Molokai School School Improvement Status

Summary of Progress
After a school self-study and multi-day visit by a committee from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in the Spring of 2018, Molokai High School was awarded a six-year accreditation term.

This recognition is due in large part to the structures for school improvement embedded within the school day including Advisory, SWAT and Academies. First, the Molokai Advisory Program Period (MAPP) beginning in 2019 follows the model where one advisor stays with the same group of advisory students for four years, grades 9 - 12. In 2022, MAPP was adjusted to include an AVID elective credit, thus creating the Molokai Avid Advisory Program to better address students’ college and career readiness needs, as it was recommended by WASC. It emphasizes student/teacher relationships while providing opportunities for students to pursue interests that range from receiving academic support in specific content areas, or enrolling in Early College High School courses, to participating in internships with local businesses, and seeking part-time employment.

The other two improvement structures are through two types of groups that meet within the school day, the School Wide Accreditation Team (SWAT) and the Academies. The SWAT teams review data for their specific area of focus and determine a plan of action to facilitate improvement. The SWAT areas of focus are Learning Environment, Family & Community Support, Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Leadership, and Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) which focuses on Curriculum & Pedagogy/Assessment for Learning. With time built into the bell schedule, members attend weekly meetings to focus on their school improvement area. These teams also provide venues to address the strategic plan or other initiatives initiated by the Hawaii Department of Education or State Superintendent.

The second type of improvement structure at MHS, are the three Academies, namely Community Service and Sustainability (CSS), Innovation, Business and Technology (IBT), and ‘O Hina i ka Malama (OHIKM), which are comprised of teachers that meet weekly within the school day to have discussions around student achievement, and the use of Powerful Instructional Practices (PIP). Efforts included guiding the instructional Cycle of Professional Learning to support the PIP across content areas.

Our challenge continues to be student achievement in Math and Reading, which has shown minimal improvement over time. We plan to continue using identified PIPs to work toward our Targeted Instructional Area, and refine our Academy structure to include the Data Analysis and the Data Team Process to monitor, measure, and modify our targeted areas of need. This aligns with one of the four recommendations from WASC and our school academic plan. The Advisory, SWAT and Academy structures allow for teacher collaboration and additional avenues to seek students’ voice, contributing to our continuous school improvement efforts. SWAT and Academies have not only impacted academics, our MTSS SWAT worked to create a series of behavior intervention strategies for the classroom to improve the school climate. Although there were fluctuations through the pandemic, the stage has been set for our educational environment to thrive.

We plan to continue capitalizing on this opportunity by honing in on the needs identified in our academic plan and WASC self-study by coupling data-driven with student-centered education. This means focusing on providing a purpose-driven education for every student so learning experiences are not only meaningful, but purposefully planned to support their immediate academic achievement, facilitate the growth of “soft-skills” and increased preparation for their individual post-secondary plans. This includes the implementation of career academies beginning in Fall 2022. Students’ academic and social well-being at MHS is vital to the school, community, and island. Our entire school community believes that together we can provide the best possible learning in a safe environment because we are centered on always doing what is best for children.