D. 2014 WCEA Report (3)

WCEA/WASC FOCUS ON LEARNING REPORT 2013-14 JSerra Catholic High School 26351 Junipero Serra Road San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675

TABLE OF CONTENTS SELF-STUDY PROCESS ................................................................................................................3 CHAPTER I: STUDENT/COMMUNITY PROFILE...................................................................5 CHAPTER II: PROGRESS REPORT .........................................................................................31 A. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE LAST FULL VISIT................. 31 B. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHOOLWIDE ACTION PLAN........................ 34 CHAPTER III: SCHOOL PURPOSE & ESLRS ........................................................................38 CHAPTER IV: SELF-STUDY FINDINGS..................................................................................42 A. ORGANIZATION FOR STUDENT LEARNING ................................................ 42 B. CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION ................................................................. 78 C. SUPPORT FOR STUDENT SPIRITUAL, PERSONAL, AND ACADEMIC GROWTH ............................................................................................................ 102 D. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT .................................... 120 CHAPTER V: SCHOOLWIDE ACTION PLAN......................................................................134 CHAPTER VI: CATHOLIC IDENTITY OF THE SCHOOL.................................................145 CHAPTER VII: WASC SUPPLEMENT FOR ONLINE PROGRAMS.................................150 APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................................161 2013 WCEA/WASC SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM 2013 WCEA/WASC FOCUS GROUPS 2013 WCEA/WASC SCHOOL VISITING COMMITTEE VISITING COMMITTEE SCHEDULE JSERRA ORGANIZATIONAL CHART 2013 JSERRA BOARD OF DIRECTORS JSERRA ADMINISTRATION, FACULTY, AND STAFF LISTING JSERRA CAMPUS MAP 2013-14 MASTER SCHEDULE JSERRA BELL SCHEDULE 2013 EMPLOYEE SURVEY 2013 STUDENT SURVEY 2013 PARENT SURVEY 2

SELF-STUDY PROCESS In March 2007, JSerra Catholic High School had its inaugural WCEA/WASC Accreditation visit, wherein the school was granted a six-year accreditation term with a mid-term review. The mid-term review and accompanying report were completed in March of 2010. In preparation for the spring 2013 accreditation visit, the WCEA/WASC Chair for the school began developing the school profile in the spring of 2011with the input from several school employees, especially the Director of Counseling and Academic Support Specialist. With a draft profile in hand, the school leadership attended the Southern California WCEA/WASC Secondary School Leadership Team Trainings beginning in October of 2011. Shortly thereafter, the Leadership team developed a timeline using the Focus on Learning protocol as a guide. Focus Groups were created, as were Home Groups, and the school’s employees were provided with a schematic of how the protocol would be followed. In November of 2011, the initial Focus Group meetings were held to work on task 2 (clarifying the school’s Philosophy and Mission and Expected Schoolwide Learning Results) (see chapter 3 below) and to begin the work of task 4 (reviewing the criteria and identifying what evidence was needed to compare the school program with the criteria and Expected Schoolwide Learning Results). As noted in chapter 3, the work of the Focus Groups was collated such that changes to the school’s Mission Statement, Philosophy, and ESLRs were advanced for further approval by relevant school and/or Board committees. In January of 2012, Home Groups were created, consisting largely of the school’s academic departments and additional Home Groups for administrative and staff groups. Department Chairs acted as the de facto leaders of each Home Group. On the basis of the initial Focus Group meetings, a series of meetings were held in the spring of 2012 to allow Home Groups to gather and analyze evidence about the quality of the school program vis-à-vis the criteria and ESLRs (task 5). The Home Groups would meet after school a total of five times that spring to gather and analyze the requisite data. Each meeting would concentrate on a particular section of chapter 4. The gathered data was then sent to the Focus Group chair who then convened Focus Group meetings to analyze and synthesize all information and data to determine areas of strength and areas of growth within their specific criteria category (task 6). Each of the five Focus Groups met at least once that spring to begin crafting its section of what would become chapter 4 of the final Focus on Learning Report. Thus, tasks 5 and 6 were worked on in succession that spring for each section of chapter 4. In total, ten days (after school meetings) were designated for Home and Focus Groups meetings, though some Focus Groups had to meet more than once to work on task 6. By the fall of 2012, the school was on track to finish final edits on chapter 4 in September, where after the School Leadership Team could then draft the school’s Action Plan (tasks 7 3

and 8). The fall in-service that year (October 1) employed Google Docs to be used in the Focus Group meetings, whereby each Focus Group was to review the draft of each section and make any final edits. However, a week earlier, the school leadership had decided to petition the WCEA to seek a delay on the accreditation that year. This petition, which was supported by the Superintendent of Catholic Education for the Diocese of Orange, was due in large part to many of the institutional changes that had taken place in the preceding 12 months. In June of 2011, the school’s long-term Principal did not have his contract renewed and a replacement was not found. Thus, for the 2011-12 school year, the President was named “Interim Principal.” Additionally, in the summer of 2011, the Norbertine Order decided it would no longer allow its priests to serve as teachers nor Rector. So, that summer an “Interim Rector” was identified (Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J.) Further complicating matters, the President resigned from the school in January of 2012 for personal reasons. To fill the void of his absence, the Chairman of the Board appointed the Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction to serve the role as “Interim Principal” for the remainder of that school year. Similarly, a Board Member was appointed in July of 2012 to serve as “Interim President”. A new Principal was hired for the fall of 2012, followed by the hire of a new President several months later. All in all, the period of June 2011- September 2012 was one where there had been much instability in the school’s highest leadership roles. On this basis, therefore, the appeal was made to the WCEA to delay the school’s accreditation visit to the spring of 2014. Given the administrative changes at the school, it was felt that the content of chapter 4 of the Focus on Learning report should be revisited to ensure accuracy for a 2013-14 visit. Thus, in-service days in March of 2013 and September 2013 were used to review and revise earlier drafts of chapter 4. Also, given the one-year delay in the accreditation visit, chapters 1-3 of the Focus on Learning Report required revision and were completed from September to November of 2013. The school’s action plan was developed by the school’s Leadership Team in early December of 2013. 4

CHAPTER I: STUDENT/COMMUNITY PROFILE Introduction JSerra Catholic High School is a co-educational, four-year college preparatory school. It is a private Roman Catholic high school. On June 4, 2001, an Affiliation Agreement was approved by Bishop Tod D. Brown, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange, granting JSerra status as a private Roman Catholic school. JSerra was the first private, non- sectarian Catholic high school in the state of California. The school is governed by a lay Board of Directors (32 members currently) whose Chairman is Timothy Busch. The Board of Directors is the ultimate policy-setting body at JSerra and has fiduciary responsibility for the school. The Chief Executive Officer for the school is its Headmaster. The day-to-day affairs of the school are directed by the Head of Administration and Faculty who reports directly to the Headmaster. The Administrative Council, consisting of the Headmaster, Head of Administration and Faculty, Assistant Headmaster, Head of Student Affairs, Head of Curriculum, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Institutional Development, Chaplain, and Athletic Director, is charged with oversight of all aspects of the school’s operations. General Population JSerra Catholic High School is located in San Juan Capistrano, California, and draws students from throughout southern Orange County and north San Diego County. San Juan Capistrano is the twenty-eighth largest city in Orange County and has an estimated population of 35,360 (2012). The number of families in San Juan Capistrano is estimated at 11,481. San Juan Capistrano, in recent years, has averaged an annual 2.1% growth in population. Ethnically, 55.8% percent of San Juan Capistrano is Caucasian and 38.7% percent is Hispanic. Most of the other communities of southern Orange County have substantially larger percentages of Caucasians. The larger community in which most of JSerra’s students live is south Orange County. South Orange County is characterized by a large percentage of adults working in white collar industries (80%) and a high median household income ($91,930), both substantially higher than state and national averages. Additionally, the average net worth of South County household exceeds $960,000, indicating the relative affluence of the area. Educationally, over 56% of the population of south Orange Country has a Bachelor’s degree of higher. Economic Influences and Employment Trends Orange County has one of the most robust economies in the United States. Countywide, unemployment is 6.5% (2013) (compared to 8.9% statewide.) The median household income is $75,762 (2011) and income per capita stands at $34,416 (2011). Orange County is consistently identified as one of the ten wealthiest counties in the United States, which is reflected in income, wealth, and real estate value measures. 5

Orange County has generally benefitted from an economic recovery since the recession of 2009. Countywide employment has declined to 6.2% (August 2013), outpacing both state (8.9%) and national (7.3%) norms. In the summer of 2012, Orange County unemployment was 7.7%. Housing prices in the region have similarly shown positive growth. Median family home prices are at $560,000 (September 2013), a full $100,000 increase over the previous 12 months. Other indicators (for example, Orange County Consumer Confidence Index, State Fullerton’s Business Expectation Index, auto sales, air travel rates at John Wayne Airport) all point to a robust economic recovery that can benefit tuition-based schools. The largest employers in Orange County are the Walt Disney Company, the University of California at Irvine, the St. Joseph Health Care System, Boeing, and Kaiser Permanente. In terms of business sectors, the largest industries in Orange County are service (33%), manufacturing (15%), government (14%), and trade (13%). Educational Trends The last five years (2007-2012) have proved to be challenging for the local school district in which JSerra is situated, Capistrano Unified School District. The long-term superintendent resigned due to political controversies in 2007. His replacement was dismissed in the middle of his four-year term in 2009, again following significant political upheaval. The district has also had to contend with significant fiscal challenges. In every year since 2008, the district has faced substantial budget shortfalls. In the 2012-13 school year, for instance, the district was saddled with an over $73 million deficit, forcing it to increase its furlough days to 15 per year and reduced both classified and certificated staff. Larger class sizes, in all grades, have also been a consequence of budgetary woes. The Diocese of Orange’s schools have also had to face economic realities since 2007 that have generally resulted in smaller enrollments in its elementary schools. This is important for JSerra given the large percentage of its population that comes from Catholic elementary schools. 6

I. STUDENT INDICATORS A. Enrollment Enrollment 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 Grade 9 211 281 236 238 309 278 325 Grade 10 237 214 292 233 251 295 285 Grade 11 170 232 230 267 221 234 281 Grade 12 143 177 238 220 257 216 231 Totals 761 904 996 958 1,038 1,023 1,122 Analysis JSerra’s student population has steadily increased year over year except for the 2010-11 school year. The decline in enrollment that year can largely be attributed to the economic downturn during that time. The significant boost in enrollment for the 2013-14 school year is in part due to JSerra broadening its reach with its International Program. Also, JSerra in the last two years has developed an online program, allowing students with special talents and difficult schedules to receive a JSerra education. Other factors help account for the school’s growth. First, there is dissatisfaction with many of the local public schools many of which face problems such as overcrowded classrooms and monetary problems. Second, many students are drawn to JSerra because of its first class facilities. Third, JSerra has attracted families who seek religious instruction and faith formation programs for their children. Fourth, the school’s four magnet programs have attracted students. Lastly, the school’s generous financial aid program has drawn students from families that would otherwise not be able to afford private education. JSerra anticipates continued growth in the upcoming years. The school’s enrollment is growing domestically because of the success and interest of its athletic teams as well as the integration and continued maturation of its academic curriculum, especially its magnet and online programs. JSerra’s global popularity is also evident by the consistently rising numbers of international applications. The school’s growth has prompted a discussion as to what maximum capacity is for the school. A committee in the fall of 2013 was formed to assess what the school’s capacity will be (outside of the larger number approved by the city of San Juan Capistrano.) 7

B. Admissions Year Applications Accepted Enrolled 2008-09 560 547 281 2009-10 381 379 236 2010-11 391 384 238 2011-12 474 458 309 2012-13 459 455 278 2013-14 529 508 325 Analysis JSerra has been blessed with a larger number of applicants year over year. As stated earlier, students are attracted to JSerra for a variety of reasons. The school has also managed to shed some of its “start-up school” reputation which in the past would have hampered some from applying to the school. The school has a rather high acceptance rate. This is largely due to the need to be economically viable and to literally grow the school. However, as the data from 2013-14 suggests, the school is becoming more selective in its admissions, with the largest percentage and number of students being denied admission in the past school year. The school expects to reach maximum capacity in one to two years, in which case it plans to employ a waiting list, allowing the school to increase its selectivity in admissions. C. Tuition Comparative tuition of college prep schools in the Orange County area (2013-14): Sage Hill 31770 Rosary 12420 & 13620 St. Margaret 23872 Servite 12700 JSerra 15125 Sta Margarita 12680 Orange Luth. 13375 Mater Dei 11950 & 13350 Analysis JSerra’s tuition has remained competitive with private schools in south Orange County, though it should be noted that its tuition is the highest in the county for a Catholic high school (except for St. Michael’s Abbey Preparatory School, which is a boarding school.) A primary reason for the difference in tuition between JSerra and that of diocesan high schools is the large debt the school incurred in order to construct its current campus. As the school was built in 2003-2006, it services a much greater percentage of capital debt than its diocesan counterparts. 8

Recent tuition increases, however, have been below Diocesan averages. In the 2013-14 school year, for example, JSerra’s tuition increased by 4.6%, compared to a 6.7% average increase at the other Catholic high schools in the Diocese. D. Financial Aid 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 667K 686K Total 125 152 1008K 1092K 1901k 2200k Financial 12% 15% 201 216 315 354 Aid 20% 20% 30% 31% Distributed Number of Students on Financial Assistance Percentage of students on Financial Assistance Tuition 11,550 12,300 12,975 13,650 14,450 15,125 Average 5332 4513 5015 5054 6,924 6,215 Financial Aid Award Average 46% 37% 39% 37% 48% 41% Award as Percentage of Tuition Analysis JSerra’s financial aid program has allowed several students to receive a private school education who otherwise would not be able to afford it. The school has allocated more dollars each year to the financial aid program and, in absolute numbers, more students have received financial aid every year. Benefactors to the school also contribute funds to the Angels Program which provides financial assistance to students above financial aid. In sum, JSerra provides more financial aid than all other Catholic high schools in the Diocese of Orange combined. E. Program Selection Patterns Schoolwide and by Class or Program JSCHS has only one program- College Preparatory. While JSerra offers a college preparatory program, it does support the concept of “appropriate inclusion.” \"Appropriate inclusion\" recognizes and affirms the unique learning styles of students with varying exceptionalities. JSerra recognizes its responsibility to provide a learning environment that 9

fosters growth and considers the individual needs of the student. To the extent possible, JSerra will serve students with varying needs in a college preparatory curriculum. The school has in place a Student Educational Resource Program (SERP) to assist and respond to the needs of learners with diverse needs. SERP services are available to any JSerra student provided they have been admitted into the program. A recommendation, referral, or request for SERP services may be made by administrators, teachers, parents/legal guardians, the Student Assistance Program, or students. To be considered for admission, an educational assessment must be completed and meet the conditions established by the SERP Director. Educational diagnostic services are available at independent testing services and/or independent psychological services chosen by the parents/legal guardians at the parents’/guardians’ cost. Testing services may also be accessed through the student’s public “home school” on an ongoing basis. Some students are accepted to JSerra with the condition of a required summer school course in English and/or mathematics and/or are accepted on Academic Probation. Once admitted, however, there are no special courses for students who are on Academic Probation. F. Ethnicity Ethnic Origin 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 Native American 2% 2% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% Asian- Pacific Islander 2% 2% 2% 2% 5% 7% 10% Filipino 1% 0% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% Hispanic/Latino 8% 10% 8% 7% 6% 9% 7% African 2% 2% 1% 2% 2% 2% 2% American/Black White (non-Hispanic) 74% 70% 62% 73% 70% 63% 60% Multiethnic 5% 6% 4% 8% 13% 12% 11% Undeclared 6% 4% 20% 4% 5% 4% 7% Other 0% 4% 3% 2% 2% 1% 1% Analysis JSerra’s student population closely resembles the ethnic diversity of south Orange County. In the Capistrano Unified School District, 69% of the students are white; 18% are Hispanic; 5% are Asian; 2% are African-American; and 5% are of other ethnicities. Year over year, there has been a relative balance of the student body’s ethnic make-up. However, JSerra is beginning to see an increase in multiethnic as well as Asian ethnicities due to the development of its International Program. G. Concurrent/Non-concurrent Enrollment Status 10

JSerra does not allow full-time concurrent enrollment in another institution. Students may take a course to make-up a credit or to take a course that JSerra does not offer. Students taking online classes through JSerra do utilize the courses from outside schools, however. These include Florida Virtual, Connections Academy, and Aventa Learning. H. English Proficiency All students are English proficient, though many students from the International Program are placed in a slower paced English course (e.g., English 1A or English 2A). Other languages spoken at homes by a small number of parents include Spanish, Farsi, Mandarin, and Korean. I. Gender, Age Mix JSCHS is a coeducational school for students in grades 9-12. Many classes have students from two or more grades. The school has considered creating gender specific Religion courses, which may be a consideration for the future. However, the challenges of creating such classes as it relates to creating the master schedule has prevented the school from be able to do so thus far. J. Health and Safety Issues If students with special health needs meet the academic requirements for admission, JSerra will accommodate those students. Each year approximately 6% of students indicate in their emergency cards a special health need, e.g., asthma with inhaler use, diabetes, Attention Deficit Disorder. The school nurses inform the classroom teachers of students with particular needs. Nurses, deans, and the guidance counselor also meet with individual students to discuss issues of health and welfare. Contact with parents, referrals for psychotherapy, and reports to Child Protective Services are made according to ethical and legal mandates. K. Catholic / Non-Catholic 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 Catholic 58% 60% 61% 61% 55% 51% Non-Catholic 42% 40% 39% 39% 45% 49% Analysis JSerra Catholic High School provides a solid Catholic education. The school does attract a large number of non-Catholic students for many of the same reasons other parochial high schools attract non-Catholic students- discipline, academic excellence, learning 11

environment, morality-based curriculum, etc. In recent years, one contributing factor to the relative equal sizes of the Catholic/non-Catholic populations has been the growth of the international student population. That population, largely from southeast Asia, contains few Catholic students. The growing international student population, which includes 107 students in the current school year, has compelled the school to developed specialized Religion 1 classes. These classes, with sections limited to no more than 15 students, are meant to not only introduce the student to the curriculum of Religion1, but are also designed to help these students learn about Christianity, and indeed western religion, more broadly. Many of the international students, especially those from China, have had little exposure to any religion and thus find learning about Catholicism more challenging than a native student who has never attended a Catholic elementary school. While the school does have a sizeable non-Catholic population, it bears noting that the non- Catholics at the school are heavily involved in the spiritual life on campus- serving in campus ministry, attending retreats (both as students and student-leaders, attending weekly Mass, going to quarterly confession, etc.) JSerra has consistently marketed itself as “warmly ecumenical” and thus has embraced students from a variety of religions. 12

II. ACADEMICS A. Curriculum The basic program required of all students includes eight semesters each of Religion and English; six semesters each of Social Studies, Mathematics, and Science; four semesters each of a World Language and Physical Education; two semesters of fine arts; and one semester each of Health and Freshmen Success. Most students fulfill their graduation requirements for PE by participating on a JSerra athletic team. By graduation, every JSerra student fulfills the “a-f” requirements for the University of California. B. Honors Level Courses English: English I Honors, English II Honors, AP English Literature, AP English Language and Composition Mathematics: Algebra I Honors, Geometry Honors, Algebra II/Trigonometry Honors, Pre-Calculus Honors, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics Science: Introduction to Health Sciences Honors*, Health Science Technology Honors I*, Health Science Technology Honors II*, Ethics in Healthcare Honors*, Concepts of Genetics*, Fundamentals and Principles of Radiography*, Biology Honors, Chemistry Honors, Physics Honors, Anatomy and Physiology Honors, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science, AP Physics B, AP Physics C, AP Environmental Science. World Lang: Spanish I Honors, Spanish II Honors, Spanish III Honors, French II Honors, French III Honors, Latin II Honors, Latin III Honors, AP French Language, AP Spanish Language, AP Latin Social Studies: World History Honors/MUN, AP European History, AP US History, AP American Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Psychology, AP US Government Visual and Performing Arts: Advanced Painting and Drawing, AP Art History, AP Studio Art * Honors courses for students enrolled in the Pre-Medical Professional Magnet Program 13

III. DATA ON STUDENT PERFORMANCE BY SUB-POPULATIONS A. Grade Point Averages Class Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring Fall Spring 2009 2010 2010 2011 2011 2012 2012 2013 Freshman 3.34 3.16 3.22 3.20 3.31 3.40 3.38 3.45 composite Sophomore 3.37 3.29 3.31 3.37 3.27 3.42 3.24 3.38 composite Junior 3.20 3.11 3.18 3.21 3.37 3.41 3.40 3.50 composite Senior 3.34 3.40 3.45 3.39 3.43 3.38 3.57 3.57 composite Analysis The composite grade point average has shown an upward trend in every class, every year. Freshmen, sophomore, and junior composite G.P.A.’s have increased yearly, suggesting that the caliber of student has improved each year. Also contributing to the general upward trends in G.P.A.’s over time has been the growth of honors and AP offerings on campus, allowing more students to take more classes that confer higher G.P.A. benefits. Additionally, the composite G.P.A. for each class has increased, showing that students tend to improve their academic performance while they are a student at JSerra. 14

B. AP Scores 2009-10 2010-1 2011-12 2012-13 (Percent (Percent (Percent (Percent AP Test Passing) Passing) Passing) Passing) Art History 89 66 75 74 Biology 57 92 35 87 Calculus AB 85 100 86 100 Calculus BC 64 100 71 Chemistry 70 100 92 100 Chinese 92 100 88 English Lang 76 68 89 87 English Lit 72 87 55 Enviro Science 97 74 100 Euro History 96 62 90 75 US Government 60 40 86 43 Macroeconomics 10 100 47 67 Physics C:Mech 69 62 100 57 Spanish Lang 71 50 65 Statistics 80 63 27 70 Studio Art 50 76 71 69 US History 74 75 81 72 Total 69 75 AP Scholar 2010 2011 2012 2013 Award 27 37 43 42 AP Scholar 11 14 16 12 AP Scholar with Honor 14 15 23 23 AP Scholar with Distinction 0 3 2 4 AP National Scholar 52 69 84 81 Total Analysis JSerra’s Advanced Placement program has grown each year in terms of the number of AP courses offered. The number of students taking AP exams has also followed an upward trend. For instance, as recently as 2009 only 275 AP tests were administered. In the last two years, however, the school has administered 480 and 479 exams, respectively. The data also indicate the pass rates have generally increased year over year. JSerra requires any student in an AP course to take the exam. Students who elect not to take an AP exam lose the GPA “bump” associated with being in AP class. Only one AP student in the last five years has not taken his/her AP exam. The school has considered giving seniors the ability to opt out of taking AP exams. As more and more colleges and universities refuse to grant passing AP scores with college credit, it 15

has become challenging to motivate some seniors to adequately prepare for the exam knowing they will not be conferred college credit if they were to pass the exam. While JSerra’s AP scores compare favorably to national and state averages, the school has taken measures to ensure better student achievement in the future. For example, the school has funded AP conferences for teachers in the summer with the supposition that such courses will better prepare teachers to teach the AP curriculum. All but one of JSerra’s current (2013-14) roster of AP teachers has taken a College Board-sponsored AP conference. The school has also revised its registration procedures for students seeking entry into an AP course to better ensure the student is sufficiently prepared for the rigors of the class. In addition to minimum GPAs, for instance, the school has required that teacher recommendations be considered and that “borderline” cases be resolved with a pre-test. Many AP teachers also assign an extensive summer assignment to ensure that the students who enroll for that AP course are cognizant of the level of dedication needed to be successful in the class and to perform well on the AP test in May. Additionally, beginning in the 2013-14 school year, the school implemented a policy which allows teachers to drop any student from their AP class at the semester who has less than a 75% first semester grade. 16

C. PLAN Results 2007 English Mathematics Reading Science Composite Total # 2008 18.5 18.5 18.9 19.2 18.9 273 2009 16.9* 17.4* 16.9* 18.2* 17.5* 233 2010 17.9 18.1 18.0 19.0 18.4 264 2011 16.9* 17.4* 16.9* 18.2* 17.5* 215 2012 19.2 19.3 18.9 19.4 19.3 245 16.9* 17.4* 16.9* 18.2* 17.5* 18.0 19.7 18.3 19.1 18.9 283 16.9* 17.4* 16.9* 18.2* 17.5* 18.6 19.3 18.7 19.2 19.1 16.2* 17.6* 16.7* 17.8* 17.2* 19.2 19.7 19.0 19.9 19.6 16.4* 17.9* 16.9* 18.0* 17.5* *National Averages 20 PLAN Composite Results 19.6 JSerra 17.5 National 19.5 19.3 19.1 2011-2012 19 18.5 18.4 18.9 18 17.5 17.5 17.5 17.2 17.5 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011 17 16.5 16 2007-2008 Analysis All JSerra students are required to take the PLAN test in October of their sophomore year. The test results suggest that JSerra’s students perform between 7-9% better than the national mean across all subjects except for science, where JSerra’s means are only 5% better than the national mean. 17

D. PSAT Results 2007 Critical Math Writing Total Total # 2008 Reading Skills 188 2009 47.9 46.6 142.4 249 2010 47.9 48.2* 45.9* 140.8* 224 2011 46.7* 49.1 47.7 145.7 253 2012 48.9 48.8* 45.8* 141.3* 210 46.7* 46.7 45.7 140.8 227 48.4 48.2* 45.8* 140.9* 46.9* 50.5 48.4 149.8 50.9 48.9* 45.4* 141.6* 47.3* 49.0 46.5 144.5 49.0 48.3* 45.6* 141.5* 47.6* 50.5 48.7 148.2 49.0 48.6* 46.5* 142.8* 47.7 *National Averages PSAT COMPOSITE RESULTS 152 149.8 150 148 145.7 148.2 Jserra 146 142.8 National 144 144.5 142 142.4 2012-13 140 140.8 141.3 140.8140.9 141.6 141.5 138 136 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2007-8 Analysis All JSerra students are required to take the PSAT test in October of their junior year. The test results suggest that JSerra’s students perform between 1-4% better than the national mean across all subjects. It is noteworthy to address that the school’s math scores are only 1.1% higher than the national math average. 18

E. ACT English Math Reading Science Composite Total # 59 2007 21.1 21.1 21.6 20.6 21.3 70 22.6* 22.2* 21.2* 22.1* 117 21.6* 20.6 21.9 20.2 21.2 156 22.8* 22.4* 21.3* 22.2* 115 2008 21.6 22.2 21.9 22.5 143 22.8* 22.4* 22 22.2* 136 21.8* 22.6 23.2 21.4* 22.9* 22.3* 22.2 23 2009 22.6 22.7 23.6 21.5* 22.2* 22.7* 22.0* 22.6 23.2 21.8* 23.9 24.2 21.4* 22.1* 21.1* 21.3* 23.4 2010 23.6 23.9 23.9 20.9* 24 20.9* 21.1* 23.7 21.1* 21.7* 20.7* 24.1 20.9* 2011 23.6 21.6* 2012 24.2 20.5* 2013 24.3 20.2* *State Average ACT Composite Results 25 22.2 22.522.2 23 23.2 24 24.1 JSerra 21.2 22.2 22.1 21.1 State 24 20.9 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 23 22 22.1 21 21.3 20 19 2006-7 Analysis JSerra students have the option of taking the SAT or ACT for college admissions. They also have the option of taking the test multiple times. The reported scores only include the highest test score the students received. According to the data, there was drastic improvement in English and Reading scores in comparison to state averages over the past five years. Students scored an average of 2% lower than state averages between 2007 and 2009. In 2010 and 2011, students scored and between 6-8% higher than state averages. In Math, JSerra students scored 7-10% lower than state averages and steadily improved over the next three years decreasing the gap by 0-3%. In Science, JSerra students scored 3-5% 19

lower than state averages in 2007-2008 and steadily improved over the past five years where they scored 3-5% higher than state averages. Overall, JSerra students steadily improved their ACT composite scores in comparison to state averages going from scoring around 4% lower than state averages in 2007-2008 to scoring around 3% higher than state averages. 20

F. SAT 2008 Critical Math Writing Total Score Total # 2009 Reading Skills Average 52 2010 514 89 2011 524 515* 520 1558 157 2012 502* 515** 494* 1511* 154 2013 499** 530 498** 1512** 154 524 515* 526 1580 129 501* 513** 493* 1509* 500** 534 498** 1511** 531 516* 535 1600 501* 516** 492* 1509* 501** 524 500** 1517** 524 514* 527 1575 497* 515** 489* 1500* 499** 550 499** 1513** 547 514* 546 1643 496* 510** 488* 1498* 491** 541 491** 1492** 535 514* 525 1601 496* 512** 488* 1498* 495** 496** 1503** *National data *California data 21

SAT Composite Results 1700 1643 1650 1600 1580 1600 1601 1550 2012-13 1500 1558 1575 Jserra 1450 2007-8 National 1400 State 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Analysis JSerra students have the option of taking the SAT or ACT for college admissions. They also have the option of taking the test multiple times. The reported scores only include the highest test score the students received. JSerra students did an average of 5% better than the national and state averages except in the Math section, where JSerra students only did about 2% better than the national and state averages. Overall, JSerra students score around 4% higher than national averages and state averages with the average scores improving every year. G. STUDENT FOLLOW UP DATA Data on Graduates 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 175 237 221 258 215 Graduates 77% 76% 73% 86% 79% % Attending 4-year college 23% 24% 25% 13% 20.5% % Attending 2-year College 0% 0% 2% 1% 0.5% Other $2.00M $10.10M $8.85M $11.64M $12.42M Total Scholarship Dollars Analysis JSerra Catholic High School’s college preparatory high school sufficiently prepares its students for post-secondary studies. 99.5% of the class of 2013 continued their education after high school. 79% continued onto four-year colleges, 21% continued onto two-year colleges, and 0.5% went on to do a gap year including missionary work and employment. Because the curriculum meets the most rigorous college admission standards and requirements, 100% of the students who applied were admitted into a four-year institution. The percentage of students matriculating to college after graduating from JSerra has consistently hovered near 100%, with roughly 80% of students attending a four-year university. JSerra Counseling Department has developed a number of informational 22

sessions for parents over the last six years to not only assist parents and students with college selection, but also with finding sources of financial aid. Thus, students have been better equipped to apply for and receive grants and scholarships. Top 25 Ranked Colleges - JSerra Acceptances from 2007-2013. *Rankings are taken from U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges, 2012 Edition, National University Rankings Brown University, RI University of California – Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, CA CA Carnegie Mellon University, PA University of California – Los Cornell University, NY Angeles, CA Dartmouth College, NH University of Notre Dame, IN Duke University, NC University of Pennsylvania, PA Emory University, GA University of Southern California, Georgetown University, DC CA Johns Hopkins University, MD Stanford University, CA Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Vanderbilt University, TN MA Washington University in St. Louis 23

Colleges where ten or more JSerra students are attending: Total students 565 *Bolded colleges indicates top 100 college according to U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges, 2012 Edition, National University Rankings University of Arizona - 50 Arizona State University, AZ - 18 Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo – 12 California State University, Fullerton – 21 California State University, San Marcos – 20 University of California, Berkeley – 17 University of California, Davis – 16 University of California, Irvine – 13 University of California, Los Angeles – 14 University of California, San Diego – 10 University of Colorado, Boulder, CO – 31 Chapman University, CA – 29 Concordia University Irvine, CA – 16 University of Dallas, TX – 14 Gonzaga University, WA - 13 Irvine Valley College, CA – 36 Loyola Marymount University, CA - 19 Northern Arizona University, AZ – 15 University of Notre Dame, IN – 14 Orange Coast College, CA – 15 University of Oregon, OR – 20 Saddleback College, CA – 138 University of San Diego, CA – 22 University of San Francisco, CA – 13 University of Southern California, CA – 24 Santa Clara University, CA – 12 Southern Methodist University, TX - 10 Texas Christian University, TX – 12 University of Southern California, CA – 12 IV. STAFF A. Composition/Ethnicity/Attrition of all Staff JSerra Catholic High School seeks to hire staff members who are academically prepared in their subject matter and have a love of teaching and a commitment to the school philosophy. JSerra has a staff composed of 130 members, including both classified and certified staff. The administration includes a Headmaster, Assistant Headmaster, Head of Administration and Faculty, Head of Student Affairs, Head of Curriculum, Chaplain, Chief Financial Officer, Athletic Director, and Director of Development. Additionally, the school has two full-time Deans and a Counseling Department of seven (five guidance 24

counselors, one personal counselor, and one registrar.) Each magnet program has a director, who is also a full-time teacher. There are 58 full-time teachers (25 male and 33 female) and 16 part-time teachers. JSerra has a support staff of 64, in addition to walk-on coaches and food service staff. In terms of ethnicity, 80% of the staff is white, 8.6% is Hispanic, 6.7% is Asian (including Pacific Islander and Filipino), 3.8% is American Indian, and 1% is African American. These percentages roughly mirror those of the student body. JSerra’s staff has grown each year in concert with the concomitant increases in student enrollment. The attrition rate has averaged 7.4% percent for faculty and staff the last three years. Reasons for leaving include financial need, pregnancy, relocation, and retirement. B. Qualifications/Certification/Credentialing For Assignments Every full-time teacher has a BA or BS degree (two part-time Fine Arts teachers have only AA degrees). 49% percent of the teaching staff has a Master’s degree. In addition, 59% holds a current or lifetime California Secondary Credential. Full-time JSerra teachers are expected to have a Master’s degree or California Teaching Credential within three years of being hired. In terms of experience, almost two-thirds of the faculty (65.8%) have taught for at least five years. Approximately 10% of the staff has been working in a high school environment for less than two years. All administrators have at least one post-graduate degree. One is currently pursuing a Ph.D. and another has a JD. C. Catholic/Non-Catholic 71.9% percent of the faculty/staff is Catholic. 22.8% is of another Christian faith. As with student admissions, JSerra has maintained an ecumenical approach to hiring, while taking steps to ensure that all employees are faithful to the teachings of the Church in their interactions with students. D. Professional Development All members of the JSCHS staff are considered professionals and are expected to be current in their fields of expertise and in methodology. All teachers are expected to complete 12 hours of professional in-service each year, which includes participation in the annual Diocesan in-service. Mandatory, all day in-services are offered twice per year, and two mandatory retreat days are provided. The administration has also dedicated time at monthly faculty meetings for in-services. In recent years, workshops have been held on the following topics: classroom management, teaching in the block, incorporating 25

technology in the classroom, website building, using anti-plagiarism software, Professional Learning Communities, and writing across the curriculum. Additionally, the school requires all faculty to attend a monthly one-hour in-service on spirituality and faith formation which is led by the school’s Chaplain or his designee. New faculty members participate in a three-day New Teacher Orientation in August and are given several resources for new teachers. The administration also encourages faculty to attend off-campus in-services during the school year and during the summer. The school’s budget reflects allocations for professional development from which the faculty can draw. E. Religious on Campus The religious staff includes one Norbertine priest who serves as school Chaplain and one Jesuit Rector. Two Carmelite nuns teach full-time in the Religion Department. The school expects to add more Carmelite nuns in the future to the faculty. F. Support for Teachers The school offers a competitive salary for its faculty. The school is in the second year of a three-year program to ensure all of its teachers are paid at or above the Diocese of Orange’s pay scale for teachers. Full-time faculty are also provided with a heavily subsidized healthcare plan. Employees are given the opportunity to participate in the company’s 401K plan, and are fully vested as soon as employment begins. The school also provides tuition assistance up to $2000 per year for those faculty pursuing advanced degrees. All full-time employees receive a student tuition discount of 50% for their children, and are also eligible to apply for financial aid beyond the remission amount. This has allowed many JSerra full-time employees the means to send their children to JSerra. V. SCHOOL FACILITIES and SCHOOL GROWTH In order to meet the needs of the students, the school has made extensive changes not only to the physical plant but also in the curriculum and administrative services. Physical Plant The school is composed of a north campus and a south campus. The north campus is comprised of three buildings on 10 acres of land in northern San Juan Capistrano, just to the west of Interstate 5. Building #1 houses the school’s administration, the Religion Department, the Fine Arts Department (except for instrumental and choral music), the SERP program, and one tenant (Uniforms for U). Building #1 includes a Black Box theatre, a broadcast studio classroom, a photography classroom with darkroom, two computer labs, three dance classrooms, two specialized arts classrooms, and a SERP Testing Center in addition to standard classrooms and offices. The Business Magnet 26

Program also has a student store in Building #1. The administrative offices in Building #1 contain a Nurses Office, International Program Office, and all counseling offices. Building #2 houses the school’s Science Department, which include three dedicated labs and two specialized lecture-lab rooms. Building #2 also contains the school’s chapel, Library Media Center, campus ministry offices, Bistro, IT Department, and Center Room. Building #3 is exclusively used for classrooms, and is where the English, Social Studies, Mathematics, and World Language classrooms are located. The instrumental music and choral music classrooms are also in Building #3. Both the instrumental music room and the choral music room were created by joining two standard classrooms. The Student Government room is also found in Building #3 in a social studies classroom. All classrooms have a retractable screen, projector and/or document camera, and smart television that is used for school broadcasts and can be used to project from the teacher’s computer. Four classrooms also use smart board technologies. The south campus contains JSerra’s athletic facilities, which span twenty-nine acres. Besides a gymnasium, the south campus includes athletic offices, weight training facilities, batting cages, an Olympic size pool (the largest in Orange County), sand volleyball courts, outdoor basketball courts, tennis courts, a football field/track, a baseball field, a softball field, and two multipurpose fields that are used for baseball, soccer, and lacrosse. The development of the southern campus (athletic facilities) cost $18.5 million. The gymnasium is over 70,000 total square feet, which makes it one of the largest facilities among private high schools in the United States. The A-Turf used on the south campus is the largest A-Turf project in the United States with over 450,000 sq. ft. of turf. As the school has grown, it has had to purchase several new items for the growing student body including additional lunch tables, lockers, student desks, additional books and reference materials for the library, and myriad science and PE equipment. As student enrollment has increased, the IT (Information Technology) department has had to purchase several items to keep the school fully wireless, including additional bandwidth and wireless access points. VI. SCHOOL FINANCIAL SUPPORT Founded in 2003, JSerra Catholic High School is an independent school in the Catholic tradition for students in grades 9-12. Though recognized by the Diocese of Orange as an officially Catholic school, JSerra is financially independent from the diocese. Fiduciary responsibility for the school rests with its self-appointed Board of Directors. The school has an operating budget of approximately $20M with 90% of these funds coming directly from tuition and fees. The remaining 10% -- or $2M -- is raised via the school's advancement efforts. The major events in which these funds are generated are 27

the fall Golf Tournament, the winter Financial Aid luncheon, and the spring Annual Fund. In addition to these cornerstone events, each school group/activity/team is permitted one fundraiser for its program-specific needs. A significant portion of the annual budget -- $4M -- is directed to the principal and interest payments of the school's $60M of debt (a mixture of bonds and unsecured loans.) The school recently completed a refinance of $56M of the outstanding debt, taking advantage of lower interest rates through 2018. The school will retire the remaining $4M through its use of cash reserves by June of 2015. VII. EXTERNAL FACTORS A. State/Federal Program Mandates JSerra follows California State curriculum standards where applicable. The school has begun the process of analyzing the appropriateness of national Common Core standards as relates to JSerra’s curriculum and Catholic ethos. B. Community/Foundation Programs The school has developed relationships with many community organizations. As part of the Joint Use Agreement with the City of San Juan Capistrano, city sports organization and community groups are allowed use of JSerra’s athletic facilities. The athletic facilities are also used by several youth sports organizations, including: the YMCA, the Boys and Girls Club of South Orange County, the Special Olympics, the City of San Juan Capistrano Parks and Recreation. Additionally, several community organizations/groups rent athletic facility space, which allows the school the opportunity to interface with members of the larger community. JSerra has established several programs to promote the school’s Christian Service mission with the local community. There is a student-run chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation on campus who raise money for children who are suffering from life- threatening illnesses. The school also collaborates with the Boys and Girls Club of San Juan Capistrano. Every Christmas, the school puts on a Kids 4 Kids charity event where impoverished children from the Boys and Girls Club come to the JSerra campus where students serve them dinner, play games with them, and then distribute various Christmas gifts, such as backpacks, toiletries, bicycles, and toys. Also at Christmas each year, the school participates in the Toys for Tots program. Specifically, the school collects toys for the children of Marines who reside at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. Specific school programs also provide the opportunity to partner with community groups and businesses. These include:  Constitutional Rights Foundation- Law Magnet Program 28

 Chapman Law School- Law Magnet Program  UCI Paul Merage School of Business- Business Magnet Program  Little Company of Mary Hospital- Medical Magnet Program  Orange County Department of Education- BTSA credential program for JSerra faculty  American Red Cross- Blood Drive  Capistrano Unified School District- No Child Left Behind Title II funds used for professional development  SOKA University- winter fine arts showcase  Mission Basilica- JSerra instrumental music and choir annual performances  Cities of Laguna Niguel and San Juan Capistrano- several school groups (choir, cheer, instrumental music, athletic teams) participate in city activities annually (parades, tree lighting events, etc.) C. School/Business Relationships JSerra is a member of the Chamber of Commerce for the cities of Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Niguel, San Clemente, and San Juan Capistrano. JSerra also relies on several businesses to provide campus services to its students. For example, the grounds of JSerra are maintained by Pacific Crest Landscaping. Cleaning of offices and classrooms is done through Experience Building Services. The student Bistro, where approximately half of the students purchase their lunch daily, is operated by S & A Foods. JSerra is also a member of the National Catholic Education Association, Independent School Management, and the California Association of Private Schools Organization. D. Parent/Community or Organizations JSerra is unique in the extent to which parents play a prominent role in the operation of the school. The mission statement of JSerra, for instance, states that the school is “directed” by parents. Indeed, JSerra’s Board of Directors largely consists of former, current, and future JSerra parents. Parents are not required to provide service hours to the school. All parents are members of the JSerra Parent Association (JSPA) and are welcome to participate in monthly meetings/talks. JSPA is the primary parent group at the school. It is involved in the following activities on campus:  Freshman Parent  End of the quarter “Grab and Social/Orientation Go”  Welcome Back Bash  Assistance at school dances  Quarterly speaker series  Junior Ring Mass  Lady Lions - kick off - off  Open Houses  Shepherd's Fundraising Event campus event  Lady Lions Luncheon 29

 Advent Tea  Night Speaker Event  Teacher's Christmas Luncheon  Valentines Candy Bar  Kids 4 Kids  Lenten Tea  Used Uniform Sale  Graduation Many of these events require JSPA to work actively with faculty and administration to coordinate on-campus events. JSPA also fundraises for many of these events. Parents also participate in several school activities, including the Golf Tournament, Annual Fund, Career Day, and weekly Mass. Various athletic teams have booster programs which consist largely of parents. Parents also sit on many school committees, including, among others, the Academic Committee, Graduation Committee, and Sunshine Committee. Parents are also the school’s primary benefactors, and many lend support to the school’s financial aid program, scholarship program, and endowment funds. 30

CHAPTER II: PROGRESS REPORT A. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THE LAST FULL VISIT The last full accreditation visit was in the spring of 2007, when the school’s enrollment was 779 students and the school was staffed with 82 employees. Since that time, the school and its community have undergone significant developments that have resulted from sheer school growth as well as implementation of the school’s Action Plan from its previous WASC/WCEA visit. Major developments can be categorized in terms of the school’s organizational structure and governance, educational programs, physical plant, co-curricular programs, and campus ministry program. A. Organizational Structure and Governance In 2007, JSerra’s governance model was created by a lay board which was the primary policymaking entity on campus. Guiding the Board was a Management Committee, which consisted of the school’s five “founders” (later called “trustees”), an additional Board Member, and the school’s Principal. The Management Committee played a central role in all of the school’s important decisions. The major Board committees were largely chaired by Management Committee members. On campus, the day-to-day running of the school was delegated to a principal who was responsible for all temporal matters. A rector was in place whose responsibilities lay in spiritual matters on campus (hiring of Religion teachers, overseeing campus ministry, ensuring the Mission of the school was central to school activities, etc.). The principal was assisted by two vice principals in the execution of his duties. In response to the growth of the school and the need to separate the principal from overseeing the “business” aspects of the school, the Board hired a president for the fall of 2009. Thus, the school in this year transitioned to a “President-Principal-Rector” model, one in which, still, policymaking responsibility rested with the Board of Directors. The principal’s contract was not renewed after the 2010-11 school year. The president assumed “interim principal” responsibilities for the 2011-12 school year. However, he resigned in the spring of 2012, which led to the Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction (the current Head of Administration and Faculty) being appointed as “interim principal” for the remainder of that school year. In the fall of 2012, the school hired a new principal and a new president (the current headmaster). As the president had extensive background working in schools with a Headmaster model, the Board began considering changing JSerra’s organizational structure. By the spring of 2013, the decision had been made to develop a Headmaster model, wherein the Headmaster would oversee both business and academic matters. As noted in the appendix, the Headmaster has eight direct reports, including both the Head of Administration and Faculty and the CFO. The school continues to have a Rector, but in practical terms he is not involved in school operations. 31

B. Educational Programs Two significant changes to the educational program in the last four years have been the development of professional magnet programs and the creation of an online program. The genesis for the first magnet program, the Pre-Medical Professional Magnet Program (PMPMP), came from a JSerra Board member who was the CEO of Mission Hospital. He and the program’s current director (then a JSerra Science teacher) advanced the idea that JSerra should have curricular offerings that allow students to target their academic studies in line with future professional choices. Given the teacher’s medical-field background and the commitment of a partnership with Mission Hospital, in the fall of 2010 the school started the PMPMP which combined a rigorous science and math curriculum with specialized courses related to medicine that would be taught at JSerra. Additionally, students in the program would be allowed to shadow physicians and other hospital personnel on a regular basis as part of the program. The assumption was that such programs would have ancillary benefits of making the student more attractive to a prospective college and would also help market JSerra. The success of the PMPMP led the school to develop magnet programs in successive years in the fields of Business, Law, and, most recently, Engineering. JSerra’s magnet programs have definitely benefitted school enrollment and have enhanced the school’s academic offerings. Several high schools throughout the United States have contacted JSerra to solicit information as to how they can develop their own professional magnet programs. The school launched an Online Learning Program in the fall of 2011-12 with the hiring of an Online Learning Director (who was initially given the title of Vice President for Online Learning). Since the school did not have its own online learning platform at the time, the online classes the school offered were administered by off-site companies. Students could enroll through JSerra who would contract out for the online course. The impetus behind developing an online program was two-fold. First, having online classes allowed students with special needs to have flexibility in terms of their class schedule. Students with health or emotional issues, unique athletic training needs, and/or special academic needs (e.g., students who desired to take courses not offered at the school) could take online classes and still be a JSerra student. Secondly, developing an online program was seen as a potential substantial source of revenue for the school. While the online program has been very beneficial to most of its students (see Chapter 7), the program has encountered several problems as noted in chapter 4 of this report. The school has long-term plans to develop an in-house online program (see Chapter 5) to address these issues. C. Physical Plant As the school has grown and programs have developed, the school has had to make changes to its physical plant to ensure program sustainability. In the Science Department, 32

this has meant the conversion of two standard science classrooms into two “lecture labs”, one of which is used primarily as the room for the Medical Magnet Program. Likewise, to support the growth of both the instrumental music program and the choral music program, dedicated choir rooms and instrumental music rooms were built using existing classroom space. Similarly, the school has created a Black Box studio to support the growth of its theatre program. The Black Box theatre is used for class as well as for productions. Also in the fine arts, the school converted a large classroom into a working Broadcast studio with an attached control room. A challenge for the school with its current growth trajectory has been sufficient space for students to eat lunch. To date, roughly half of the students at each lunch eat in the Center Room, which does not have adequate space for all students. Thus, the school is in the midst of a three-year plan to convert the existing locker area to a covered, outdoor eating area. This entails moving student lockers inside the buildings, which it completed for seniors in the fall of 2013. To accommodate the changes and growth in the administrative structure, several changes have taken place in the administrative offices. In 2007, the school still had several tenants who rented office space. By 2013, only one tenant (a uniform store which sells JSerra uniforms) remains. The space which house former tenants has been converted into offices for the Deans and a Business Office. The Nurse’s Office has also been renovated to make it a closed space to support privacy and confidentiality of ill/injured students. D. Co-Curricular Programs Over the last six years, the school has added a number of different co-curricular programs in conjunction with the growth in its student population. The following clubs/activities have come into being in that time frame:  Instrumental music  Pay it Forward  Choral music  Robotics Club  Dance  Teens for Marines  Theatre  The Real Beauty Club  Austism Awareness  Bible Study  Boys and Girls for Change  Cause for Paws  Colors for Kids  Environmentality Club  Future Business Leaders of America  Link Crew  Lion Ambassadors  Patriot Club 33

E. Campus Ministry Program In 2007, the campus ministry program consisted of one full-time campus minister who oversaw all retreats. The retreat program itself was limited to two senior Kairos retreat and 1-2 day retreats for the other three grades. In 2010 the campus ministry program expanded to include 2 full-time campus ministers and separate overnight retreats for sophomores, juniors and seniors while keeping freshman to a one day retreat on campus. In 2011 an additional part time campus minister was added as well as an additional senior Kairos retreat. In the fall of 2013 a new staff was brought in to renew the campus ministry program. The staff currently consists of a Director of Campus Ministry as well as 2 full-time campus ministers. In addition to continuing to facilitate daily and weekly all-school Mass, liturgical music, monthly XLT nights, quarterly confessions, the Christian Leadership class, and a comprehensive retreat program for all four grades, campus ministry has also grown to encompass Christian Service and RCIA. There is also a Campus Ministry Room near the center of campus where students are free to gather for fellowship prior to school, at break, lunch and after school. The Campus Ministry staff continues to work in close relationship with the school’s Norbertine chaplain and the Religion Department as well as with school administration, faculty and students to expand campus ministry offerings to meet the needs of the school’s school population. B. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SCHOOLWIDE ACTION PLAN Because the school’s last full accreditation visit was also its first, it included an ambitious number (11) of action items evincing the school’s need to build programs as the school was only in its third year. A summary of the progress of each action plan item is below. The responsibility for monitoring and implementing the Action Plan rested with the Administrative Team, which, until the fall of 2013, included the Principal, Rector, Vice Principal for Curriculum and Instruction, Vice Principal for Student Affairs, and two Deans. In the fall of 2013, the Administrative Team, as the primary administrative body of the school, was morphed into the Administrative Council. In both groups, the same person (initially the Vice Principal for Curriculum and Instruction and later the Head of Administration and Faculty) was tasked with providing updates to the faculty regarding the status of the Action Plan. The Action Plan was assessed at the administrative level on a regular basis as part of the Administrative Team’s monthly meetings. Plans were formulated to help achieve implementation of the Action Plan. Reports on the progress of the Action Plan were given to the faculty on an annual (and sometimes semi-annual) basis at Faculty Meetings. In terms of process, responsibility for monitoring and implementing the Action Plan was largely administrative. The 2007 WASC Leadership Team did not review the Action Plan as a group, nor were the Focus Groups established in 2007 used in this capacity. In large measure, the goals of the Action Plan have been met and the specified strategies have been put in place. As noted, many of the Action Plan strategies were needed simply to meet the growing needs of the school. Those that were not fully implemented were in large measure due to a lack of resources. 34

A. Action Plan Item 1 Objective: Clarify and enhance the working relationship between the Board and the faculty/administration Process:  In the fall of 2008, select Board committees began incorporating administrators and teachers.  In the 2010-11 school year, the minutes of Board meetings were distributed to faculty members.  The Board created a new position, Board Liaison, whose role it is to coordinate relations between the Board and school administration and faculty.  Board members have spoken to the staff at Faculty Meetings as to their role on the Board, why they are on the Board, their support for the school and staff, and other topics to improve the relationship between the two parties. B. Action Plan Item 2 Objective: Realize the school’s mission by implementing a long-range technology plan to integrate technology into the daily experience for all students Process:  The IT Department grew from one full-time technician to three full-time employees, including a Director.  IT began cataloguing school resources and keeping an annual, updated inventory.  A Broadcast journalism studio was added in the summer of 2013 to support students using modern communication technologies.  In the summer of 2013, all classrooms were outfitted with smart-televisions to enhance technology in the classroom.  To date, the school has not developed long-range Technology Plan. C. Action Plan Item 3 Objective: Enhance the learning experience for all students through faculty development, collaboration, interdisciplinary learning, and analysis of standardized testing  The school ensures that its budgets reflect support for faculty attending professional conferences and for on campus in-services.  School leadership has attended Professional Learning Community conferences and has given in-services to faculty to implement PLC strategies on campus.  Department Chairs, beginning in 2008, were tasked with evaluating teachers through formal and informal observations to support the improvement of instruction. 35

 Teachers complete annual professional growth goals which are revisited throughout the year in teacher evaluations and at the end of the year in the teachers’ summative evaluations.  The school provides regular in-services on educational best practices.  Interdisciplinary learning has been supported through frequent joint department meetings, especially between the school’s Math and Science Departments. Collaboration between Science and Religion Departments and English and Social Studies Departments is also common.  Standardized test results are shared and analyzed at Academic Committee and Curriculum Committee meetings.  Standardized test results are discussed and analyzed at departmental meetings where departments identify strategies to incorporate in the classroom to help promote student achievement. D. Action Plan Item 5 Objective: To promote student awareness, achievement, and evaluation of ESLR’s Process:  Each Department, in the context of the Curriculum Guides, identified how it helps students meet JSerra’s ESLR’s.  Individual departments have created rubrics as to how particular ESLR’s are assessed in their department’s classes. E. Action Plan Item 7 Objective: Support student spiritual, personal, and academic growth through expanding the counseling program, the arts, and the Student Educational Resource Program (SERP) Process:  The counseling staff has expanded from one full-time counselor to seven, which includes a full-time College Coordinator/Registrar and a full-time Personal Counselor  In the spring of 2010, the Counseling Department instituted a new scheduling protocol wherein each returning student and his/her parent(s) meet with a counselor to select courses for the following year and discuss progress toward meeting graduation requirements  The school hired a full-time Choral Director in the fall of 2007. The program has expanded to include 65 students and has won several awards.  A full-time Instrumental Music Director was hired in the fall of 2007.  An instrumental music room was created by converting two standard classrooms into one room. A full complement of instruments and music was purchased to support program. 36

 A choral music room was created by converting two standard classrooms into one larger choir room, with risers.  Over the past seven years, new Fine Arts courses have been added to the curriculum including: AP Studio Art, 3-D Art, Advanced Painting and Drawing, and Jewelry Making  A full-time director for SERP was hired in the fall of 2010.  The school created a SERP Testing Center in the fall of 2011 and staffed with full-time Testing Coordinator  Beginning in the fall of 2010, each teacher who has a SERP student now receives an accommodation report detailing how the teacher can best support the student in his/her class.  SERPs procedures are annually assessed and revised, if necessary, to comport with best practices to best support students in program to be successful in JSerra’s college preparatory curriculum. F. Action Plan Item 10 Objective: Assess the staff compensation package and improve the budgetary process Process:  In 2010, an ad hoc committee was formed to determine how JSerra faculty pay compared to that of Diocesan and local public schools. This committee provided necessary data as to how many faculty were paid below Diocesan scale and by how much.  The school administration and Board has made a conscious effort to use the Diocesan pay scale for teachers as a baseline for JSerra faculty salaries.  In the 2010-11 school year, approximately 32% of JSerra teachers were at or above the Diocesan pay scale.  In 2012 the school created a full-time Human Resources Manager position that, in part, is responsible for analyzing teacher pay.  The school has offered pay raises each year even when local public and Diocesan schools have had pay freezes.  Due to intentional raises, by the 2013-14 school year, 65% of the faculty have salaries at or above Diocesan pay scale, with the school planning to raise this figure to over 80% in the 2014-15 school year.  The budgetary process has become more streamlined through the use of industry-standard accounting processes.  The staff of the Business Office has expanded to facilitate better budgeting and to improve overall financial operations. 37

CHAPTER III: SCHOOL PURPOSE & ESLRS A. School Mission JSerra Catholic High School is a private Roman Catholic college preparatory institution. We strive to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to the Magisterium of the Church and to guide our students to become leaders who live in accordance with Gospel values. JSerra is a faith-filled and sacrament-based community that educates and nurtures the whole person. We seek to provide our students with the highest quality academic, spiritual, and co-curricular education; to inspire the pursuit of excellence; to affirm the dignity of each individual; to encourage faith; and to foster a commitment to service. JSerra is directed by parents who participate in all levels of school governance to enable the administration and faculty to achieve the school’s mission. B. School Philosophy JSerra Catholic High School is a private, coeducational college preparatory high school located in historic San Juan Capistrano. JSerra is named after of Blessed Junipero Serra, who founded the Catholic missions in California during the eighteenth century. Fr. Serra’s central mission was education and promulgation of the faith. Likewise, JSerra’s mission reflects the educational charge of the Church described in the pastoral letter To Teach as Jesus Did. Following Jesus’ example, JSerra reflects the four central dimensions of Catholic education: message; community; worship; and service. Our central message is that each student from conception is a child of God, bestowed with infinite dignity and with a divine plan. Accordingly, we hold that the educational process of each student must be seen as a chapter in God’s divine plan. At heart, we believe that God is uniquely revealed in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. JSerra’s students see Jesus Christ as the model upon which their thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors should be based. Thus, our students are taught to live in accordance with Gospel values, knowing that their lives bear witness to a Catholic education. JSerra also affirms that truth exists in all academic disciplines. Our students relentlessly pursue such truths in their courses of study. Community is an integral part of our Catholic identity and is at the heart of Christian education, not merely as a concept to be taught, but as a reality to be lived. JSerra establishes its identity by forming community among its students, teachers, administrators, parents, and board members. We recognize that the most significant community for students is their family. As such, we believe that God has made parents stewards of their children and has bestowed upon them primary responsibility for their children’s education. JSerra Catholic High School exists to support parents in this important role and therefore encourages parental participation in all aspects of school life. Together with parents, JSerra strives to help students grow spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. JSerra promotes and fosters our Catholic identity through religious instruction, faith formation, and spiritual development, in an environment enriched by students from other faith backgrounds. 38

Our academic standards are designed to meet the needs of every student. We are committed to develop students who pursue academic excellence in the classroom and who thirst for knowledge throughout daily life. JSerra students are taught to be critical thinkers and creative problem solvers. We strive to instruct our students to be successful communicators who can utilize their knowledge and technological prowess to address the problems that plague the modern world. Along the same lines, we encourage our students to become collaborative workers, cognizant that the difficult challenges in life are most effectively overcome with the help of others. Following Christ’s example to be a minister of hope, we intend our graduates to enter the world with the knowledge that one’s fullest potential can only be realized through a life of service. Indeed, we believe that the essential element of the gift of each student is charity, which can best be realized through love of God followed by service to our fellow man. Equipped with the requisite academic skills to be successful in the twenty-first century, our students are taught to use their talents to be successful in their life-long endeavors while positively impacting their community. C. School Expected Schoolwide Learning Results JSerra Catholic High School is an accredited private Roman Catholic school whose mission is to develop students who are: 1. Responsible Christian Citizens who:  Demonstrate knowledge of the Catholic Church  Experience the Sacramental expression of Christ’s mission  Perform Christian service to their community  Practice respect of self, others, and community  Demonstrate Gospel values through actions 2. Academic Achievers who:  Read, write, speak, and listen effectively  Demonstrate higher order thinking skills  Solve problems creatively and analytically  Utilize appropriate technology to support learning 3. Collaborative Workers who:  Use effective leadership and interpersonal skills to foster, develop, and maintain relationships within diverse settings  Establish and accomplish appropriate goals with others 4. Effective Communicators who:  Demonstrate fluency in multiple modes of communication 39

 Demonstrate understanding of purpose and audience awareness 5. Lifelong Learners who:  Manage and direct their own learning  Value and pursue postsecondary education  Establish personal priorities and achievable goals  Develop an awareness of varying world views D. Process for Revising Mission Statement, Philosophy, and ESLRs As part of the accreditation process, the five Focus Groups individually met in November of 2011 to review the school’s Mission Statement, Philosophy, and ESLRs. The focus groups were asked to assess each document with respect to the appropriateness of the existing language. Each group would produce a revised version of each document (if necessary) which would then be given to the School Leadership team to examine the various revisions to determine what the final edited version should state. In all five focus groups, there was consensus that the final line of the Mission Statement was problematic. It reads, “JSerra is directed by parents who participate in all levels of school governance to enable the administration and faculty to achieve the school’s mission.” All groups noted that the language should be more specific as to who “directs” the school. Each group submitted a revised version of that last sentence. The five versions of that sentence were then presented to the Academic Committee in December of 2011 (a Board level committee) who came to the conclusion that a more appropriate version of that statement should be, “JSerra is directed by a board that, with parents, participates in all levels of school governance to enable the administration and faculty to achieve the school’s mission.” This version was then advanced to another Board committee in October 2012, the Religion Committee, that similarly approved this revision. At this point the revised version was advanced to the entire Board of Directors for approval. However, per school by-laws, any changes to the school’s Mission Statement must be approved by the Trustees of the Board. Because the Trustees did not approve the revised language, the Mission Statement remains unchanged from the school’s last accreditation cycle. The Statement of Philosophy was likewise revised by the five focus groups in early November 2011, and then further refined into one document by the School Leadership. The revisions at this time were fairly substantial. The focus groups expressed the sentiment that the Statement of Philosophy needed to 1) be more specific about the school’s duties to prepare students for the world beyond high school (college readiness, career readiness, and, most importantly, service- orientation) and 2) needed to be in better alignment with the school’s ESLRs. Thus, the final paragraph, in particular, was quite different from its predecessor. The Statement of Philosophy then underwent a similar review by both the Academic Committee (November and December of 2011) and Religion Committee (October 2012) where minor revisions were made to it before it was newly adopted. The school’s ESLRs have been reviewed on an annual basis by the school’s Curriculum Committee (department chairpersons). The Curriculum Committee would generally make minor 40

revisions which would then be advanced to the Academic Committee (Board) for approval. It should be noted that the Academic Committee has consistently ratified all proposed changes to the school’s ESLRs. No large-scale changes were made to the ESLRs until the November 2011 focus group meetings where it was proposed that the language be updated to reflect modern realities and they be reordered such that, “Responsible Christian Citizens” be identified as the school’s first ESLR, reflecting the value the school places on moral formation . Importantly, the focus groups were also asked to assess how “measurable” each ESLR was. This led to a reformulation of all but two of the ESLR statements into language that could be more easily measured. The changes to the ESLRs and Statement of Philosophy required the school to update each throughout campus (as they are displayed in each classroom), on the school website, and in all relevant school documents. As part of the annual review of ESLRs by the Curriculum Committee, department chairs are tasked with developing ways to have each ESLR assessed in their department. To that end, each department’s Curriculum Guide includes a statement that defines how that department uniquely supports the students’ achievement of JSerra’s ESLRs. Teachers, more specifically, are asked to identify how their individual lesson plans support the achievement of ESLRs. The lesson plan template requires the teacher to specifically identify which ESLR(s) his/her lesson will attempt to address. 41

CHAPTER IV: SELF-STUDY FINDINGS A. ORGANIZATION FOR STUDENT LEARNING A1. School Philosophy and Mission Criterion To what extent has the school established a clear statement of philosophy that reflects the beliefs of the institution, a commitment to Catholic education, thoroughness of instruction, focus on the needs of the whole person, and recognition of the dignity of all members of the school community? JSerra Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school in Diocesan the Diocese of Orange. The school received formal recognition Standards and approval by Bishop Tod Brown in 2001. The Mission Agreement Statement and modified Philosophy were signed by the Board in February of that year. The mission statement and philosophy are Parent-Student reviewed annually by the faculty, administration and Board, and Handbook if necessary, appropriate changes are made. These documents have consistently reiterated the school’s commitment to its Catholic identity in accordance with the Diocesan Standards Agreement. They define the school’s intent to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and to shape students into Christian leaders in collaboration with their families. The Mission Statement and Philosophy are located on the school’s website and in the Parent- Student Handbook which is provided to the entire JSerra community. All employees are expected by the administration to uphold the Faculty Survey principles stated within the Mission Statement. Faculty overwhelmingly (94%) hold that the school has established a New Teacher clear Mission Statement. New faculty are introduced to the Orientation school’s philosophy during their orientation meetings. The Schedule Catholic orientation and pedagogy of the school are consistently ensured through school policies, procedures, and protocols. The Employee mission and philosophy are prominently located in the Employee Handbook Handbook. Department The JSerra philosophy is also clearly incorporated into Curriculum Guides departmental goals and methodology, as is evident in each School Profile 42

department’s guidelines. According to the 2010 School Profile, “JSerra strives for a well-rounded education and for the formation of the whole person – intellectually, spiritually, physically, and emotionally.” The school’s Parent-Student Handbook establishes clear guidelines that reflect Catholic values. The departments also choose textbooks and ancillary materials that reflect these values. The school follows the philosophy of Blessed Junipero Serra, the Apostle of California, who walked 24,000 miles in great physical distress to share the love of Jesus with the natives of early California. His motto is the motto of the school, Siempre Adelante (Always Forward). His commitment and philosophy underlie the educational principles of JSerra and are consistent with the principles of Catholic education. JSerra is committed to personal growth in a Christian environment. It is also committed to forming responsible Catholic adults and leaders for tomorrow. The school accomplishes this task by prayer, service, and education of the entire person. Rooted in the Sacraments, JSerra believes unity with Christ will form its students into Christian leaders. In addition to its focus on student and staff formation, JSerra also ESLR’s strives to help parents grow personally and spiritually by deepening their understanding of responsible parenting. The Curriculum JSerra Parent Association offers speakers on issues relevant to Committee minutes adolescence and the influences coloring their lives. The school holds parent-teacher conferences to facilitate the parents understanding of their child’s academic status. Discussions cover the child’s strengths and weaknesses. JSerra further defines its purpose in the Expected School Wide Learning Results (ESLR’s). These results are used as the basis of the curriculum. They are reviewed annually by the Curriculum Committee and consideration is given in developing curriculum guides and lesson plans. These are easily accessible to all parents and students and posted in large print in each classroom, printed in the Parent- Student Handbook, and on the school’s website. JSerra stands behind its mission statement and philosophy and continually seeks to fulfill its mandate as evidenced by the above. 43

Students are called to appreciate and live out their Catholic identity while being guided to leadership and personal excellence. To what extent does the philosophy and mission statement reflect parents as primary educators and teachers as facilitators of learning? JSerra is committed to a policy which not only includes parents Mission Statement; but also recognizes their inherent and God-given responsibility for Philosophy the education of their children. The Mission Statement acknowledges the oversight of parents and the Philosophy affirms the origin of their authority from God. They are invited to be active participants in the school’s spiritual life by attending any of the daily Masses offered at the school. Retreats, particularly the senior Kairos Retreat, offer participants the opportunity to step away from daily concerns to reflect on their relationship with God and how that relationship affects all other relationships in their lives, particularly with their parents. The school’s faculty and administrators strive to have open and Parent survey regular communication with parents. 73% of parents noted School Calendar communication with teachers was excellent or good. Further, 90% of parents said that teachers were accessible and responsive to their needs. The inclusion of parents in the education of their children is a primary focus of JSerra. Parent-teacher conferences allow parent participation in the academic life of their child in a positive and constructive forum. The conferences provide face to face feedback on students’ performance. JSerra parents populate a majority of the governing Board and are responsible for composition of various committees. Students are reminded of the content of the Mission Statement and Mission Statement Philosophy throughout the school year through distinguished and Philosophy speaker events and meetings with administration at the onset of the school year. Both the Mission Statement and Philosophy make explicit reference to parental involvement in the school. Indeed, JSerra was a school largely started by parents as it was not built by a diocese or supported by a religious order. Many school activities and organizations invite parental 44

involvement. The primary school fundraisers (Annual Fund, School calendar Casino Night, and Shepherds Brunch) often have parent School website chairpersons and unfailingly have heavy parental involvement in their organizational committees. Parents form the variety of booster clubs on campus for athletic and non-athletic groups. Parents are encouraged to attend and participate in all religious activities. JSerra welcomes their involvement in the parent organization in support of the school’s mission, programs, and activities. The school’s website also contains a section dedicated for parents and information for parents. The mission of JSerra is committed to nurturing the relationship between the parents and child. The school teaches the children and invites their parents to watch carefully over their progress and to be involved in the community that supports them. To what extent is the mission defined further by adopted expected school-wide learning results that form the basis of the educational program for every student? JSerra’s ESLRs set the standards that its teachers use to develop Mission and their curriculum and set goals for student achievement. These Philosophy ESLRs reflect and are the result of direct input from the school Statements community, parents, teachers and students. They reflect the Mission and Philosophy of the school with a focus on Lifelong ESLRs Learning, Academic Achievement, Responsible Christian Citizenship, Collaborative Workers, and Effective Curriculum Communicators. The ESLRs are reviewed annually by the Committee Minutes Curriculum Committee. They are posted in prominent positions in Faculty survey each classroom and are printed in the handbook for all to see. 94% of faculty agree that the school’s mission is further defined by its ESLRS. The ESLRs, taken as whole, illustrate that the education that the Mission Statement students will receive at JSerra will be a holistic one, one that develops their mind, body, character, and spirit. Further, this education will prepare the students for college and a career. In these respects, the ESLRs support the notion of the Mission Statement which holds, “JSerra is a faith-filled and sacrament- based community that educates and nurtures the whole person. We seek to provide our students with the highest quality academic, spiritual, and co-curricular education; to inspire the pursuit of excellence; to affirm the dignity of each individual; to encourage 45

faith; and to foster a commitment to service.” A2. Governance Criterion To what extent does the governing authority, committed to sharing the Catholic vision, adopt policies which are consistent with the school’s philosophy and mission and support the achievement of the expected school-wide learning results of the school? JSerra Catholic High School is a 501(c)(3) corporation. It is incorporated under the California non-profit Religious Corporation Law and in accordance with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. It is governed by a Board of Directors. JSerra’s Rector, Fr. Robert Spitzer, sits on the Board. The Headmaster is a non- voting participant in the meetings. The Board’s purpose is to further the Catholic Mission and Philosophy of the school. The Board is self-perpetuating. As such the nominating committee By-Laws of the Board is tasked with vetting potential members and presenting candidates for approval by the full Board. However, the constitution of the Board is not necessarily noted for its educational expertise. Apart from one local elementary school principal who is on the Board, it is largely devoid of people with educational experience. The Board demonstrates support for the Mission and Philosophy By-Laws Board Minutes of the school by ensuring the school has the financial resources to carry out its various programs. The Board has been committed to providing necessary outlays of capital to provide a first-class facility for the school’s administration, faculty, and students. In recent years, the Board has made great strides to improve the pay of faculty, with the long-term goal of having each teacher at or above the Diocese of Orange’s pay scale for teachers. The Board also demonstrates its support for the Mission of the school by opening each of its meetings with prayer. The Board, especially the Chairman, has been supportive of maintaining the presence of religious vocations on campus. The Board was largely responsible for bringing Norbertine priests to campus to serve as Rector and teachers (and, in 2013-14, as Chaplain.) Likewise, the Board helped to secure two Carmelite nuns to teach in the school’s Religion Department. The Board has a number of advisory committees designated to involve their members with the administration and faculty in the development of the school in multiple avenues. The Academic 46

Committee’s primary purpose is to enhance, oversee and develop By-Laws the academic curriculum of the school. Administrators from the school are members of this committee, though not on the Board. The Athletic Committee is designed to oversee the development of the school’s athletic programs. JSerra’s Athletic Director and other administrators are present for these meetings. The Fine Arts Committee is committed to developing and improving the Fine Arts Department and the Religion Advisory Committee supports enriching the spiritual component at JSerra. To what extent does the governing authority delegate implementation of these policies to the professional staff? The Board of Directors is the governing authority of the school Curriculum that establishes policy. Responsibility for the day-to-day Committee minutes, operations of the school is delegated to the Administration. On Planning Council many matters, the policies adopted by the Board of Directors, Minutes, Faculty especially those outside of fiduciary matters, originate at the Council Minutes, faculty and administrative level. At Board committee meetings, Administrative policies will be proposed that will be accepted and then advanced Team Meeting to the larger Board for final approval. Thus, even though the Board Minutes “makes” policy, it often times does so on the basis of ideas/policies generated by school employees. Supporting the delegation of policy implementation is the fact that By-laws many Board committees include school administrators and faculty. This promotes a dialogue between the Board and school employees which facilities effective delegation of policies. As was stated above there had been a period of time where the school struggled with leadership. However, during that time the Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction assumed the responsibilities and duties of interim Principal. In that capacity he was a non-voting presence at all Board meetings. The Board delegated the implementation of all decisions on management of the school to the Vice Principal. The administrative staff proceeded forward with the leadership of the Vice Principal of Curriculum and Instruction. They supported one another and assisted in all areas necessary. The Headmaster meets weekly with his administrative staff to Administrative review the calendar for the week and discuss any decisions or concerns of the group. The Administration, including the Headmaster, the Head of Administration and Faculty, and the Head of Curriculum, regularly assesses, in class, the competency 47

and professionalism of all faculty based on classroom observation Council Minutes and input from department chairs and annual student evaluation of faculty. The Headmaster, along with delegated staff, conducts all Orientation interviews of potential faculty and evaluates their ethical and Meeting Schedule moral competency as well as their subject matter competency. He meets with all new faculty at their orientation and discusses, Summative among other things, JSerra’s ESLRs and the importance of Evaluation Form realizing them in the classroom. Again he meets with all faculty at the end of the year to review their performance and to review the application of the ESLRs in their classes. To what extent does the governing authority monitor results? The Board and the administration share a commitment to realizing Headmaster’s the mission and philosophy of the school. The Board routinely Report receives reports from the administrative team concerning the results of governance and operational decisions. At monthly Board meetings the Headmaster presents a “Headmaster’s Report” that details his recent activities/initiatives as well as those of the eight administrators who directly report to him. Further, there is usually at least one report from an administrator and/or teacher given at each Board meeting. The Administrative team, including Headmaster, Head of Various Board Administration and Faculty, Head of Curriculum, and Head of committee minutes Student Affairs, serve on various Board committees where they report on school activities. It is at these Board committee meetings where school data are regularly presented, discussed, and analyzed. A3. School Leadership Criterion To what extent does the school leadership encourage the cultivation of Catholic values and the spiritual formation of the school community? 48

The school administration supports the cultivation of Catholic ESLRs values in the classroom, on the athletic field and in the liturgical life of the school. The school day begins with a prayer and the Parent/Student Pledge of Allegiance. All classes and all meetings begin with a Handbook prayer. Athletic events begin with prayer and in the case of football the team ends their contest on their knees before the statue of Mary. The administration supports the mission statement and the ESLRs call to Christian Citizenship for all their students. The ESLRs acknowledge the connection between intellectual success strong interpersonal skills and effective Christian leadership skills. The school’s disciplinary code is designed to encourage Christian behavior by its students. JSerra has daily Mass in the chapel for all who wish to attend. School Calendar All-school Mass is held every Wednesday. This Mass is open to the entire JSerra community. Students are encouraged to be involved in the liturgy through music and as altar servers and readers. Administrators, faculty and parents serve as Eucharistic Ministers. Reconciliation is held once every quarter for all students, faculty and administration. 82% of faculty agree with the statement that the administration Faculty survey encourages the cultivation of Catholic values and spiritual formation. In terms of self-analysis, 82% of faculty stated that the believe teachers are committed to Catholic education. Students are required to take four years of religious education. The Religion curriculum is carefully designed and overseen by members of the Curriculum Guide administrative staff. Each religion class spends fifteen minutes in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament each week. Retreats are School Calendar encouraged at each grade level and for faculty once a year. The faculty is given spiritual development once a month. All upperclassmen are given the opportunity to attend and/or lead a Kairos retreat. Kairos is a life changing event, in many instances, not only for the students but for the faculty, administrators and staff who work the retreat. Students are also asked to perform 20 hours of Christian service each year in an effort to provide for others who cannot provide for themselves. The school leadership has empowered Campus Ministry to recognize students for their role in promoting spiritual 49

development among their classmates and for demonstrating Graduation Christian values. One of the highest awards given to graduating Program students, the Monsignor Martin Award, is presented to the senior who has distinguished herself or himself in the furtherance of Christian justice and devotion to the Gospel message. The Campus Ministry Award is given in recognition of the senior who has most contributed to the spiritual development of the JSerra community. The chaplain is a critical presence on the school’s campus. He welcomes students to his office, joins them at lunch and participates in student events. He regularly includes his confreres from the Norbertine Abbey in school liturgies including daily mass and all school mass. Two Carmelite Sisters joined the school’s Religion Department faculty this year. Both parents (77%) and students (86%) believed the Parent and Student administration is effective in implementing Catholic vision in its survey decision making. In fact, 90% of parents noted the school’s mission and core values were a primary reason as to why they decided to send their child to JSerra. To what extent does the school leadership make decisions to facilitate actions that focus the energies of the school on student achievement of the expected school-wide learning results? The JSerra ESLRs focus on the development of the whole person as JSerra Mission Statement and they address the skills necessary to learn and to develop ordered Philosophy thought processes. They look to the life of the student who will find success in learning. The ESLRs acknowledge the connection between intellectual success and leadership and belief in the individual. JSerra seeks in its mission statement “to inspire the pursuit of excellence; to affirm the dignity of each individual; to encourage faith and to foster a commitment to service.” The school’s Head of Administration and Faculty establishes and Staff observation promotes high standards and expectations for all students and faculty for academic performance and behavior. He manages, evaluates and supervises effective and clear procedures for the operation and functioning of the school consistent with the philosophy, mission, values and ESLR goals of JSerra including instructional programs, extracurricular activities, discipline, evaluation, and personnel management. He also establishes the annual master schedule for instructional programs, ensuring 50