JOLIET TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOLS
JOLIET, ILLINOIS

The campuses have developed a School Improvement Plan to meet the standards of the Illinois State Board of Education and North Central Association. They are as follows:

West Campus Improvement Plan 2002-2003

As expressed in our mission statement, Joliet West is committed to providing a safe environment and to establishing a strong foundation for life-long learning by challenging and guiding all students to fulfill their academic, physical, and personal potential, preparing them to be productive citizens of a changing society. During this school year, the administration, faculty and staff have engaged in a variety of activities and programs to accomplish that goal.

To provide students with an academically challenging environment, the Joliet West faculty participated in several professional development activities to develop a problem-solving rubric. Faculty incorporated the problem-solving rubric into the various content areas to promote critical thinking in the classroom. Joliet West continues to address the development of reading skills through the Schoolwide Reading program and explores strategies needed to promote writing across the curriculum. Additionally, students, staff, and parents of the Joliet West community will continue to develop, plan, and implement activities that focus on completion of our North Central target areas:

• Communication Skills
• Technology

In addition to the North Central target areas, the School Improvement Plan for 2002-2003 will align with the new district Strategic Plan and will include these areas of focus:

• Communicate assessment data to staff, identify areas of weakness, and develop strategies to improve student performance;
• Establish an active parent/community group to promote respect and responsibility in the school;
• Integrate character education into the school curriculum;
• Develop a teacher recruitment plan;
• Continue to integrate and expand diversity education; and
• Improve writing across the curriculum.

In accordance with the School Improvement Plan, and in conjunction with the district Curriculum Coordinating Council and Subject Area Committees, the West school community continues to strive toward the goal that all students meet or exceed the Illinois State Standards. Joliet West utilized the EXPLORE, PLAN, and ACT test to assess student progress and will continue to use those instruments, along with the state mandated Prairie State Achievement Examination.

Students at Joliet West consistently perform well in academic assessments. In May of 2002, seventy-three students participated in Advanced Placement examinations. Of those seventy-three, fifty-one took multiple examinations. West Campus also offers a training program to prepare students for the ACT. West students performed at a level consistent to national averages with twenty-one students scoring an average of 30 or above on the April 2002 test.

Mrs. Cheryl McCarthy, Principal
West Campus