Kapa`a High School School Improvement Status

Summary of Progress

Kapa‘a High School (HS) continued to make steady progress in SY 2023-2024. The leadership team took positive steps in implementing the recommendations of our WASC self-study, annual academic plan, and comprehensive needs assessment (CNA).  A central tenet focused on taking necessary steps to improve student achievement through a consistent focus on developing aligned and rigorous curriculum and providing teachers with planning and articulation time to ensure high quality instruction in every classroom.  Teachers collaborated in content area teams in the fall semester to align curriculum with core standards and benchmarks.  English, math, and science teachers met with district resource staff for PD on SBA and end of year assessments. 

Kapa‘a HS continues to excel in early college programming.  We have developed significant early college partnerships with post-secondary institutions to offer dual credit opportunities that prepare students for the rigors of college. Our co-teaching early college model provides advising and support that results in a 95% passing rate every semester.  We continue to make significant strides in registering and enrolling Native Hawaiian male students in early college this past year, addressing a significant need based on Hawaii P-20 data from previous years. 

Early College continues to grow as over 200 students applied and look forward to taking an early college course in SY 2024-2025. We also graduated the 2nd Chaminade early college cohort, with 16 students earning 25 dual credits in core foundational courses.  A number of seniors earned a STEM math academic subject certificate from Kauai Community College for successfully completing a sequence of courses from college algebra to Calculus II. We have found this certificate to be instrumental in preparing a high achieving demographic of students for college success in engineering and other STEM related programs. A few seniors also completed a Botany Certificate from KCC and 2 seniors completed their Associates Degree from KCC.  The WASC visiting committee also validated our finding that our early college programs make a significant impact on students' academic achievement and college readiness. Their final report stated, “The early college partnerships with KCC and Chaminade prepare students for the rigors of college, support transitions, enable students to accrue college credits while in high school, and help students identify career paths. 

We are encouraged by more students expressing interest in college advising and planning, with more juniors and seniors registering for our college transition elective course in the fall and spring. We have averaged around 50% of the graduating seniors going on to a two or four-year postsecondary institution annually, and hope to see a steady increase in this number with more focused support of first generation students and other high need groups who lack college preparation advising and guidance. SAT scores are improving among our college-going student population as they receive specialized instruction in test taking, reading comprehension, and math strategies.  Student success in the early college courses are also instrumental in developing their mindset and confidence. 

Administration and the leadership team made consistent efforts to improve participation rates with annual assessments. Additionally, specific activities to boost student testing morale and engagement were implemented in an effort to address SBA data findings from previous years.  

Our academies and CTE career pathways continue to grow and demonstrate excellence in various fields.  11 health academy students earned the Nurse Aide Certification from Hawaii Pacific Health in December 2023.  These and other health academy students also qualified for the national CTE health convention in Texas this summer where they will demonstrate their knowledge and skills in nursing and other health related fields. For the first time, our Business Pathway students became part of the DECA program, and earned qualifying spots at the national competition in Los Angeles in May of 2024.