File 2 - Introduction Through Chapter V

8/2/2019 File 2 - Introduction Through Chapter V

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Introduction

Xavier has two intertwining historiesits location, and the school. Xavier is located on theisland of Weno in Chuuk State on a hilltop the locals call Winiku. Ninety-six years ago theGerman Capuchins purchased the land that Xavier sits on, for the Catholic Mission to use as acopra plantation. Although at the end of World War I Germany lost its control of Micronesia andJapan stepped in, expelling all German missionaries and confiscating their property, until 1938 awooden church and a priest's house marked the site. In the 1930s, the Japanese Imperial Navychose Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon as the home for the Japanese naval fleet that was to control the

Western Pacific. In 1938, the Mabuchi Construction Company of Japan was contracted by theJapanese Imperial Navy to construct a bomb-proof radio and communications center as part ofthe infrastructure for the fleet. Since then, the site has been familiarly known as Mabuchi. In

1944, this reinforced concrete building survived two direct hits from 500 pound bombs duringOperation Hailstorm, an allied operation led by U.S. Navy and Marine forces.

After World War II, Pope Pius XII,asked the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) to take responsibilityfor the Catholic Churchs presence in what had by then become known as the Trust Territory ofthe Pacific Islands (TPPI), commonly known as the TT (Trust Territory). Since the TTwas

administered by the United States, the Society of Jesus asked its U.S. Assistancy to takeresponsibility for the Churchs role. When Jesuits arrived at Mabuchi with deeds to the propertyand presented their desire to use the property for a school, the U.S. Navy was reluctant to returnthe property to the Church because of the Communications Center that was still standing. Aftermuch negotiation, agreement was reachedfor a very small sum of money, the Jesuits couldhave both the land and the building. On September 8th, 1952, Bishop Thomas Feeney, SJ,opened Xavier as a minor seminary at Mabuchi for boys to study for the priesthood, accepting 4Palauan and twenty-one Chuukese boys. What was used then, and continues to be used today, as

the main school building, is the Mabuchi built Japanese communications center.Within a year of its opening as a seminary, Bishop Feeney and the Jesuits realized that even

more important than a seminary, what was needed in Micronesia at the time was an academichigh school Xavier High School thus became the first college-prep high school in Micronesia


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high school Xavier High School thus became the first college prep high school in Micronesia

Chapter I:


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A. The School & Community

Xavier High School is a Catholic secondary school in the Jesuit tradition, located in Chuuk,Federated States of Micronesia. Xavier primarily serves students from the Republic of theMarshall Islands, the Republic of Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia, althoughstudents from other countries, including most recently Japan, the USA, Kiribati, India, and thePhilippines, occasionally enroll and graduate. Over the 60 years of its existence, Xavier HighSchool has developed a rich school culture with many traditions.

Figure 1. Map of Micronesia

Xavier opened its doors as a minor Catholic seminary in 1952, but almost immediatelytransitioned to a four-year academic high school for qualified males from Micronesia, thusb i th fi t ll t hi h h l i th N th t P ifi I 1976 X i


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The majority of Xaviers students come from the islands of Micronesia. After World War II, the

islands of Micronesia were administered by the United States as part of the Trust Territory of the

Pacific Islands (TTPI).Beginning in the 1980s, the island groups of Micronesia separated to form three small

sovereign island nations: The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), the Republic of Palau(ROP), and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The RMI and the FSM becameindependent nations in 1986, when the U.S. Congress ratified their Compact of Free Association.Palau became an independent nation in 1994 when, after many unsuccessful attempts, Palauremoved from their Constitution a nuclear-free clause and, only after which, the U.S. Congressratified their Compact of Free Association. The separately negotiated Compacts of Free

Association, ratified by each of these three nations and the U.S. Congress, entailed strongeconomic and political relationships that continue to the present. For example, the Compactsallow for free migration between the U.S. and the Freely Associated States, and the citizens ofthe Freely Associated States are eligible for Pell Grants, which is a compelling reason why thevast majority of the high school graduates from the Freely Associated States apply to collegesand universities in the U.S.

B. Location & Social Reality

Figure 2. Map of Chuuk Lagoon


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Chuuk is one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the other threestates are Yap, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. It is located approximately 7 degrees north of the equator

and on a line of longitude approximately the same as the eastern coast of Australia. Chuukconsists of 19 high islands located inside a lagoon called Truk Lagoon (recently renamed ChuukLagoon), 10 atolls and 225 low coralline islands, of which many are located outside the lagoon.The lagoon is about 64 kilometers in diameter and has been formed by a barrier reef enclosing anarea of 2,125 sq. kilometers of deep and protected waters. The islands are fringed with manymangroves that support diverse marine life. The fertile high islands contain native trees andplants, such as breadfruits, coconuts, mango, banana and taro. These fruits and crops, along withfish, have supported the subsistence livelihood and the lifestyle of Chuukese for many years.

Xavier High School is located on Weno, one of the islands in the Chuuk Lagoon. Chuuk Lagoonis one of the worlds largest lagoons, covering an area of 822 square miles. The lagoon enclosed

the main islands of Weno, Fefan, Tonoas, Uman, and Tol. Scattered outside the Chuuk Lagoon,lies the Mortlock, the Hall, and the Western Islands. Geographically, the population of Chuuk iswidely scattered both within and outside the lagoon. Transportation among the lagoon islandsand to the outer islands by boat or small airplane is expensive and erratic.

Although home to beautiful islands and a strong family-centered culture, politically andeconomically, Chuuk State is a disaster zone, often viewed as the home of the unfortunateislanders. Chuuk is the poorest state in the Micronesian region in terms of per capita income andmost other measures. Over the years since independence, it has gained notoriety, deserved or not,for administrative incompetence and mismanagement of funds. The roads are riddled withpotholes and electricity is provided only intermittently. Health and education are deterioratedover the years. While infrastructures of the other three states within the FSM are improving,

Chuuks infrastructures are collapsing and it seems that there are no solutions in sight to remedythe problem. Trash is everywhere, often dumped along the roads or in the mangrove swamps.Residents struggle to earn a subsistence living from the limited resource base that is alreadydepleted by pollution and unsustainable methods of harvest. Compounding the states poor


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Figure 3. Map of Chuuk State

C. Economic Background

The FSM 2010 Census (provisional count) estimates the current FSM population as 111,000, an

increase of 4,000 persons over the 2000 Census count. Among the FSM states, Chuuk State hasthe largest population of 48,651 persons, as well as the highest population density of 993 personsper square mile, although its population has decreased by about 10% since 2000. The two mainfactors contributing to the drop in Chuuks population over the most recent 10 -year period arethe declining fertility rate and outmigration of Chuukese citizens to the US mainland andterritories.

The three independent island nations of Micronesia have an ongoing political and economicrelationship with the United States stipulated in the Compacts of Free Association. The FSM andRMI entered into their Compacts with US in 1986 while Palaus Compact became effective in1994. The US amended its agreements with both the FSM and RMI in 2003. While Palau


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Xavier strives to maintain an affordable tuition and has a long-standing policy of acceptingstudents regardless of the ability to pay school fees. The current annual tuition is $1,340, to

which most students families must add several hundred dollars for air transportation. Theestimate total annual actual cost of educating a student at Xavier is over $3,500. The Jesuits ofNew York and Micronesia Region, the FSM National Government, and other good-hearted andgenerous benefactors subsidize the cost of students education at Xavier.

Economic difficulties at home encouraged Micronesians to leave their home islands for greenerpastures in Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands, Hawaii, and the US Mainland. Since theintroduction of the amended Compact of Free Association between the FSM and US, the FSM

has experienced a decline in economic activity and rising unemployment. The reduction inCompact resources has caused a significant reduction in economic activity in the FSM. Real per-capita incomes have fallen from $2,213 (2004) to $2,115 (2008), a reduction of $97. Due to thedearth of employment opportunities, the FSM, RMI and ROP continue to lose many of theirmost educated and productive citizens to overseas destinations as these nations reach the end oftheir terms of guaranteed financial assistance from the US; financial assistance for the FSM andRMI will end in 2023, whereas Palaus Compact funding will be terminated in 2025. Currently,these nations economies are extremely dependent on US aid money. Economic development

strategies for each nation are focused on achieving economic sustainability and self-sufficiencyby 2023 and 2025.

D. Demographic Data

The students who come to attend Xavier High School represent various islands, cultures and

traditions within the Micronesian region. Although the 172 young men and women who composethe student body share the common label Pacific Islanders, they have richly differentbackgrounds. Most of the students attending Xavier speak multiple languages, with English astheir second or third language. Faculty members are mostly volunteers from the United States,


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The number of female students enrolling at Xavier High School has increased. Since theperiod described by the most recent self-study during which approximately 60% of thestudent body was composed of male students, the gender disparity in enrollment has beennarrowing. For example, the freshman class of SY 2011-2012 has more female than malestudents.

Figure 5. Composition of Freshmen Classes, by Gender (2006-2011)

SY 06-07 SY 07-08 SY 08-09 SY 09-10 SY 10-11 SY 11-12

No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %Male 22 54% 24 55% 25 53% 33 55% 33 65% 21 44%

Female 19 46% 20 45% 22 47% 27 45% 18 35% 27 56%

Total 41 44 47 60 51 48

A slight majority of candidates for admission to the school over the past 5 years havebeen males. Female students have tended to pass the Xavier Entrance Examination at aslightly higher rate than male students, but, among those who have passed, fewer femaleshave applied to enroll and submitted complete applications.

Disparities in the percentages of male and female students from class to class areprimarily due to students who registered, but failed to enroll (more common for femalestudents), and transfers out of the class.

SY 2009-2010 had an increase in freshman enrollment. There was a decision made toenroll 60 freshmen that year to determine if Xavier is ready to have 60 freshmen. It was

decided that 60 freshmen were too many for Xaviers limited human and materialresources.

In school year 2010-2011, there was a marked decrease in the number of enrolled femalestudents due to a high rate of last minute withdrawals by girls who had already


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Island-Nationality

Figure 6. School Enrollment, by Island Nation and Grade (SY 2011-12)

Nation of Origin Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors Total

Marshall 2 7 8 6 23

Kosrae 1 1 0 2 4

Pohnpei 17 16 16 7 56

Chuuk 18 13 14 10 55

Yap 3 3 6 4 16

Palau 4 5 2 3 14

Kiribati 1 0 0 0 1

Philippines 1 0 0 1 2

USA 1 0 0 0 1

Total 48 45 46 33 172

The majority of students who enroll at Xavier High School are from the States of Pohnpeiand Chuuk.

Pohnpei State has had the largest number of candidates who pass the Xavier EntranceExamination, for admission, and highest number of applications each year.

The Freshman Class is the largest each year, as class size tends to be reduced by attritionwith increasing grade level.

Figure 7. Ethnic Distribution, by Gender (SY 2011-2012)

Male Female Total PercentMarshallese 17 6 23 13%

Kosraeans 3 1 4 2%

Pohnpeians 27 29 56 33%


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Figure 8. Ethnicity Percentage Distribution (2006-2012)

SY 06-07 SY 07-08 SY 08-09 SY 09-10 SY 10-11 SY 11-12

No. % No. % No. % No. % No. % No. %

Marshallese 19 13% 17 12% 22 14% 28 16% 28 16% 23 13%

Kosraeans 5 4% 6 4% 3 2% 3 2% 3 2% 4 2%

Pohnpeians 44 31% 43 29% 40 26% 51 29% 53 31% 56 33%

Chuukese 37 26% 38 26% 46 31% 52 30% 58 33% 55 32%

Yapese 22 16% 24 16% 22 14% 23 13% 15 9% 16 9%

Palauans 12 9% 16 11% 22 14% 14 8% 14 8% 14 8%

Others 2 1% 2 1% 2 1% 1 5% 1 5% 4 2%

Total 141 146 152 172 172 172

Fairly consistent proportions of the student body have been composed of students fromChuuk and Pohnpei States.

The numbers of applicants and proportions of admitted students from Yap have declinedduring the period since the previous self-study. Fewer Yapese students have been passing

the Entrance Examination. The number of students from Kosrae State enrolled at Xavier, always small, has also

decreased, with enrollment sustained by multi-ethnic Kosraean students from otherlocations. For many years Kosraen families, who are predominately Protestant werereluctant to send their children to a Catholic school, more recently Section A of KosraeHigh School, has improved greatly, and Kosraens dont feel to send their children to

Chuuk for a good education.

There was an increase of student enrollment at Xavier, starting in SY 2009-2010. Anadministrative decision was made to enroll 60 freshmen in SY 2009-2010.


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Figure 10. Composition of Classes, by Religious Affiliation (SY 2011-12)

Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors Total % Total

M F M F M F M F M F M F

Catholic 17 20 17 9 20 17 13 11 67 57 39% 33%

Other Christian 4 4 12 7 5 4 3 4 24 19 14% 11%

Non-Christian 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 4 1% 2%

Total 48 45 46 33 172

There are more male Catholics attending Xavier than female Catholics. One of the reasons parents sent their kids to Xavier is not just because of its academic

reputation, but because Xavier is a Catholic and Christian school.

GRADUATION & RETENTION

Figure 11. Retention & Graduation Rate (SY 2006-2011)

Classof

Enter as Freshmen Graduate Retention Rate

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

2011 28 21 49 16 15 31 57% 71% 64%

2010 21 21 42 16 14 30 76% 67% 72%

2009 28 16 44 22 11 33 79% 69% 74%

2008 21 19 40 17 18 35 80% 94% 87%

2007 29 16 45 21 7 28 72% 43% 58%2006 30 22 52 20 15 35 67% 68% 68%

Total 157 115 272 112 80 192 72% 69% 71%


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Figure 13. Graduation & Retention (SY 2006-2011)

Male students complete their enrollment applications with a higher rate than femaleapplicants.

2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006

2821 28 21

29 30

16 16

22

17

2120

21 21

16

19

16

22

15 1411

187

15

ADMISSION AND GRADUATION RATES SY 2006-

2011

Admitted Males Graduated Males Admitted Females Graduated Females


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Figure 14. Female and Male Withdrawal (SY 2007-2011)

Figure 15. Reasons for Withdrawal (SY 2007-2011)

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

9

7

7

6

13

9

1

5

7

7

STUDENT WITHDRAWAL, SY '07-'11

FEMALE MALE

DISCIPLINARY

38%

VOLUNTARY

27%


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STAFF DEMOGRAPHICS

Figure 16. Composition of Full Time Administrators & Teaching staff, by Gender (SY2011-12)

Male Female Total

Administrators 4 0 4

Teachers 8 3 11

Part Time Teachers 0 2 2

Tutors 2 0 2

Total 14 5 19

As a boys boarding school, the number of male teaching faculty has been always higherthan female faculty.

Figure 17. Highest Educational Achievement of staff (SY 2011-2012)

Doctorate Masters Bachelors High SchoolAdministrators 0 3 0 1Teachers 0 1 10 0Part Time Teachers 0 0 2 0Tutors 0 0 0 2

All teachers at Xavier must have a college (4 year college) degree requirement to teach inthe classroom.

Fr. Marc Roselli, S.J., the school Chaplain and one of the administrators is a fulltimeteacher.

One of our administrators has a high school diploma, but served in the US Army for 7H i D f S d


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45% of Xaviers volunteers come from the United States of America. There are no Micronesia volunteers teaching at Xavier. All Micronesians are salariedteachers and administrators.

Figure 19. Organizational Affiliation of Staff (SY 2011-12)

Type No.

Jesuit Priests 2

Jesuit Scholastics 1

Jesuit Volunteer 4Australian Volunteers 2

Japanese Volunteers (JICA) 1

Independent Volunteers 3

Micronesians 4

Other Staff 3

OUTCOME DATA (Student Achievement Data)

Figure 20. Average SAT Scores, XHS and All SAT Test-takers 2006-2012

Graduating

Class

XHS

Reading

All

Reading

XHS

MathAll Math

XHS

Writing

All

Writing

NXHS

Test-

takers

% XHS

Class

Tested


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Figure 21. SAT Average Scores (SY 2006-2011)

Xavier students performance on the SAT has been fairly consistent in recent years,during which most junior and/or senior students have taken this college admissions test.Due to uncertainty in individual score estimates (i.e., the possibility of performancechanges if students were administered a different but comparable set of test questions),

and the relatively small size of Xaviers graduating classes, mean changes of 20-30 pointsacross graduating classes would not be uncommon (see, for example, SAT One-YearMean Score Changes, an interpretive guide available from the College Board website).

The only change in class averages observed over the last 7 years that reaches this

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

Class of2006

Class of2007

Class of2008

Class of2009

Class of2010

Class of2011

Class of2012

SCORES

SAT AVERAGE SCORES, SY 2006-2012


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The relatively low SAT performance of the Class of 2008 on the Critical Reading andWriting sections reflected teacher observations about these students average academicskills, class participation and study habits, and the relatively low average GPA of thisclass (see Figure 31).

2010 SAT student scores are not available (Xavier has already made request to ETS tosend the 2010 Test Scores and paid $300 to retrieve the scores)

In the First Semester of SY 2011-2012, a SAT-prep course for the Junior Class wasoffered to prepare the juniors for the SAT.

Figure 22. SAT Critical Reading Percentiles, XHS Classes of 2006-2012 and All 2011 SATTest-takers

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

80025th Percentile50th Percentile (Median)

75th Percentile


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Xavier students scoring at the 50th percentile in XHS distributions of Critical Readingscores tend to score at approximately the same level as the 25th percentile in thecorresponding distributions of scores for all SAT test-takers.

Score values for the XHS student(s) lying at the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of thespan of all XHS Critical Reading SAT scores, in rank order, have remained relativelyconsistent across years.

Figure 23. SAT Mathematics Percentiles, XHS Classes of 2006-2012 and All 2011 SAT

Test-takers

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 ALL 2011Graduating Class

25th Percentile

50th Percentile (Median)

75th Percentile


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Figure 24. SAT Writing Percentiles, XHS Classes of 2006-2012 and All 2011 SAT Test-takers

Student score(s) at the 75th percentile of Xaviers rank order score distribution tend to lieat approximately the 50th percentile of the distribution of scores for all SAT test-takers,suggesting that XHS students tend to be reasonably well-prepared to produce college-

level writing compared to other SAT test-takers.

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 2012 ALL2011

Graduating Class

25th Percentile

50th Percentile (Median)

75th Percentile


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Figure 25. Mean SAT Scores, by Ethnicity, Classes of 2006-2012 (except Class of 2010)

Given the total data from the Classes of 2006-12, sorted by ethnicity, Palauan and Yapese

students achieved the highest scores, on average in the Critical Reading and Writingsections; Pohnpeian students achieved the highest scores, on average, on the Mathsection.

Marshallese students earned the lowest scores, on average, on the Critical Reading, Mathand Writing sections, followed by Chuukese students on all three test sections.

The rank orders of SAT score means in the Critical Reading and Math sections are verysimilar to the mean rank orders by island-nation on the XHS Entrance Examinations in

391409 425

375405 420407

455

437439445 458

422 415

450

200

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400

500

600

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Critical Reading Math Writing

ChuukMarshall

Pohnpei

Palau

Yap


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statistics are consistent with the typical pattern of relative performance by genderdisplayed on language and mathematics achievement tests among secondary-school

students in most countries.

Figure 27. TOEFL Average Scores (SY 2006-2011)

Figure 28. XHS Graduating Class Average Paper-Based (PBT) TOEFL Scores, andMinimum Admission Requirements for Selected U.S. Universities

TOEFL PBT Maximum Total Score 677

University of Hawaii at Manoa Regular Admission 600


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Chaminade University of Honolulu Regular Admission 450

TOEFL PBT Minimum Total Score 310 The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is use to assess listening

comprehension, Structure and Written Expression, and reading comprehension amongnon-native English speakers. In the figure above, Xavier graduating class averageTOEFL scores are compared to minimum scores required to be considered for admissionto selected US colleges and universities. These institutions represent schools to whichXHS students have recently and/or historically tended to apply. The average TOEFLPBT score of students in most XHS graduating classes is adequate to allow considerationfor regular admission to selective private (Jesuit) universities, like Gonzaga University orLoyola Marymount University, as well as less selective public universities, like EasternOregon University or the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Students scoring below the minimum TOEFL PBT score may be considered forconditional admission at some institutions, which typically entails additional languageplacement testing and/or required enrollment in non-credit English-as-a-Second-

Language courses.

Figure 29. PSAT Critical Reading Percent-Correct Subscores, Class of 2012

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

Determining Word Meaning [18]

Author's Style, Tone & Technique [9]

Reasoning & Inference [5]


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Figure 30. PSAT Critical Reading Percent-Correct Subscores, Class of 2013

Number of test items on which each percent-correct subscore is based shown inparentheses. Subscores based on few items should be interpreted with caution; however,

the presence of a clear trend in relative subscore magnitude across years may suggestreading skills for which instruction should be increased or modified.

Percent-correct scores tend to be relatively high in Determining Word Meaning (i.e.,vocabulary in context), which is a weekly instructional topic in the English Skillscourses, and Understanding Literary Elements, which tends to be emphasized in theLiterature courses. Students tend to answer a relatively low proportion of the fewquestions requiring inference correctly, as well as fairly low proportions of questions

regarding reading passage organizational structure and understanding ideas, andrecognition of authors style and perspective.

Fi 31 PSAT M h i P C S b Cl f 2012

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Determining Word Meaning [18]

Author's Style, Tone & Technique [9]

Reasoning & Inference [5]

Organization & Ideas [10]

Understanding Literary Elements [6]


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Figure 32. PSAT Mathematics Percent-Correct Subscores, Class of 2013

Number of test items on which each percent-correct subscore is based shown inparentheses. Subscores based on few items should be interpreted with caution; however,the presence of a clear trend in relative subscore magnitude across years may suggestmath skills for which instruction should be increased or modified.

Percent-correct test scores tend to be relatively high in Geometry, and low in Numbers &Operations. Since students sit for the PSAT in Semester 1 of junior year, their mostrecent complete mathematics course will have been Geometry in sophomore year. Whilearithmetic problems compose a large proportion of the XHS Entrance Examination inMathematics, those problems tend to emphasize application of standard algorithms forthe four basic operations, with any word problems covering number meaning orarithmetic presented in plain English. Numbers & Operations problems on the PSAT arealmost exclusively word problems that require some degree of reasoning with Englishand mathematics vocabulary, as well as mathematics reasoning and computational ability.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

Numbers & Operations [9]

Algebra & Functions [14]

Geometry & Measurement [11]

Data, Statistics & Probability [4]


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Figure 34. PSAT Writing Percent-Correct Subscores, Class of 2013

Number of test items on which each percent-correct subscore is based shown inparentheses. Subscores based on few items should be interpreted with caution; however,relatively low performance across years in determining relationships of sentences to theparagraphs in which they are contained may suggest instruction targeting this writing

skill should be increased or modified.

Figure 35. Mean Cumulative GPA, Classes of 2006-2011

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

GPA [4.5-pt scale] 3.41 3.29 3.17 3.23 3.00 3.25

Std. Dev. 0.401 0.560 0.557 0.527 0.447 0.532

The average cumulative GPA for students in the Class of 2006 is nearly a B+ average onthe schools grading scale, while other class average GPAs correspond to a B.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100%

Grammatical Relationships between Words [12]

Words & Phrases Used to Modify or Compare [8]

Phrases & Clauses [8]

Correctly Formed Sentences [6]

Relationships of Sentences & Paragraphs [5]


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Figure 36. Mean Cumulative GPA, by Gender, Classes of 2006-2011

Female Male Overall

GPA [4.5-pt scale] 3.29 3.18 3.22

Std. Dev. 0.401 0.517 0.515

The mean cumulative GPA for female students over the past six school years is slightlyhigher than the mean cumulative GPA for male students. The larger variability amongGPAs of male students, reflected in the larger standard deviation, is to some extent due to

the larger number of males in the student body.

Figure 37. Mean Cumulative GPA, by Island-Nation, Classes of 2006-2011

3.13 3.003.17

3.393.20 3.18

0.000.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

Chuuk Kosrae Marshall Pohnpei Palau Yap


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Figure 38. 2009 XHS Entrance Exam Average Percent-Correct Scores for Class of 2013 asFreshmen [2009-2010] and Sophomores [2010-2011]

2nd Semester 2009 2nd Semester 2011Math 67% 77%

English 77% 84%

Total 72% 79%

OneArea of Growth in Section A5 of the 2005-06 Self-Study suggested that to assessour students progress toward meeting the ESLRs in English and mathematics all

students should retake the Xavier Entrance Examination at the end of their freshmanyear (p. 69). As described in the February 2009 Midterm Report, this proposal was not

initially implemented due to concerns that most admitted students have earned highth XHS E t E b t ti l h i t d t d t

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Math English Total

67%

77%72%

77%84% 79%

XHS Entrance Average

Scores, 2009

XHS Entrance Re-take

Average Scores,

2011

XAVIER HIGH SCHOOL

ENTRANCE EXAM

SCORES


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It should be cautioned that the XHS Entrance Exam is a teacher-produced (althoughstandardized) test. The reliability and validity of its scores for measuring learning gains

have never been formally tested.

Figure 39. 2009 XHS Entrance Exam in English Number-Correct Gain Score Distributionfrom 2nd Semester 2011 Exam Re-take for Class of 2013

Highest possible Semester 2, 2011, change in percent-correct English score, given lowestinitial (2009) and maximum English scores, is 41%. Because student scores on the XHSEntrance Examination in English tend to be close to the ceiling (maximum score) of the

test, the highest possible change in percent-correct score for each student was less than30% f l ll t d t

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Figure 40. 2009 XHS Entrance Exam in Mathematics Number-Correct Gain ScoreDistribution from 2nd Semester 2011 Exam Re-take for Class of 2013

Highest possible Semester 2, 2011, change in percent-correct Math score, given lowestinitial (2009) and maximum Math scores, is 66%.

Content for the Mathematics Exam was sampled from multiple elementary schoolmathematics textbooks to fully represent elementary school mathematics achievement.

In the scale of the test, moderate to large gains in mathematics performance that are likelyattributable to math instruction during students freshman and sophomore years at Xavierwere observed for most students. The maximum percent-correct score among sophomorestudents on retest was 96%.

0

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Figure 41. Relationship between 2009 XHS Entrance Exam in English Initial Number-Correct Score, and 2011 Score Change

Correlation between initial English Entrance Exam score (2009) and score change(difference between 2010 and 2009 scores) is -.76, indicating that students with lowerinitial scores tended to have larger score gains.

This finding could suggest that (a) initial scores of high-performing students are so closeto the maximum score that the test cannot adequately measure gains among thesestudents, and/or (b) English instruction is targeted at a remedial level that tends toproduce the largest score gains for the students who initially have the lowest scores.

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ange2011

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Figure 42. Relationship between 2009 XHS Entrance Exam in Mathematics InitialNumber-Correct Score, and 2011 Score Change

Correlation between initial Math Entrance Exam score (2009) and score change(difference between 2010 and 2009 scores) is -.54, indicating that students with lowerinitial scores tended to have larger score gains.

Particularly given that initial scores on the XHS Mathematics Entrance Exam do not tendto be near the maximum score, it appears that the XHS Mathematics Entrance Exam maybe a reasonably adequate test to measure student learning in mathematics.

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

0 20 40 60 80ScoreCha

nge2011

Initial Score 2009


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Chapter II


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A. Expected School-wide Learning Results

Xavier High School Students, Upon Graduation, Will Be:

1. CompetentA graduate of Xavier High School exhibits competency of a four-year college preparatorycurriculum and has developed intellectual skills that go beyond intellectual competency andrequirement for college entrance by integrating Gospel values and our Ignatian heritage. Thegraduate has become aware of and begun to practice the basic skills facilitating leadership andcollaboration. By the time of their graduation,

Xavier students will:

learn to communicate effectively through comprehending, speaking, reading andwriting English;

begin to grow in an awareness of historical and current social issues both inMicronesia and in the world and have begun to realize the implications of these issueson various communities;

develop the ability to think logically and critically, to recognize patterns and to applymathematical concepts to everyday situations;

integrate Gospel values in the decisions and actions of their daily lives. develop proficiency in conducting scientific investigations and in analyzing and

reporting results.

begin to understand the impact of technology on the future and gained skills to utilizenew resources.

have the opportunity to develop competence in co-curricular areas, including studentgovernance, athletics and creative arts.

become qualified applicants to be considered by competitive colleges anduniversities.

demonstrate an understanding of the Catholic Churchs teaching about Jesus and his


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developed a realistic familiarity with and acceptance of themselves. They appreciatetheir gifts and strive to develop their talents to the fullest, while also remaining

conscious of and trying to improve upon their weaknesses. experience the benefits of self-discipline in creating a sense of order and efficiency in

their lives and learned to be faithful in fulfilling responsibilities.

develop a sense of individual spirituality through prayer, retreats and participation inthe Sacraments.

display an understanding of the relationship between faith in Jesus and being aperson for and with others, which manifests itself in action based on the Churchs

teaching on social justice;.

begun to see the importance of their influence on public policy by critiquing lawsalready in effect, by modeling the policy-making process in their student governmentand, for older students, by voting.

3. CompassionateBy the time of their graduation, Xavier students have learned to respond to others as Jesus did -by placing their talents, skills and knowledge at the service of their family, local community,

the Church and their country. Xavier graduates walk with others of diverse cultural and ethnicbackgrounds, in friendship and in empathy, to empower them. These attitudes have beeninformed by students experiences living in the Xavier community, learning in the classrooms,

community service projects on their home islands, and by working with and for the local Sapukand Chuuk communities. By the time they graduate

Xavier students will:

develop the habit of putting themselves in the place of others. form friendships with those of different cultural backgrounds and contributed todeveloping a spirit of Micronesian unity. begin to understand some of the demands of community building at a local, national,

and global level


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Section 1: The basis of the ESLRs at Xavier High SchoolThe Expected School-wide Learning Results for the graduate have undergone changes

throughout the history of Xavier High School. In all stages of their development, both when theywere no more than guiding principles as the schools began to develop, through the present,

where they now represent well thought out and clearly articulated goals that are embraced by all

who are associated with Xavier High School, the traditional philosophies of Catholic schools

and, in particular the Jesuit philosophy of education, first articulated in theRatio Studiorum of

1599, and more recently inIgnatian Pedagogy: A Practical Approach, have played a key role.

As articulated in both our Mission statement and our Philosophy, Xavier High School strives to

form our students in the areas of competence, conscientiousness, and compassion in otherwords - the whole human person, the intellectual, spiritual, moral and ethical, physical, social,

and emotional aspects of our students. This focus has been most important for us as a Jesuit

School, while at the same time we attempt to recognize the particular needs of our students.

Section 2: History of ESLR Development at Xavier High SchoolAs stated above, the guiding principles for Xavier High School came primarily from a traditionalCatholic and more specifically Jesuit philosophy of education. In preparation for its firstaccreditation in the 1990s, Xavier High School articulated a Philosophy of Xavier High

School. Since that time several developments have helped Xavier High School in the generation

of its current articulated ESLRs:In 1982, the Jesuit Secondary Education Association formulated a Profile of the Graduate at

Graduation, a document that was to guide the development of expected learning results in Jesuit


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few changes in bullet points, Fr. Rich came to the same conclusion as other stakeholders atXavier, that the current ESLRs are still very relevant at Xavier. Fr. Rich introduced the ESLRs

with their minor changes at the Faculty Development days in August, 2011. In an afternoonworkshop on September 15th, Fr. Rich asked the faculty and seniors once again to look at theESLRs with their minor changes, and to reflect on how, if at all, the seniors felt they had grownin the areas of the 3Cs. In a workshop the following Thursday, September 22nd, Fr. Richasked the faculty and seniors to reflect on ways Xavier might be able to measure whether

students are actually achieving the ESLRs.One thing that is new is a Philosophy of Xavier High School that is also aligned with the

Mission Statement and the ESLRs. While there had been a Philosophy of Xavier High School

for the 1995 WASC accreditation, it was conspicuously absent from the 2000 FOL and 2006FOL WASC Self-Study Reports. Using the Xavier Mission Statement, ESLRs, TheGrad atGraduation, andIgnatian Pedagogy: A Practical Approach, and looking at philosophies ofother Jesuit High School across the U.S., Fr. Rich developed a new Philosophy of Xavier HighSchool while on sabbatical that was adapted to the particular situation at Xavier, and aligned itwith the Mission Statement and ESLRs. This he presented to the Board of Members, whose job itis to approve the philosophy of the school. The Board of Members adopted the newly designedphilosophy at their September, 2011 meeting.

Fr. Rich presented the ESLRs with their minor changes to the Xavier Board for theirapproval, in the fall of 2011. The Board approved them at their meeting on December 5th, 2011.

The current ESLRs are the result of effort to recognize the particular needs of our studentswithin the ideals of Jesuit pedagogy.


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Chapter III


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Chapter III: Progress Report

The WASC commission action letter in April 2006 directed the school to revise our action plans,clarifying timelines for completion, re-prioritizing the action plan items, deleting one itemdeemed by the Visiting Committee to be of low priority, and adding one (Action Item #3), basedon the Visiting Teams recommendations. The action plans were restated during MayJune2006. The result was (is) five (5) action goals, to which the school has been attentive since 2006.

The Board of Directors participated in modifying the action plan during their May 2006meeting. The action plan has been updated annually. Progress on the action plan is reported bythe Director, and discussed, at biannual Board meetings.

Limited progress has been made on Action Plan Item #1. Teacher recruitment and retentionremain as areas for follow-up. Teacher training has become organized with the implementationof a formal Staff Development Plan, but is hindered by the high rate of teacher turnover.Limited progress has been made on Action Plan Item #2: develop responsive governance.Significant progress has been made on Action Plan Item #3, improving student safety and healthon campus. Action Plan Item #4, aligning the curriculum with standards, is in progress. Somesteps of Item #4 will require outside expertise. Significant progress has been made on ActionPlan Item #5: integrating technology into the learning process. Continuing progress on Item #5will require retaining a staff member who is able to maintain the schools computers and

network. One of our JOVC volunteers, Takeharu Kogoruma, is currently in the 2nd year of atwo-year volunteer contract with Xavier High School. In addition to maintaining the schoolsnetwork for the past two years, Take sensei is training a local member of the Xavier Staff to

continue his work of maintaining Xaviers computers and network.

The Progress Report is divided into two parts. Part I of the Progress Report has two sections:


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volunteers. Critical Area 5: The school leadership should assist and supervise the faculty indeveloping a greater variety of teaching methods that promote active involvement of students in

the learning process.

Results Evidence

All teachers participate in research-based staff developmentprogram.

Staff Development Plan

One Wednesday each month, school is dismissed early so thatall teachers may participate in 2 hours of in-service training orcollaborative work relating that quarters staff development

topic.

School calendar for teachers;parent letter

Staff orientation lengthened to 8-10 days.

Orientation schedule

Staff development program includes practice in designingperformance-based learning.

Staff development materials

Staff development program includes focus on culturally-responsive instruction for Micronesian students, and instructionfor ELL students.

Staff development materials

NY Jesuit Province Education Office provided subsidy forcontinuing education coursework by Principal.

Financial aid letters; billingstatement


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Primary survey findings:

82% of teachers responded that the principal is knowledgeable aboutinstructional resources

18% of teachers responded that the principal helps faculty interpret testresults 36% of teachers responded that the principal uses clearly communicated

criteria for judging staff performance

91% of teachers responded that the principal is a visible presence oncampus to both faculty and students

Evaluation Findings of Principalat end of SY 2007-2008

Ongoing/Future:o Develop Recruitment Plan utilizing media (radio & newspaper), alumni, and parentso Continue recruitment at Jesuit universities in Philippines

appropriate to course content.

Implemented differentiated instructional methods through StaffDevelopment (especially for Math and English).

Differentiated Instruction forms

Evaluation of and response to student complaints has improved. Personal communicationsImplemented action research portion of Staff Development. Development CalendarStudent work shows active involvement in learning. Student work


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commitments. This goal is couched in prudent language. . will attempt to . . After

all, the remote location and the third-world nature of Chuuk are not the kinds of features that

entice persons to put down roots. Evidence of the challenge that attends this goal came in theform of a succinct question addressed to the Visiting Committee, Whom can we attractthereare no cultural outlets in Chuuk? There is thus a sense in which it is unreasonable to expect

other than the kinds of (remarkable) volunteer commitments that Xavier has come to experiencein its 57 year history. These commitments seem to work.. On another note, the staffdevelopment program is well-conceived, as it is designed for a school with a high rate of staffturnover. Major features of the program include a two-week orientation prior to the beginningof teaching, presentation of best teaching practices (as supported by research), groupings that

facilitate peer-observation and the maturation of nascent teachers, and the principals quarterlyevaluation of teachers.

Xavier Follow-up since 2009 Midterm visit:

Attracting and retaining a qualified, professional faculty and staff continues to be adifficult task for Xavier. This is due, partly to Xaviers remoteness, partly to the poor

infrastructure of Chuuk State, and partly to the fact that Xavier does not have the kind of

operating funds needed to attract long term, qualified, professional faculty to a remoteisland with poor infrastructure. As a result, Xavier remains dependent largely on avolunteer faculty.

In spite of the difficulties, Xavier has made some positive moves in this area. Mr. ReyAnthony Dahilan, a paid math teacher, has been with Xavier since SY 2007-08. Fr. RichMcAuliff, SJ, has been director of Xavier since SY 2008-09; Mr. Martin Carl, the principal,has been at Xavier since SY 2008-09, and his wife, Mrs. Carl, has been at Xavier as ourschool nurse since SY 2008-09. Fr. Marc Roselli, SJ, who joined the Xavier faculty and staff

in SY 2010-11, is a veteran teacher of our Jesuit high schools in New York, and Abuja,Ghana, and has graciously accepted a request from the New York Provincial to join us herefor an undetermined number of years.

Having identified math and science as an area that Xavier would commit finances to


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American volunteer math and science teacher, but our goal was to hire a long term facultymember for Xavier.

Xavier has also prioritized the following positions to commit its resources: 1) aprincipal; 2) a dean of students; and 3) a math teacher. As a result of studying some of ourdata from standardized tests, Xavier has identified the position of English teacher has ournext priority for committing resources.

ACTION PLAN ITEM #2:XHS will continue to develop a responsive form of

governance. [Critical Area 2: The governing authority and Director should work to develop aresponsive form of governance.]

Results Evidence

Board went on retreat promoting principles of responsivegovernance.

Observation

Board members are discussing governance structure.

Meeting minutes (06/06,06/07, 01/08, 10/08)

Joint meetings of Board and Jesuit Consulters occurred. Meeting minutes (06/06,06/07, 01/08)

Communication and consultation between Board chairman,and local Board members, and administrators throughoutthe year has increased.

E-mail communications;visits by chairman;observation

Board meetings agendas have included more time for

policy discussion and goal-setting; discussion of annualbudget details has been reduced

Meeting minutes (06/07,01/08, 06/08)


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Response of 2009 Midterm Review Visiting Team:This goal is directed to the reality of the Board at Xavier, whose members include

representatives from the various island nations scattered over Micronesia. (The goal does notrefer to the Jesuits whose commitment of personnel and money to the school has ever exemplifiedtheir mission as men for others.)..... Xavier has made acceptable progress toward this goal,

evidence of which includes: an increase in the number of Board members, to include morewomen as well as an equal representation from all island districts; productive meetings of theBoard with Jesuit Consulters; an increase in the number and quality of Board meetings. Thisincreased quality includes ample discussion of policy matters and goal-setting, not simplybudget tedium vitae; a review of Board Bylaws; and the Boards support for the school-vision of

the current Director.


The Xavier board has just concluded a 2 year review of its by-laws. Mr. Rodney Jacob, aXavier board member and lawyer spearheaded the review, working with the Jesuits of theNew York Province and lawyers for the New York Province. The Newly Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, and The Newly Amended and Restated Xavier By-Laws

were approved in May, 2011, with minor revisions approved at its December, 2011meeting. (The Newly Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation, and The NewlyAmended and Restated Xavier By-Laws are available in Appendix A of this self-study report.A more complete discussion and evidence of Xaviers work in the area of Governance can

be found in Chapter IV: Self-Study Findings, Category A2: Governance.)

ACTION PLAN ITEM #3:XHS will develop and implement a comprehensiveplan to meet needs in campus safety, health and sanitation. [Critical Area 3: Thegoverning authorities, school leadership and staff should develop a plan to determine needs incampus safety, health, and sanitation in order to maintain student well-being.]


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Distributed toilet tissue for proper use of compostingtoilets.

Purchase ordersQualified Infirmarian gives annual check-ups, refersstudents to hospital or clinic as necessary, donations fromthe Catholic Medical Mission Board, totaling $500,000over 4 years; weekly dental clinic visits.

Observation; credentials

School administrators banned betelnut/tobacco use; theyalso banned of drug/alcohol logo clothing.

Handbook; parent letters

Improved supervision during school day.

Study Hall/ Free timemoderator schedule;attendance rosters;observation

Improved Security for day and nighttime. Observation; security

schedule

Hired full-time staff member for janitorial services. ContractHired full-time staff member for mechanic services. ContractHired full-time staff member for electric services. ContractPurchased a high-pressure water sprayer for cleaning,particularly for shower house and toilet facility.

pressure sprayerPurchased eyewash station for Science Laboratory. eyewash station


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Ongoing/Future:

o Fire and intruder procedures should be publicized and drilledo Seek grant for Health textbooks; add to Sophomore curriculum as full-time courseo Purchase individual lockers for storage of all students academic materialso Install fans in classroomso Continue to explore the possibility of hiring a fullor part-time professional counselor

Response of 2009 Midterm Review Visiting Team:Xavier HS has made acceptable progress toward this goal, evidence of which includes: ongoing

monitoring of drinking water; increases in food quantities for students, with attention to thepurchase of lower-fat foodstuffs; the hiring of a local farmer to sustain food-growth on campus; provision of a qualified infirmarian to attend to students health needs; annual reception of$500,000 in medical supplies (!) from the Catholic Medical Mission Board; purchase of a high-pressure water-sprayer for cleaning showers and toilet facilities; recent procurement of a majorgrant for (imminent) up-grading of girls restroom facilities; improvements in supervision ofstudents and in campus security at night; hiring of 3 full-time staffa janitor, a mechanic, and anelectrician; and major renewal of the main building (i.e., repainting interior and exterior wallsand replacement and waterproofing of the decaying roof).


Xavier has a full-time nurse who lives on campus, and who has trained selected studentinfirmarians to help with non-critical issues on weekends. Although the $500,000donation of medical supplies from the New York Medical Mission Board has ceased, Xaviergets medicine from generous individual donors (like Mr. Pouzar) and from the Xavier HighSchool-Chuuk State Insurance Program. All Xavier High School Employees are requiredto have the Chuuk State Insurance and XHS pays premiums. At the end of each month,$8,000 worth of medicine is available for Chuuk State Employees. Our school nurse, Mrs.


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At the beginning of the current SY 2011-12, Xavier has hired a gardener to grow andprovide vegetables for both the student and faculty dining rooms.

During the summer of 2011, Xavier began its renovation of the boys shower room. We

are waiting for a pending grant to be able to tile the shower-room and complete therenovation. Xavier also has an Australian SGS (Small Grant Scheme) grant pending torenovate the boys benjo.

Finally, Xavier has hired a new dean of students/dorm moderator who monitors andsupervises students during non-school hours.

ACTION PLAN ITEM #4: XHS will align the curriculum with U.S. and F.S.M.

standards to ensure students participate in a sequential, integrated, challenging

and relevant 9-12 program. [Critical Area 4: The school leadership and faculty shouldcollaborate in the development, assessment, and supervision of a coordinated and sequential 9-12 program, with an integrated skills curriculum that focuses on mathematics, reading, andwriting.]

Results Evidence

Increased principal observation (once per quarter) withpost-observation meetings.

Principal observation forms;meetings

Consistent student course evaluations. Course Evaluation formData from standardized testing shared with teachers. Staff meeting agendas;

hand-outs

Review and revision of course competencies in English,Math, Science and Typing/Computer.

Restated coursecompetencies


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Restated the math entrance exam to reflect content thatstudent should learn through Grade 8, as indicated in

F.S.M. National Standards.

2007 XHS Entrance Exam

Restated the reading comprehension sections of the Englishentrance exam to incorporate passages of different types ofwriting at different reading levels.

2007 XHS Entrance Exam

Summer prep program offered for incoming students fromChuuk.

Parent letter; coursematerials

Hired qualified math teacher on contract. Rey Dahilan contractImplemented Integrated reading staff development for

two consecutive quarters. reading handouts;

observation form

Integrated, on-going units of SSR (silent, sustained reading)in Literature and English Skills courses provided.

course syllabi;recommended books shelf

in Library

All senior students are now required to enroll in Englishand Mathematics courses, as recommended by the Board ofDirectors.

course requirement table;Board meeting minutes(06/06)

Primary survey findings:

38% of students study math for 20 minutes per day, therecommended study time for each subject

20% of students math study practices are inadequate; 80% ofstudents skills are adequate or good

Math Skills survey andinterviews


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Response of 2009 Midterm Review Visiting Team:This goal may be the most challenging of the goals that Xavier has set for itself because of themultifaceted nature of what is meant by standards, because of a transitional staff, and because

achievement of the goal is partially dependent on resources (textbooks). Xavier HS has madeacceptable progress on the goal, but there is yet the need for more formal and systematicidentification/accomplishment of standards at Xavier, and so this goal goes forward in 2009 as asalient curriculum task for the school.. Xavier HS has developed its curriculum in two

ways: with an eye on student outcomes (i.e., ESLRs), creation of curriculum guides,

consisting of content area units within an overall subject/course; and identification of coursecompetencies, consisting of academic skills relative to knowing (intellect) and doing (will) that

any given course cultivates. Xavier has done a respectable job of developing and delivering acurriculum in core subjects according to these two understandings of curriculum. In particular,the work of one or two teachers in creating course data bases along these lines is altogether

commendable. But one may legitimately wonder whether the Xavier curriculum work conformsto content standards that are sufficiently comprehensive, sufficiently reputable. After all, what ismeant by content standards are the essential and complete contents of a course (and of

sequential courses) that a state or a Catholic diocese (or FSM) has established for its schools.So, for example, there are California content standards, and Hawaii content standards, and etc.

But there are no national (i.e., USA) content standards even though many states have many ofthe same content standards, and even though many content standards are informed bydeterminations of national bodies such as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Toreiterate, there are (only) state standards in the USA. Moreover, a check of the internet foruniform and comprehensive FSM standards revealed that these were in draft form and bore a2006 copyright. Thus, when the above goal mentions US and FSM standards, one is left to

wonder whether Xaviers curriculum is content diffuse, thus insufficiently sequential andintegrated. Xavier might be better served were it to norm its curriculum to one source of

content standards, say, Californias1. This norming would begin by settling on one source, itwould move to accessing this sources standards for each of the subjects tha t constitute the XHScurriculum, and then it would include the (systematic) work of mapping Xaviers curriculum in


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degree of difficulty in attainment of the goal. But there is sense in which this degree of difficultyis overcome. This sense derives from human capital, the teachers themselves. They are well-educated, intelligent, creative, altruistic, and idealistic young adults. Moreover, what theyaccomplish in their (brief) sojourn at Xavier is meritorious. Through dealing discipline,constructing course content, leaning on each other, learning from each other, making mistakesand amending them, and heeding their wise Jesuit mentors, they succeed in serving theeducational aspirations and needs of Micronesian youth. Because of their qualities and theirwork, these teachers transitional presence at Xavier is more presence than transition. They

leave lasting and positive impressions. They are a credit to Xavier.

Finally here, lest the truth not be served, it is important to state (that) Xavier High School hasacted with professional integrity in identifying curriculum guides and course competencies, andthis work has had the effect of promoting students incorporation of the ESLRs and otherstandards that the school has identified.

Xaviers Follow-up since 2009 Midterm Review:

Xavier has not made much progress on Action Plan #4 since the Midterm review.

All seniors are now required to take 4 courses (Math, Science, English, and Religion), plustwo electives. As of SY 2011-12, seniors have to take 6 courses each semester.

As a result of our Midterm review, and recommendations by the team to align ourcurriculum standards to one place instead of multiple (e.g. FSM and California standards),Xavier has been in contact with St. Ignatius Prep in San Francisco. St. Ignatius Prep, aJesuit high school in San Francisco, has been working on a developing their course contentbased on the Grad at Graduation, and applicable state/national (California) standards. Theywill have completed their work by May, 2012, and have said they will be happy to share

with Xavier High School, what they have done. St. Ignatius Prep, with a student enrollmentof 1,450 and a faculty and staff of 150, has the resources to do this kind of work, andsharing it with Xavier High School is what the network of Jesuit school across the U.S.


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Computer Lab was set up with 25 laptops/PCs enoughcomputers for one section of students to work individually.

student Computer RoomBack-up batteries purchased for all student and staffcomputers to reduce damage due to frequent poweroutages; antivirus software installed on all computers.

batteries; antivirus software

Integrating technology staffdevelopment quarter. Handouts; tech observationforms

Increased number of Internet computers for students andteachers by switching from dial-up to T1 line.

Billing statementsLoaded Microsoft Office suite onto all computers in studentlab.

Computer hard drivesLoaded Encyclopedia Britannica program onto allcomputers in teacher lab and some student computers.

Computer hard drivesReorganized curriculum to accommodate Typing infreshman year; integrated some content from basicComputer course into Typing.

Class schedule

Trained student computer lab proctors. ObservationInstalled Cybera software to allow monitoring and blockingof computer lab use from a remote location.

softwareInstalled Clareline course software. software


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2 class sets of scientific calculators donated by formerteachers.

calculatorsShared hard drive installed for teachers, with delineatedfolders for unit-building.

XHS Faculty Hard DriveStudent Center constructedwhich will include ninecomputer stations (open even when Computer Lab is not).

Student Center design plansApplied for a 2nd JICA (Japanese Overseas Volunteer Core)

who will upgrade and maintain computer systems.

JICA applicationApplied for a grant from the Yokwe Yuk Club forcomputerized library cataloging system.

Grant applicationPrimary survey findings:

60% of freshmen students report learning new technology useskills through their courses.

All classes, although predominantly junior and senior students,report needing more practice with Internet research, and moreguidance about how to research effectively.

All classes note the need to increase Internet speed in the studentComputer Room

Technology Use survey andinterviews

Ongoing/Future:

o Expand computer lab (2nd lab or larger space)o Install additional Internet lines (or other strategy) to increase speedo Evaluate content and sequence of tech use within courses to identify appropriate times for


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computer stations in the (under-construction) Student Center. Even as the school has madeacceptable progress on this goal, the goal is yet operative because of the significance oftechnology for educationin particular, the computer; because of the constantly expandingcapacities of computer-assisted instruction; and because of students affect/skills at computeruse.------------------------------


In SY 2009-10, Xavier introduced computers to the Student Center, but due to the slowinternet connectivity this has been delayed until March, 2012, when ADSL will be availableat Xavier.

During the summer of 2011-2012, all faculty offices have internet accessibility.


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In addition to amending and then responding to the imperatives of its school-wideAction Plan, Xavier did a thorough assessment of every discrete growth point from its 2006Self-Study. A number of these points were embraced in the (integral, amended) ActionPlan. Those that were not received responsible attention, leading the Visiting Committee tocommend Xavier for its exhaustive self-scrutiny. (Some of these points will receive mentionin the next section of this report.)

PART I - SECTION B: Responses toAreas of GrowthIdentified in the Schools Self-Study:

In addition to the 5 Action items identified and responded to above, the 2006 WASC VisitingTeam identified other Areas of Growththat Xavier should address. These also were respondedto in our 2009 Midterm Report, and are reported here. Xaviers responses to these areas of

Growth since the 2009 Midterm Review are in bold type.

The school has made progress on aligning the school program to the ESLRs. The Board ofDirectors is now updated on the progress made on the schools Action Plan at each meeting. In

the past three years, the schools Directors have made intentional efforts to engage the school

community in the local community. Teachers have begun to align the curriculum with standardsunder the guidance of the Principal.

Improving teacher and administrator retention would have a positive impact on student learning,and continues to be a critical area of need. Other continuing areas of need include identifyingfunding sources to cover rising food and utilities costs, and maintaining school facilities and


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The ESLRs were substantially restated during SY 2004-05. Reviewing the ESLRs at thebeginning of SY 2008-09, teachers and administrators determined that they stillaccurately describe the desired outcomes for our Xavier graduates.

The ESLRS will be revisited at the beginning of SY 2009-2010. Any changes oradaptations will be incorporated into the full study report in 2012.

Xaviers response since the Midterm Review:

The director, while on Sabbatical, revisited the ESLRs during SY 2010-11, comparingXaviers ESLRs with the Jesuit Secondary Education Associations (JSEA) Grad atGraduation. The JSEA is

Sustained efforts to align the schools program with the ESLRs are reliant on the recruitmentand retention of more long-term teaching staff members and administrators.

The school maintained the same Director and Principal from SY 2005-06 through SY2007-08, allowing work on the aligning the school program to the ESLRs to be sustainedconsistently over a three-year period.

Re-emphasis of service and religious activities has encouraged students to achieve the ESLRs of conscientiousness and compassion. Planning and evaluation of studentsummer Community Service Projects have increased: classes attend informationalmeetings in mid-May, during which they have the opportunity to ask questions about

expectations for the projects. Parents and site supervisors receive letters explaining theproject expectations. A teacher conducts follow-up interviews with each senior based onthe content of their reflection papers and journals. Site supervisors are requested to


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incoming administrators, has made it possible to sustain the process of aligning theschool program with the ESLRs.

A planned effort should be made to incorporate parents in reviewing future drafts of theESLRs.

The ESLRs have not been modified since SY 2004-05, prior to the previous Self-Study.ESLRs will be revisited prior to SY 2009-2010. (Parents should be incorporated in futurereview and modification of the ESLRs.)

Xaviers Response since the Midterm Review:

Xavier has not as yet found a proper way to incorporate parents into the draft stageof review and modification of the ESLRs. In part this is due to the vast distancesinvolved in including parents in the review process, and in part because it will entail awhole education process to help parents understand the essence of a Jesuit Education.As theProfile of the Grad at Graduation points out in its introduction, the Profile needs

to be understood within the context of the mission and characteristics of Jesuiteducation.

Areas of Growth (A2): Governance

The Board needs to continue collaborating with the school Administration to develop andrefine the use of the new governance model. Communication and consultation between

all Board members and administrators throughout the year via e-mail should be morefrequent.


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Articles of Incorporation and its By-Laws. In addition, the Xavier board unanimouslyapproved a motion that the Principal of Xavier High School be included as an ex-officio,non-voting member of the Board, as a way of increasing communication. While Xavierneeds to continue to educate the Board as to what is proper to a board, and to continue

to educate the board in the characteristics of Jesuit education, we have made muchprogress in the area of governance, and the board and the administration docommunicate regularly with each other. The Xavier Organizational Chart reflects thistwo-tiered board.

The role on the Board of the Regional Superior for the Jesuits needs to be clarified.Effective April 2009, a new Regional Superior for the Jesuits will take over. His role onthe Board should be determined before this transition takes place.


As mentioned above, with the adoption of the Newly Amended and Restated Articles of

Incorporation, and theNewly Amended and Restated Xavier By-Laws, the role of the majorsuperior is clearly defined. He is the head of the Board of Members, and an ex-officio,voting member of the Board of Directors, with qualified veto power.

Board meetings agendas should include sufficient time to plan many aspects of theschools future, including, but not limited to, financial matters.


As can be seen from agendas and Minutes of Board meetings, more time is allotted to plan


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Areas of Growth (A3): School Leadership

All school leaders should have adequate training. This necessitates additional studies foradministrators, staff development for teachers, and routine training sessions for studentleaders.

In June 2006, the Principal completed two independent study graduate Educationcourses through St. Peters College, New Jersey. As part of the coursework, a research-based Staff Development Plan for the school was developed. The Staff Development Planhas been implemented during SY 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09. The plan includes a

10-day Teaching Staff Orientation during the 2 weeks before school begins. Continuingstaff development includes quarterly peer and Principal observations focusing on giventopics, seminars on research-based teaching methods, and curriculum alignment work.Training sessions for student leaders have been integrated into the week of planningmeetings for the Student Senate prior to the start of each school year. Topics of theSenate training sessions for SY 2007-08 included school needs, mission & goals,organization and communication for leadership, conflict resolution, and school policies.This week of Senate training needs to be followed by additional training sessions

throughout the school year.


Xavier realizes that there is always more that needs to be done in this area. As of thecurrent SY 2011-12, all administrators, faculty and students have gone through Do YouSpeak Ignatian? which is now included in the back of the Faculty and Student Handbooks.

Before Xavier stakeholders can understand Xaviers Mission, Philosophy and ESLRs, theyneed to understand some of the crucial aspects of Jesuit education, such as cura

personalis (car of the person), and the Magis (willingness to do the more.) Alladministrators, faculty and students also reviewed Xaviers Philosophy, Mission and


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2007-08. The teaching staff should conduct a similar biannual evaluation of theDirector.


Xavier now believes that although it is proper that the Principal be evaluated by theteaching staff, the director should more properly be evaluated by the Board of Directors.Xavier now has a tool to do this, and it did conduct its first Board Evaluation of theDirector at the end of its December, 2011 Board meeting.

More formal collaboration between the teaching staff and Student Senate may encouragestudent Senators to recognize their role as leaders of the school.

A few Student Senate members have been requested to participate in one session of theFaculty Orientation. A few Student Senate members have volunteered to join theteachers in focus groups studying particular critical areas. Before SY 07-08, the StudentSenate participated in 6 half-day leadership training sessions, in addition to their usual planning sessions before the school year. Formal leadership training for the Student

Senate is recommended to continue with more follow-up by the Senate Moderator andadministrators or teachers during the school year. In January of 2009, the StudentSenate conducted a self-evaluation of their own role and effectiveness in the school. Thistype of evaluation should continue each semester. Findings from this study will beavailable for the Visiting Team.


At the end of the Faculty Orientation and the Student Body Association (SBA) orientationin August, 2011, the administration brought back an old Xavier tradition of hosting a jointfaculty, SBA, Administration picnic barbeque at the Blue Lagoon, as a way of showing


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Japan and Australia to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, andthe Republic of the Marshall Islands have visited campus and spoken to the students.

In addition to the class and summer (individual) Community Service Projects, studentshave been active in our outreach to the Sapuk Village community. Beginning in January2009, groups of students tutor at Sapuk Public Elementary School each morning.Through this experience, our students gather a grassroots understanding of thechallenges facing public education here in Chuuk (i.e. student and teacher absenteeism,lack of materials and resources, poor infrastructure, etc.). Xavier students are becomingmore aware of the challenges that face them as future leaders of their communities and

countries.


Xavier still needs to find funding for its leadership program, but some progress has beenmade. Xavier students are now regularly selected for the Junior Statesman Program in theU.S. each summer, and for both the FSM and International Close-up Programs. Each ofthese programs is designed to promote leadership and to help realize leadership potential.

Areas of Growth (A4): Staff

The school and Board must develop a long-term strategy for hiring qualified administratorsand teaching staff members and retaining them. The school should plan to hire an AssistantDirector, Principal and Dean of Students who will be able to remain at the school for at leastfour years. The school should seek to retain one teaching staff member in each subject area

i h h f hi i


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As mentioned above, in SY 2008-09, Xavier hired Mr. Martin Carl, as vice-principal, withthe intention of his moving into the role of principal in SY 2009-10. Mr. Carl is now in his3rd year as Principal of Xavier High School, and is expected to be with Xavier at least aslong as his daughter is attending Xavier High School, which is another 3 and years.Xavier hired a dean of students for SY 2010-11. Xavier has hired a new dean of studentsfor the current SY 2011-12, a Xavier alumnus from the class of 2003.. The dean iscommitted to a three year contract. As mentioned above, Xavier also hired a new mathand science teacher for SY 2011-12 that was supposed to be for a multi-year contract, but

because of VISA problems, he was not able to come to Chuuk. This continues to be aconcern to Xavier, and we have identified as our next critical area for funding the hiringof an experienced English teacher. This will be difficult, as Xaviers ability to recruit

Americans for this job is limited, but more importantly, because there is little to offersomeone to come to Chuuk. One of the Midterm reviewers reminded us that while we needto exert every effort in accomplishing this goal, we also need to be realistic. The reviewernoted What are you going to offer them for coming to Chuuk and Xavier to work - a tripto Guam every weekend for shopping and movies?

The school and Board should continue attempts to hire Micronesian teachers andadministrators.

A qualified, Micronesian Assistant Principal was hired on a one-year contract for SY2008-09. One Micronesian was hired to teach during Sem. 2 of SY 2006-07, and wasretained through Sem. 1 of SY 2007-08. Hiring qualified Micronesian teachers and

retaining them for more than one year continues to be a challenge.

Many Xavier graduates are invited to work for the national and local governments, with


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(usually Xavier alumni) continue to find much better salaried jobs in the government andpublic sectors, either in Chuuk, or at the national FSM government in Pohnpei, or havedecided to remain in the U.S. after college.

Contracts for long-term administrators and teachers should include provisions for staffmembers who do not possess professional credentials to complete relevant coursework inEducation at the schools expense.

The school solicited and received funding from the NY Jesuit Province to allow the previous Principal to complete 6 graduate Education credits. All administrators and

teachers currently on staff either possess credentials or are short-term.


While not yet explicitly stated in our contracts, we are working with Mr. Rey Dahilan tohelp him obtain a masters degree in math, while still remaining at Xavier. As mentioned

above, we are looking at ways of funding for the current principal to obtain masters inCatholic School Administration. Both of these are, however, in the preliminary stages.

Areas of Growth (A5): School Environment

The school and Board must develop a long-term strategy for hiring qualified administratorsand teaching staff members and retaining them. The school and Board should continueattempts to hire Micronesian teachers and administrators. Contracts for long-termadministrators and teachers should include provisions for staff members who do not possessprofessional credentials to complete relevant coursework in Education and/or Counseling at


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have been more local foods available, but this recommendation has not been fullyimplemented.


Beginning in SY 2011-12, a gardener was hired by Xavier to increase the amount of localfruits and vegetables available on campus, for both students and faculty. We are harvestingcucumber, long beans, cabbage, pumpkin, breadfruit and eggplant, in addition to Papaya,bananas, mangos, and in season, melons. While students like the fruit, it is still an uphillbattle to get them to eat their vegetables. At present, we are not producing enough

vegetables to supply the student kitchen.

Food storage and preparation methods used in the student kitchen should be monitored morefrequently. Cooks should be trained in food safety, and the school should retain cooks whoare willing and able to maintain adequate food safety standards.

The schools Purchasing Officer and Kitchen Supervisor, Rufina Defang, directlyoversees food storage and the preparation of most student meals. According to the

Infirmarian, the instances of reported student illnesses attributable to food prepared andserved in the Student Kitchen are decreasing from about six during SY 2005-06 to aboutthree during SY 2006-07 and one in SY 07-08. Student complaints about foodpreparation in the student kitchen have also decreased.


Apart from buying a new student stove and freezer, nothing further has been done in this

area.

To prevent the spread of disease, sinks should be installed in the student dining hall and toilet


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In addition to formal schools masses, the chapel has increasingly become the focal point for the local Chuukese Catholic community of Sapuk village. With the assistance of the Xavier students, Sunday School classes have begun for the children of Sapuk. OnFebruary 22, 2009, twenty-one children from Sapuk were baptized into the CatholicChurch.


As shown above, this recommendation has been fully acted on.

At the end of each school year, students and staff members should be surveyed about theschool environment. This would allow the Leadership Team to monitor the schools

environment, as perceived by community members. Survey results could be used tomeasure the effectiveness of improvements that have been made at the school, and toformally collect suggestions for additional improvements.

A school environment survey of teachers was conducted in June 2008. The results of the

survey will be available for the Visiting Team.

Areas of Growth (A6): Reporting Student Progress

Teachers must understand and agree upon a standard system for assigning effort and profilegrades.

The school handbook specifies student behaviors that merit an effort grade of 1. At thebeginning of each school year, teachers are required to distribute course syllabi thati l d l i f h d i d ff di f h Th


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Some female alumni were located prior to the celebration of the 30 th Anniversary ofFemale Student Admission in May 2007. Alumni of the Class of 2007 have been tracked for one year since their graduation. There have been significant efforts to establishAlumni groups in each island district. Currently, there are groups in each district whohave organized committees.

In September 2008, the school director began meeting with alumni groups in each of thesix island districts served by Xavier High School. To date, meetings have been held withalumni groups in Chuuk (September 2008), Pohnpei (January 2009), Palau (February2009), and the Marshall Islands (March 2009). In addition to helping each district

reorganize and elect new officers of their alumni associations and giving them targetgoals for financial assistance, and email has been built of those alumni living in Micronesia and abroad. Much progress has recently been made in tracking Xavieralumni. For example, each member of the class of 1998 has been contacted via email.


There are currently eight Friends of Xavier (FOX) communities: Chuuk, Pohnpei,

Marshall Islands, Yap, Palau, Saipan, Hawaii, and in the mainland U.S. By the end of SY2011-12, there will also be a FOX Guam. These FOX groups have been helpful in locatingour alumni. In addition, thanks to the help of two alumnae, a Xavier database of alumniwas developed in SY 2010-11. Currently, two of our faculty, both alumni, are continuing tofill in the gaps, using Facebook and other social media sources. The database should be90% complete by February, 2012.

The school must evaluate the assessment tools currently in use to determine if they can beused to accurately evaluate student understanding. Curriculum guides and assessment toolscurrently in use must be evaluated to determine if they evaluate students progress towardmeeting course competencies, that is, student progress toward the ESLRs. Once the


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May,

File 2 - Introduction Through Chapter V

Documents

Transcript of File 2 - Introduction Through Chapter V