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School Accountability Report Card

School Accountability Report Card Reported for School Year 2006-07 Published During 2007-08

2006-07 Executive Summary School Accountability Report Card
Desert Winds Continuation High School
Address:	45030 Third St. East , Lancaster CA 93535-2503	Phone:	(661) 948-7555
Principal:	Jay Clark	Grade Span:	9 - 12

This executive summary of the School Accountability Report Card (SARC) is intended to provide parents and community members with a quick snapshot of school accountability. The data presented in this report are reported for the 2006-07 school year, except the School Finances and School Completion data that are reported for the 2005-06 school year. For additional information about the school, parents and community members should review the entire SARC or contact the school principal or the district office.

About This School

Desert Winds High School is a continuation high school in the Antelope Valley serving the needs of a diverse student population in an alternative education environment. It is located in the northern portion of Los Angeles County and was established in 1975 by the Antelope Valley Union High School District to accommodate the needs of students attending three comprehensive high schools. Due to continuous growth in the district during the past 33 years, the school now operates on a multiple site with double sessions at the two campuses. Presently, the Main Campus and the West Valley Campus accommodate students from seven comprehensive campuses, as they attend five periods either in the morning or afternoon.

Desert Winds High School provides an alternative program for young people to continue their high school education. An emphasis is placed on the positive aspect of each student's ability as they are assisted to develop skills, knowledge, and attributes that will enable them to be successful in their future endeavors. The small classroom setting allows teachers to offer the individual attention students need as they progress toward graduation. All students at Desert Winds High School are welcomed and introduced to new opportunities and approaches to an educationally sound curriculum. There are a variety of reasons students attend Desert Winds High School and, the primary goal is to provide each of them with the necessary skills to become productive members of a diverse society. Desert Winds High School strives to develop in each student a positive self-image and an awareness of their unique attributes as human beings.

Additional information may be obtained through the web site www.dwhs.org

Student Enrollment

Group	Enrollment
Number of students	1020
African American	35.59 %
American Indian or Alaska Native	0.49 %
Asian	0.2 %
Filipino	0.98 %
Hispanic or Latino	44.61 %
Pacific Islander	0.2 %
White (not Hispanic)	17.75 %
Multiple or No Response	0.2 %
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged	33 %
English Learners	15 %
Students with Disabilities	12 %

Teachers

Indicator	Teachers
Teachers with full credential	33
Teachers without full credential	5
Teachers Teaching Outside Subject Area of Competence	0
Misassignments of Teachers of English Learners	0
Total Teacher Misassignments	0

School Facilities

Summary of Most Recent Site Inspection

DWHS was inspected in the fall of 2007 by site staff and district maintenance employees. During that inspection, the following areas were noted:

Carpeting in the office area is in fairly good condition and will be cleaned and shampooed this summer as part of the overall deep cleaning plan. A number of the classrooms may need to replace carpet at some future date, but this has been put on hold due to the uncertainty of the state budget.

Because of the age and use of the facilities, and the strong winds and extreme summer heat in the Antelope Valley , there are exterior areas that need to be painted. The trim on the West Valley campus was painted last fall and improved the overall exterior appearance

Repairs Needed

Security cameras on the West Valley campus are operable at this time, and do currently exist and are working on the Main campus. Exterior security lighting should be increased at both sites, and there are plans to reconfigure the outside basketball courts at West Valley . This would serve as a corrective safety action to keep physical education students clear of the entrance driveway leading to Desert Pathways, the QHHS maintenance facility, and to a number of portable classrooms adjacent to the QHHS tennis courts. Traffic has been diverted and now enters from the opposite direction.

Both of the DWHS sites are older and have experienced some deterioration over the years. The district maintenance and operations staff maintains these facilities by keeping the heating and air conditioning units, lighting, toilets, and door locks working properly. They also paint and complete repair work as needed. The grounds are maintained by groundskeepers from AVHS and QHHS, and district technology trained employees maintain, service, and install all computers used on campus.

Corrective Actions Taken or Planned

The purchase, condition, and availability of textbooks is adequate for all students at DWHS.

The Title 1,2,3 and 4 programs are all funded and fully implemented at DWHS, and include EL instruction, math tutoring, staff development and training, technology implementation, and TUPE(Tobacco Use Prevention Education) related activities.

The majority of DWHS students are below grade level in their math and reading scores and, consequently, experience some difficulty in Algebra and English classes.

Larson's individualized computer software math program has been implemented at DWHS and is resulting in positive responses from students, improved comprehension, and a higher percentage of passing scores on the CAHSEE. Additionally, a math lab has been added to both campuses providing another tool to assist students who need to pass Algebra.

All DWHS students are enrolled in the Accelerated Reader (AR) class either 5th or 10th period, and are given the STAR Reading test to determine their individual reading levels. The books they select to read are based on these levels.

Students may also enroll in a CAHSEE prep class for English/Language Arts or math that prepares them to take and pass the required state exam.

Career Technical Education(CTE) consists of classes in Creative Foods, Interior Design, and Auto Technology(which includes the building of a race car by students), and also classes that train students to work in the auto industry.

Curriculum and Instructional Materials

Core Curriculum Areas	Pupils Who Lack Textbooks and Instructional Materials
Reading/Language Arts	0 %
Mathematics	0 %
Science	0 %
History-Social Science	0 %
Foreign Language	0 %
Health	0 %
Science Laboratory Equipment	0 %

School Finances

Level	Expenditures Per Pupil (Unrestricted Sources Only)
School Site	$ 4,116.49
District	$ 5,878.13
State	$4,943

Student Performance

Subject	Students Proficient and Above on California Standards Tests
English-Language Arts	6 %
Mathematics	2 %
Science	10 %
History-Social Science	5 %

Academic Progress

Indicator	Result
2007 API Growth Score (from 2007 API Growth Report)	475
Statewide Rank (from 2007 API Base Report)	B
2007-08 Program Improvement Status (PI Year)	Not in PI

School Completion

Indicator	Result
Graduation Rate	33 %

Postsecondary Preparation

Measures	Percent
Pupils Who Completed a Career Technical Education Program and Earned a High School Diploma	0 %
Graduates Who Completed All Courses Required for University of California or California State University Admission	0 %

2006-07 School Accountability Report Card Reported (SARC)

The School Accountability Report Card (SARC), which is required by law to be published annually, contains information about the condition and performance of each California public school. More information about SARC requirements is available at the California Department of Education (CDE) Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/. For additional information about the school, parents and community members should contact the school principal or the district office. DataQuest, an online data tool at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/sa/ap1/http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest, contains additional information about this school and comparisons of the school to the district, the county, and the state.

I. About This School

Contact Information

This section provides the schools contact information.

School		District
School Name	Desert Winds Continuation High	District Name

DESERT WINDS HIGH SCHOOL