William H. Hunter School: A New Beginning

After moving from one of the oldest to the newest school building in Philadelphia, the William H. Hunter School received more than just a new address. The move also brought fresh opportunities for the urban school.

The School District of Philadelphia decided to partner with K¹² to provide innovative curriculum and to implement a learning environment that leveraged the latest technology. As part of the K¹² implementation, the district outfitted each room with high-speed Internet access, a ceiling-mounted data projection system, and interactive whiteboards. The goal was to have Hunter become one of the district's first web-based public schools.

The students and teachers at Hunter were not accustomed to having the advantages of new facilities and technology resources within reach. Of the school's 600 students, 95 percent qualified for the federal Free and Reduced Lunch program and 25 percent studied English as a Second Language (ESL). Therefore, the move truly marked a new beginning for all.

A team effort
The fall of 2004 marked the official launch as K¹² was established as the sole provider of math, science, art, and history courses. This included providing the school with materials such as textbooks, teacher guides, manipulatives, equipment, assessments, and art supplies, as well as all the online lessons and teaching tools for these subjects.

Through a team effort, the K¹² program was effectively implemented from the beginning of the school year. This was accomplished by the K¹² staff working closely with teachers to help them adopt the new curriculum and to share best methods for applying the technology. Throughout the year, K¹² trainers were invited to attend and help present ongoing staff trainings. Additionally, grade level teams and school leaders worked regularly with K¹² to develop coherent plans for boosting student achievement.

Due to the high level of coordination, the Hunter teachers quickly became adept at planning, delivering, and assessing the K¹² lessons via the program's approach and use of technology. According to Ms. Floody, a first grade teacher, "... K¹² helps me become a better teacher and have better management skills."

The students also shared in the excitement of the new program. Walking by a classroom showed children engaged in using hands-on exploration during a science lesson about cells. A math lesson was likely to have all class eyes on the interactive whiteboard as each student took turns uncovering geometry angles.

The K¹² program is based on offering kids a multimedia format of learning, which ultimately appeals to all kinds of learners. As Ms. Sauermelch, a second grade teacher, commented, "K¹² is not just a program where you use the interactive White Board. It is also a program that can be used with manipulatives, where our children can be working hands-on with materials. We also still have our paper-and-pencil activities."

Results and conclusions
Due to the Hunter staff's dedication and the adoption of the K¹² curriculum, Hunter achieved impressive gains on the state math exams.* In third grade, there was a 46 percentage point increase in performance (as compared to a 31 point increase for the district). This was a meaningful 86 percent performing at or above proficient, compared to the district's 52 percent for 2005. In fifth grade, there was a 22 percentage point gain (as compared to a 15 point gain for the district), which brought 45 percent of Hunter fifth graders (and the district to 46 percent) to a level where they worked at, or above, proficient levels.

As a result of these scores, the third and fifth grade students met or exceeded the absolute AYP goals for math instruction—a first for the school.

Double-digit gains are an extraordinary achievement for a school and its district; new programs can take between two and three years to generate similar results. The Hunter School accomplished these gains through the staff's hard work and commitment to their students. This was evident in the dedication and energy administrators and teachers put forth in successfully implementing the K¹² program. The goal to maintain the results over time is shared between the School District of Philadelphia and K¹².

The Hunter School remains a showcase school and provides the district a working prototype as it considers a district-wide technology plan. K¹² is proud to be chosen as a continuous partner with the Hunter School for additional academic years. The school, teachers, and parents look forward to sustained progress.

* The Pennsylvania Department of Education mandates all public schools in the Commonwealth implement its Pennsylvania System of State Assessment (PSSA). The PSSA is a standards-based exam for measuring specific skills in math and reading. The exam is also used in assessing performance toward No Child Left Behind guidelines for grades 3, 5, 9 and 11. The goal of the exam is for students to score at or above proficient levels. Student results are also used to determine a school and district’s performance in meeting pre-determined goals known as Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).