School Accountability Report Card

Reported Using Data from the 2019–2020 School Year

Independence High School believes that learning is a lifelong process and can be inherently satisfying. Furthermore, students learn in a variety of ways, at different paces and need flexibility to be successful. The desired outcome is that students develop positive skills and habits that will enhance their ability to be successful after high school. By design, Independence High School is a place of warmth, acceptance, authenticity, and healing. Student/staff relationships are of paramount importance. Diversity is honored. Honesty, trust and personal value are promoted. True growth occurs only when individuals feel safe enough, genuinely cared about and appreciated enough to settle into their own beings and identities. The staff maintains a firm commitment to recognizing and appreciating the inherent value and worth of each individual student. Humor, irony, eccentricity, dedication to change and growth, and pursuit of challenge - all are factors that make Independence High School the very special setting it is. The school code of conduct is centered on the student-oriented mission statement: Show up, Be Cool, Take Care of Business! (attendance), (behavior), (academic progression).

Independence High School makes great efforts to ensure a clean, safe and fully functional campus that supports the educational process for every student, every day. Routine checks of the campus take place by a Monthly Property Checklist, School Insurance Authority Team and the local Fire Department. The Sherpa Desk (web-based work order system) is used by all staff to ensure that all facility concerns and need repairs are addressed in an efficient, timely manner. The campus is supervised by one administrator, one counselor, two campus monitors, one School Resource Officer, a part time probation officer, a 24 hour on-campus security watchman and all outside areas are fully monitored by a state-of-the-art full color video surveillance system. Independence High School was recently better protected by the installation of high quality perimeter wrought-iron fencing that thwarts visitors from disrupting instruction and promotes the school’s visitor check-in policy by guiding all visitors through the administration building, where notices are posted and school staff is present, reminding visitors of their obligation to check in before proceeding onto campus. In the spring of 2019, a new irrigation system was added to the athletic field and a new cement pad was poured to provide an outdoor area for ceremonies such as graduation. Further, this locked fencing discourages facility vandalism and property theft outside of school hours by consistently preventing the public from accessing the interior of the campus.

Independence High School does not have any on-site CTE or ROP courses, but students have the ability to participate in ROP (Regional Occupation Program) courses offered at the district’s comprehensive school off-site. The district offers the following ROP programs in which Independence students can participate: Animal Health, Database Design and SQL Programing, Health Careers, Culinary Arts, Law Enforcement, Fire Control Technician, Metal Fabrication, Diesel Engine and Auto Engine.

Students are more successful in school when parents are involved in their child’s education. Independence is continually seeking ways to involve parents in the support of their child’s education. Increasing the school’s capacity for strong parent involvement and connecting parents to pathways of involvement in their children’s education are goals of Independence and include: Independence High School hosts a twice yearly Parents on Campus Day, where families will meet with administration, superintendent and will then follow their student's class schedule to see a day in the life of their student at Independence High School School Site Council - School Site Council meets quarterly to review the schools’ programs and to evaluate the effectiveness of the Single Plan for Student Achievement. School Site Council members are elected from interested parents and staff. Voting takes place early in the year at “Parents on Campus Day”. The Independence High School Site Council is an active group of parents who meet on a regular basis to oversee the Single Plan for Student Achievement. Their activities include the following: Designing and implementation of the plan Reviewing and analyzing multiple data points Reviewing achievement of school goals Making recommendations for improving student achievement Determining if the dollars spent impact student achievement Reviewing categorical budgets and appropriation Approving the Single Plan for Student Achievement Discussing relevant issues and needs impacting the school community Student Enrollment Meeting - Targeted outcomes of these meetings include: Helping parents understand the state academic content standards state assessments, and graduation requirements.

Providing materials and training to help parents work together with their child to improve overall academic achievement. Planning for the future: Post-secondary options and financial aid. Providing Resources and information available through County Mental Health and the Health Department, as well as other local agencies. New Morning hosts a series of parental support meetings on campus, including Parent Project and Foster Youth Launch. Involving and informing parents of our school’s participation in Title I programs and their options for targeted student support and achievement and extracurricular engagement. Information is sent home each year in the “Annual Notification and Student Handbook” to all families regarding important notifications, access to food services and transportation, and other available services. In addition to the above, Independence High School faculty and staff have frequent contact with parents and guardians regarding the academic progress and overall well-being of students.

The school has a user-friendly website that provides students, parents, and community up-to-date school information at their fingertips. Teachers and staff use Aeries gradebook functions to email parents relevant grades updates on students, and also use the USPS to mail students feedback postcards and other mailers out to families. These are either important updates in which student progress concerns are communicated, or student praises that simply recognize the impact positive feedback can have on a student in building encouragement and learning momentum while strengthening family bonds.

A monthly newsletter from the parent, High School Years, is sent out to parents and posted on the school’s website. The newsletter features helpful information on how to best support teens in their high school education, while also providing encouragement and trips on how to successfully navigate the challenges that arise when raising teenagers. Parent Square, is the school’s automated calling and emailing system, is also utilized to make important announcements and share relevant information, including notifying parents of special events and involvement opportunities, attendance issues and school emergencies.  Independence High School and the local community work well together. The school hosts family-oriented events to celebrate student success throughout the year, including award assemblies, BBQs and breakfasts. Because the parents and families of IHS students are dispersed over a large geographical area, the school has become the common thread that brings the community together.

The Independence High School campus has one district director, one full time site administrator, one counselor, one campus monitor, a full time School Resource Officer from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s department and a part-time on-site probation officer. The campus is located on the same property as the district office and is less than one mile from the local fire station. All staff have been trained in school safety issues including Crisis Prevention and Intervention, Non-Violent Communication, and First Aid and CPR and Stop the Bleed training. Crisis counseling is available on a daily basis, as well as New Morning individual and group counseling offered twice a week and Sierra Family and Child Services supporting our students with Individual Education Plans. The Independence High School Safety Action Plan and Emergency Operations Plan is reviewed in detail annually as a staff. Staff, students, stakeholders, and the general public can review the plan by contacting the school office. Probation and Sheriff agencies join county school administrators, including the site administrator of Independence High School, in bi-monthly community meetings that allow all stakeholders to stay briefed on School Emergency Response best practices and other school-safety related information.

The site administrator reports back and shares relevant information with all staff throughout the year at staff meeting and through email communications. District administrators meet as a group at least twice a year at the district office to ensure that all safety administrative regulations and board policies are being met, as well as any questions and concerns are addressed in a timely manner. All classrooms and labs on the Independence High School campus have safety binders equipped with maps, rosters, signs, emergency provisions, and detailed directors to facilitate success of emergency response efforts. The school participates in annual fire and lock-down drills to stay familiar with response situations and expectations and develop ways to further improve. All efforts to ensure building safety, cleanliness, and adequacy have been successful. The school is monitored by a state-of-the-art 24-hour video surveillance system. The site administrator, counselor, and director have access to this campus surveillance system to support the diminishment of obstacles and interruptions in the educational process, as well as address safety concerns as they arise. The school is enclosed in high-quality wrought iron security fencing, ensuring that outside intruders cannot gain easy access to the interior of the campus, while also enforcing the school’s policy that all visitors must check in through the office.

Classroom/student recognition and incentive programs:

• Supplemental reading materials, technology, equipment, books and supplies


• Interactive field learning experiences and college and career exploration opportunities


• Faculty and staff professional development, including travel and conference


• Motivational assemblies and student connectivity events and initiatives that strive to inspire and engage students in their learning and support their graduation and post-high school goals


• Diverse credit recovery options such as Intersession and Student Lacking Academic Progress (SLAP) and an embedded academic Connections Class for non IEP students.


• Advanced Education through Folsom Lake College -Field Trips that provide student opportunities to experience plays, musicals, physical activity and other life enhancing opportunities.


• Career preparation (course work, Job Shadow or Internship) and work readiness programs and certificates


• Student support services including drug prevention counseling, peer counseling, character curriculum and restorative justice frameworks


• Parent involvement activities and outreach initiatives


• Common Core articulation and development.

Independence High School is committed to providing cutting edge technology and placing devices in the hands of our students. Currently, Independence is closing in on a 1:1 Chromebook to student ratio which is expected to be complete by March 2021. These are and will be used to meet the educational needs of all students. We continue to implement Google Apps for Education, Pearson Math XL, IXL, online textbooks and curriculum, supplemental resources and online computer software to help with intervention and remediation.