Language Arts At Westover High School Essay - 708 Words

I am LaToyia Watts Jackson and I teach Language Arts at Westover High School. I am one of twelve academic teachers in the Ninth Grade Academy. The ninth grade students are isolated from the upperclassmen. Westover High School is one of four high schools in Dougherty County, Albany, Georgia. We serve a total of 1,379 students: 456 freshmen, 316 sophomores, 301 juniors, and 306 seniors. Of these students, 46% are economically disadvantaged and 8% have a disability. The graduation rate is 70.7%. Finally, Westover High School only met seven of the nine indicators, which resulted in not making adequate yearly progress (AYP). However, this school is not on the Needs Improvement list. Therefore, 113 students transferred to this school for the 2008-2009 school term; because it is the â€Å"School of Choice.† Dougherty County School System requires students to read twenty-five books per year (this includes short stories, articles, novels, and other works of literature). However, many novels are complex and are difficult for special needs students to read. There is a lack of resources to assist special need students in a literature classroom. Such resources include but are not limited to: audio books, books in Braille, large-print books, technology, and other supplementary materials to meet the various needs of special needs students. These materials will improve the success of these students. However, without adequate training of regular education teachers and special needs teacher, the