, and the development of cohesive instructional plans.  Teachers teams are required to complete and submit their unit plans a week before the unit is scheduled to begin.  This time allows for administrators to offer feedback and ask questions about any observed gaps in the unit. 

Differentiated Instruction and Interventions: Our collaborative teacher teams prioritize differentiated instruction and interventions to address the unique needs of each student. They analyze student data from formal and summative assessments to identify students who require additional support or enrichment both in the class and during FLEX. Individuals or groups of students can be pulled for reteaching or remediation as needed based on the team’s analysis.  Teams develop targeted interventions and extension activities to address individual and small groups of student needs. Differentiated instruction ensures that every student receives the appropriate level of challenge and support to maximize their learning.

Ongoing Reflection and Assessment: Our collaborative teams engage in continuous reflection and assessment of their practices. Teachers add assessment analysis data to their unit plans which include plans for how student remediation will be achieved. Teachers reflect and discuss the impact of their instructional decisions on student learning outcomes and share best practices between team members. This reflective practice allows teams to make data-driven adjustments, share successes and challenges, and refine their approaches to better meet the needs of their students.  

Supportive Team Environment: Our collaborative teams foster a supportive and positive team environment. They value open communication, trust, and respect among team members. This environment encourages collaboration, risk-taking, and the sharing of ideas. Teachers feel supported and empowered to contribute their expertise and learn from their colleagues, ultimately leading to improved student learning. This environment is fostered through the creation of team norms. Additionally, administration works closely with all staff members to share the same collective commitment and vision. 

By focusing their efforts on a shared vision, data-informed decision making, collaborative planning, differentiated instruction, ongoing reflection, and a supportive team environment, our high-performing collaborative teams work together to improve student learning. Through their collective expertise and commitment, they create a culture of continuous improvement and ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

 

Achievement Data Files

Additional Achievement Data

2021-2022 - Highest AP Passage Rate in School History.

Consistently above the state average for graduation rate the last 4 years.

Ready to Work scores are well above the state average for the past 3 years.

Above the state average in all End of Course assessments during the 21-22 school year. Above state average in English and Algebra during the 20-21 school year. 

2022-2023 - Above the state average in Algebra 1, English 2, and US History End of Course assessments. A note that our Special Education population scored above state average in all four End of Course Assessments. 

Students performed above the state average on all sections of the ACT. Highest ACT composite avergae in the past 5 years. Highest SAT composite average in the past 5 years. 

Graduation rate above the state average. 

Above the state avergae in Career Readiness. Large growth in the percent of students participating in work-based learning. 

 

2022-2023 School Year Awards and Recognitions

Administration:

-BHP Administration Team selected to present on PLC best practices at the 2023 South Carolina Association of School Administrators Innovative Ideas Institute. 

- Hosted three school systems to observe PLC practices 

FFA:

State Championships:

1. Agriculture Mechanics 

2. Wildlife Management

3. Tool I.D.

4. Turfgrass Management 

State Runner-Ups:

1. Agronomy 

2. Floricultute 

3. Nursey/Landscape

4. Environthon

5. Employment Skills

6. Extemporaneous Public Speaking (Region 1 Champion)

7. Veterinary Science

Choir and Band:

Both earned Superior with Distinction Awards at the State Festivals 

Outstanding Choir Award and the Adjudicator Award 

Athletics:

State Championships 

1. 1 Individual Track and Field State Champion

2. 3 Individual Wrestling State Champions 

3. Varsity AAA Competitive Cheerleading Champions 

Region Championships:

Girl's Golf, Girl's Tennis, Cheerleading, Wrestling, Baseball 

- 5 Athletes of the Year (Football, Wrestling, Girl's Golf, Girl's Tennis, and Baseball)

- All State Honors (Track (4), Football (5), Baseball (2), Softball (2), Wrestling (10) ) 

JROTC:

- 1 West Point Academy Leadership Award Recipient 

- Distinguished Unit Award 

- 5 JROTC Award for Excellence Recipients 

Student Council:

- 1 SC Association of Student Councils Terry McCoy Award Recipient 

Arts:

- 1st and 2nd Place at the Anderson County Art Show 

 

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